Journalist Irene Kelley finds herself out of a job as her newspaper closes down. At the same time, serial killer Nick Parrish (from previous novel Bones), whose prior encounter with Irene left him partially paralyzed, miraculously recovers in prision. Nick and his sick fanboys and girls called “...
Intrepid sleuth/reporter Irene Kelly barely has time to recover from the shock of learning that her estranged aunt has been killed before being blindsided by an even bigger surprise - she's the number one suspect! Irene searches for her aunt's son, Travis - a young man who wants nothing to do wit...
This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, so maybe there were unrealistic expectations. I was also impressed with the Edgar Award for best mystery this book won, as well. But I wasn't overly impressed by the end. It left me underwhelmed.The first third or half was solid. Investigators...
Politics and murder mix in the second mystery, after Goodnight, Irene , to feature Southern California newspaper reporter Irene Kelly and her homicide detective lover, Frank Harriman. Jacob Henderson, teenaged son of a district attorney candidate whose mudslinging race Irene has been covering, as...
Bloodlines, by Jan Burke, A-minus. Borrowed from the National Library Service for the Blind.This is my first Irene Kelly mystery, and I understand it to be pretty late in the series. But, knowing nothing about the series, it could stand alone pretty well. The book is in three parts. The first par...
Here’s a little dip into the past: In Jan Burke’s 2003 “Hocus,” reporter Irene Kelly’s husband (Det. Frank Harriman) has been kidnapped and she has only 3 days to get him back. What does she have to do? Save her husband by solving another crime. It’s fast-paced, believable, good manipulation of p...
When a strange letter signed "Thanatos" -- the ancient Greek name for death -- lands on Irene Kelly's desk, the intrepid reporter doesn't think much of it; she gets crazy mail all the time. A less cryptic message is sent when a body turns up the next morning. As more letters roll in, the death to...
Started: Nov 2, 2007Finished: Nov 11, 2007***I met Jan Burke at the Surrey International Writers' Conference in October, and had a total fangirly moment when she told me she'd coauthored a book (story?) with Sue Grafton (author of the Kinsey Millhone series, starting with A is for Alibi***This is...
Why tonight? As she lay staring up at the lazily circling blades of the ceiling fan, Kaylie asked herself the question again and again. She wasn’t sure what caused her to ask herself that question more than any other, especially as there were certainly other matters she sh...
Ada asked. “Of course you are. There isn’t a Girl Scout in the world who took ‘be prepared’ as seriously as you did, Sarah.” “From the size of that trunk I saw poor Mr. Parsons carrying out of here, I’d say you’re the one who’s over-prepared,” Sarah Milington replied. “Rea...
Ralph Kendall bellowed. When homicide detective Frank Harriman arrived, Kendall had been watching the Cartoon Network—a Bugs Bunny episode. Kendall had opened the door with a smile. The minute Frank explained why he was there, though, Kendall had grown serious, and turned ...
At another time, I might have spent these moments in fond remembrance of my childhood on Arden Farm, recalling the games and mischief I entered into with my brothers and sisters, and the wise and gentle care of my loving parents. But other, less pleasant memories had been forged since those happi...
In the dim light of the streetlamp, she set the spray mechanism to “stream” and went to work. Quickly she moved the bottle in a graceful, sweeping motion. She left as furtively as she had arrived. Three weeks later, much to the horror of the jerks who lived across the stre...