Intellectual Thrillers: The Eva Johnson Series

The three intellectual thrillers in the Eva Johnson Series by Charles Harris

With the publication this week of the third book in the Eva Johnson Series of intellectual thrillers, I want to lay out some of the factors that make this series so compelling and unique.

The books in the Eva Johnson Series are thrillers based on real-world issues at the intersection of politics, technology and social and cultural change. Although filled with action and surprises that drive the plot forward like any good thriller, the books are more sophisticated than typical thrillers. They are psychological mystery thrillers that foreshadow and explore issues that are altering who we are, what we think and how we live. Set in or near the present, the books blend fact and fiction so seamlessly that readers often wonder where the facts end and the fiction begins. The books strive to be prescient, sometimes as to outcomes and more often as to important issues that are speeding toward us—issues that will become even more challenging in the years ahead.

When I was in law school, I learned to appreciate the value of issue identification, not just in law but also in life. If you don’t see an issue coming, you don’t have much chance of preparing for it. The Eva Johnson books are designed to encourage you to think about the issues the book raises, both while you are reading and long after you have finished.

Although I have my own personal point of view on these issues, I am not out to tell you what you should think. I believe that engagement and debate are essential to a healthy democracy and to continuous learning and personal growth. I embrace passionate disagreement as long as mutual respect for people and ideas prevails. I distrust political correctness and sheltering people from realities that need to be confronted and understood. I want to help identify the issues we should be thinking and talking about and let my characters point out the pros and cons. Whatever your views may be about the issues in these books, I urge you to share them and consider what others may think about your opinions.

The Eva Johnson books are for you if you enjoy intellectual, action-packed fiction:

• Set in the context of current real-world issues.

• Where psychology and technology are as important to the plot as firefights and bloodshed.

• Where politics form part of the story but the book is not an echo chamber for one side or the other.

• That explores the psychological links between truth and lies, anxiety and fear, confidence and control and wealth and power.

Sexy digital artist and tech executive Eva Johnson is the protagonist in the series. Eva is a smart, talented and vibrant character who enjoys challenging stereotypes and the issues the books explore. I like to use cultural and political clichés and tropes as literary tools to encourage (some might say incite) reader reaction and engagement. Eva’s colorful (some might say controversial) character and personality traits are an important part of my efforts to stimulate reader reaction. Authors often say they talk with their characters and I am happy to admit that I have good discussions with mine. I can assure you that Eva is not shy on or off the page.

Intentional Consequences was the first book in the series, followed by Revenge Matters and Virtual Control.

Although the later books include a few hints about Eva’s earlier escapades, you don’t need to read either of the earlier books first to enjoy Virtual Control and you can read the earlier books later in either order. The more books you read, the more you will appreciate Eva's past and how it affects how she thinks and acts today.

Each book in the series crafts an exciting story around an important current event or subject.

In Intentional Consequences, it’s national politics and the pending presidential primaries for the 2020 election. In Revenge Matters, it’s biotechnology and the microbiome. In Virtual Control, it’s artificial intelligence, personal data and the metaverse. You don’t need to be an expert in any of these areas to enjoy the rapidly evolving story. Each book will pull you along with what you need to know. If you are already an expert, you will appreciate the research and attention to detail and enjoy the nuances between what is true and what is almost true.

Even though the books in the series are set in the present or near present, the stories have lasting messages and appeal. For example, Intentional Consequences is set in the early months of the primaries for the 2020 presidential election, but the underlying conspiracy and political maneuvering will be as troubling and real in the 2024 election as they were when that book was published in August 2019. As in good historical fiction, the players may pass into history but the issues and human frailties endure.