Nichole’s Blog

I was fortunate enough to meet Jan Burke at last year’s Mayhem in the Midlands.  It was there I purchased my first Irene Kelly mystery.  I’ve been a fan ever since.

For those not familiar with Irene, she is a newspaper reporter who ends up marrying a cop.  I think my kindred feeling for Irene has to do with our similar backgrounds.  I am trained as a journalist and that’s what I had planned to do with my life.  My father is a cop.  So was his mother.  Dad and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye on the responsibilities of the media or the public’s right to know.

With Irene’s interesting relationship with husband Frank Harriman, I am reminded of conversations I’ve had with family members.

Anyway, Kidnappedis another in the Irene Kelly series.  In this installment, Irene has written an article about missing children.  The day the story hits the paper, bones are uncovered which reminds the town of a notorious murder-kidnapping case of six years ago.

Burke does a fantastic job of weaving the background story into the “present day” events.   Granted, in this novel she does do a section when the crime happens and then a “six years later” thing.  Still, she doesn’t give us all the information at the time of the crime and weaves the back-story into the book.  Like the other Irene Kelly mysteries I’ve read, Kidnapped is fast-paced and action-packed.

I will admit, however, that I haven’t read the series in order and I have missed a few leading up to Kidnapped.  Hey, the last one I read had Irene and Frank dating, I think!  One of the things I really enjoy about the series is that you aren’t required to read these in order.  Yeah, it helps, but I can tell you from her other works that Burke is able to weave in the details you need to stay up-to-date without rehashing things to boredom for those who have followed the story closely.

This series is edgier than some of the others that I’ve recently read.  If you’re looking for something with a little more action then your typical cozy, check one of Burke’s.  I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Blessings!

Nichole

I’ve learned that writers are often vivacious readers.  At least the good writers are.  I’ve been a reader since I can remember.  Even family vacations as a child required me to pack at least two books.  So it’s no surprise that I’m still reading and reading often.

I just finished Jan Burke’s Dear Irene.  Up until a few months ago, I had never even heard of Ms. Burke.  She was a speaker at this year’s Mayhem in the Midlands, though, and I was able to meet her and decided to buy a book.  (OK, I actually bought 2 of hers there, but that’s not important!)

As I’ve worked my way through the Irene Kelly series (I’ve read Sweet Dreams, Irene; Goodnight, Irene; Bones; and now Dear Irene — and yes, I know I didn’t read them in order!), I’m impressed with how Ms. Burke has let her characters grow.  I also really like the fact that you don’t put any of her books down without learning something.  In this one, it was Greek and Roman mythology.

Newspaper reporter Irene Kelly is back at work after being seriously injured in Goodnight, Irene.  As she opens her mail, she recieves a letter in which Thanatos (Greek meaning “Death”) admits to killing someone.  When the body is discovered, just like Thanatos described, Irene is on the hunt to catch a  killer.

Irene doesn’t do anything easily, or maybe nothing seems to come easily for Irene.  Her insistance on presuing Thanatos is a major source of conflict between her and her homicide-detective fiance Frank Harriman.  Ms. Burke does a fantastic job of using the characters to tell the story and allowing the characters to come alive on the page.  The concerns of Irene and Frank, as well as the complaints of their coworkers, are realistic and believable.  And while there may not be the rampant crime spree in any small town that Ms. Burke’s books imply, her writing is enough to suspend believability in that arena and keep me coming back for more.

Blessings!

Nichole