Irene Kelly, reporter for the Las Piernas Express and newly engaged to boyfriend, Frank Harriman, has received her share of crank mail and calls. But nothing like this. The first letter from "Thanatos" (Greek God of death) details the death of Clio (Greek Muse of history) using the hammer of Hephaestus, saying the eyes of Argus (Hera took the 100 eyes of Argus and put them in a peacocks tail) will be upon her remains. And that night, history professor Edna Blaylock, was bludgeoned to death and her body was thrown into the peacock exhibit at the zoo. Unfortunately, this is only the first letter from Thanatos. It looks like Las Piernas has a serial killer on its hands who will only communicate with Irene. No matter how fast Irene and the police solve the riddles in these mythological letters, they're always a step behind the killer. As the body count rises, Irene digs into the background of Thanatos' victims trying to find a link and a motive to these senseless murders, hoping next time, she won't be too late..... Jan Burke has done it again. Another great Irene Kelly mystery that will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you turning pages to the end. This story has it all...smart, crisp writing and witty dialogue, a terrific plot line full of twists, turns and surprises, great characters and suspenseful scenes. Ms Burke has a real talent for scaring you one moment and making you laugh out loud, the next. Dear Irene is pure entertainment and a joy to read. If you're new to the series, go back and start at the beginning with Goodnight Irene. If you're already a fan, this mystery won't disappoint.

Another riveting and intelligent mystery by Jan Burke. All of her books maintain the same quality level (excellent)! Reading her is always a pleasure. I highly recommend her to anyone who likes a really well written modern mystery.

Irene Kelly, reporter for the Las Piernas Express, is shocked to discover that a homeless drunk she met at a bus stop a few weeks before, was actually an acquaintance from her past, Lucas Monroe. She had found the encounter unnerving because he had recognized her and kept telling her "I'm not who I used to be." And he was certainly right about that. Twelve years ago, Lucas was her much admired college statistics instructor, a rising star and master's candidate in the sociology department, with a very bright future. Over the past weeks, since their chance meeting, he's cleaned up and stopped drinking and now wants Irene's help with an important personal matter. But before they can meet, Lucas is found dead in an abandoned hotel of an apparent heart attack. As Irene begins to investigate his fall from grace and death, she finds that twelve years ago he was involved with some of Las Piernas' most prominent civic leaders and she soon begins to uncover blackmail, corruption and possibly murder at the highest levels of city government..... Jan Burke is back with another great mystery and this series just keeps getting better and better. Remember Me Irene is a well written page turner, with a suspenseful, plausible plot, witty, irreverent dialogue, compelling scenes and an ending that will take you by surprise. If you are new to the series, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning with Goodnight Irene. For those who are already fans, this latest installment doesn't disappoint.

Irene Kelly is definitely one of the best series characters out there today. She's witty, strong-willed, funny, and full of spunk. She'll make you laugh and cry through every mystery she stumbles upon. Three cheers for Jan Burke. You really know how to write a page turner.

Writing Mysteries, 2nd Ed.: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America
Edited by Sue Grafton, with Jan Burke and Barry Zeman
Writers Digest Books(2002)

"Writing a novel is a long distance run of the imagination...Writers need all the help they can get, wherever they can get it..." (George C. Chesbro, p.91)

So you want to write a mystery? There's a few things you'll need for your journey, among them a healthy dose of curiousity and imagination, but nothing so important as a well-worn copy of Writing Mysteries (2nd Ed.), written by the Mystery Writers of America. Everything you'll need is here, organized into just under 300 pages of collective wisdom, from well-known and not-so-well-known mystery authors.

The handbook is divided into three parts: Preparation, The Process, and Specialties. Part I includes chapters on "The Rules and How to Bend Them," how and where writers get their ideas, the pros and cons of writing with a partner, and several chapters on research and background, all exploring different facets of these subjects.

Part II, The Process, dives right in to beginnings, middles, and endings, with specific sections focusing in-depth on characterization, creating a series character, using point of view, and developing one's personal writing style. Discussions on dialogue, pacing, and "clues, red herrings, and other plot devices" lead into the beginning of the end--thoughts and recommendations on plot, revision, agents, and markets.

Part III, Specialities, contains separate and thorough chapters each detailing a particular type of mystery writing--writing short stories, for younger audiences, true crime, e-book mysteries, and even a list of additional recommended reading and references.

So there you have it--everything you'll need to know to write a mystery--from the inkling of your first clue to the portrayal of the hero/sleuth your audiences will clamor to read about again and again. The best of the best are here--Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Tony Hillerman, Michael Connelly, Stuart Kaminsky, Sara Paretsky, Joan Lowery Nixon, Lawrence Block, and a host of other unique voices to guide the beginning mystery writer on the journey from idea to publication. With humor and honesty, a varied assortment of very different writers share their thoughts and even some of their "trade secrets" in this excellent writer's resource. Every aspiring mystery writer should have a copy of Writing Mysteries within arm's reach.

Put this book at the top of your reference list if you are a mystery writer. From research to writer's block to finding an agent, any problem you encounter will be addressed in this book. You can easily find the subject you're looking for without having to thumb trough the whole book.
It's like having all your favorite writers at your beckon call when you need advice, without the legwork. Unlike most reference books, it doesn't stifle creativity with a lot of rules and this-is-how-it's-done's. Fun to read, and-most importantly- it got me excited about my own writing again.

If y'all haven't read the first two books featuring Irene Kelly, fearless reporter ... well, I recommend getting & reading them soon!

In this 3rd installment, Irene is recovering from the physical and psychological injuries she incurred in "Sweet Dreams, Irene" (definitely an ironic title, I'd say!) and is trying to recover her natural (feisty) courage to deal with a new threat: someone sending her mail, calling her his "Cassandra" and giving her "hints" about future horrific murders defined/described by mythology ... implying that SHE must solve the murders to stop them.

Besides dealing with the frustrations of her physical limitations from previous injuries (leg cast, sore hand, painful shoulder), Irene must conquer the unwelcome fears her previous experiences had inflicted upon her ... and recapture the fearless curiosity that made her such a great reporter ... so she can keep more people from getting killed and bring the killer to justice.

I enjoyed "watching" Irene follow the clues (and her instincts)to investigate & solve the mystery, even while dealing with the "conflicts" of reporter vs. police (confidential questions/informers) and conflict of interest (being engaged to a detective!)*AND* trying to deal with overly sympathetic friends, family and "suspects" who want to help.

Did I say I had to read the whole book in one sitting?

Pat, looking forward to the next Irene adventure!

This short story collection centers on the impact of separations and divorce on the participants including extended family members. However, the twenty tales share a dark look at IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES as the audience is treated to situations that do not end as peacefully as our current legal system expects.

Lia Matera has put together a remarkable anthology that has several excellent stories, some very good tales, and no poor entry. The cross-genre contributors are a modern day who's who with such noted authors like Oates, Cross, Deaver, Lutz, Buchanan, and Muller, etc. None of the writers are lightweights as they all hold their own with the heavyweights. Anyone who enjoyed the Battle of the Roses will fully relish each tale that paints a very dismal look at broken relationships.

Harriet Klausner

Jan Burke's superior prose, intricate plotting and oh-so-human heroine Irene Kelly, have carried us through her other books, including her romance with and marriage to police detective fRank Harriman, a minor character throughout them. But here Burke turns things around, focusing on Harriman with Irene merely an anjunct in a story which starts slowly but catches your attention and never lets it go. The skeleton of Philip Lefebvre, 10 years gone and in disgrace with his fellow police for supposedly killing a youthful witness for money, is found in his wrecked plane and it's Harriman's case. He quickly decides Lefebvre is innocent, and just as quickly earns the animosity of all his fellow police officers, including his superiors. It isn't any easier for Harriman when he concludes it is someone inside the police circle who must be the true murderer. In the end, he finds the mastermind, givng a boy back his name and, in an ironic twist, setting in motion the freeing of many bad guys in jail. It's a great read, but please bring back Irene, Ms. Burke.

I have read ALL of the novels by Jan Burke, and thought her last book, BONES, was the best until I read THIS one. I think switching the focus to Irene's husband Frank was timely, and I have very much enjoyed getting to know that character better, and seeing Irene and her quirks through his eyes. The reader becomes involved in the plot right away. There are twists and turns, but the book never stalls.......what more could a reader want? Read this one, for sure.

This book is a must for all mystery writers--and Jan Burke is in top form. The story is compelling, the writing tight and the characters jump off the page. It's a quick read and a completely satisfying one too. I like that Burke is looking through the eyes of Irene Kelly's husband, Frank, which offers a fresh perspective. I'd write more, but I don't want to give too much away (the back of the book gives a pretty good description), but it will definately make you go and read Burke's Backlist.

Never let it be said that a good mystery book can not have a fulfilling and captivating romance at its core because HOCUS will prove them wrong. Irene Kelly has an argument with her husband, policeman Frank Harriman, thinking they will make up when they return from work. Only problem with that scenario is Frank never comes home. It soon becomes evident that he has been taken hostage by unknown people for inexplicable reasons. While Irene worries, something totally out of character for her, she receives a phone call from the kidnappers who have the injured officer in their custody. ..... The two men holding Frank captive were victims of a childhood trauma, eye witnesses to the slaughters of their fathers. As adults they finally expect to exact their own brand of justice on the man responsible for the carnage. They don't know who he is except that he was a policeman in the town where Frank grew up and went to work as a detective. It is Irene's task to find out his identity and bring him to them in exchange for her spouse's freedom. Irene subdues her own controlling nature, out of her deep abiding love for her husband, and allows herself to be at the beck and call of the kidnappers knowing that if she fails to obey their orders, she will lose the only man she ever loved. ..... Readers of romance, mystery, suspense and thrillers will want to get their hands on HOCUS as quickly as possible. It is a deeply satisfying emotional read yet intellectually stimulating, prodding, and provoking the audience into trying to guess what will happen next. Jan Burke is a brilliant writer, a gifted storyteller who can hold her own with any writer in the genre, including Cornwell, Crichton and Rosenberg. If ever a book deserves an award, this one does, not only because of its popular appeal but because of a masterful plot execution. ......Harriet Klausner

Almost every professional reviewer puts Jan Burke in a box with other female mystery writers. We see her compared with Grafton, Cornwell, and Paretsky, etc. Well, enough of that! This "female mystery writer" can go toe to toe with the boys anytime. She proves it again with "Hocus". As with most of her other novels, Burke again uses the theme of tragedies in the past impacting on lives in the present. In this book Irene Kelly's husband, Frank, is taken hostage by two young men he had rescued ten years ago. Their fathers had been killed and they had been left to die in an abandoned warehouse. They believe that a corrupt policeman was involved and are using Frank as a bargaining tool to obtain his name. Burke creates sympathy for the two villians. We feel real pity for them because she has shown us how they became the damaged creatures they are now. Frank and Irene are very likeable characters simply because they seem like normal people. They have a loving marriage, two great dogs and a 20lb cat, wonderful friends and neighbors, and jobs they go to every day. This series just keeps getting better and better. Burke deserves to be compared with Robert Parker, Dennis Lehane, and Robert Crais. She definitely can play with the big boys.

This book is extremely well written and the plot is captivating. I felt as though I was Irene and experiencing the fright and anguish due to the situation. One of Jan Burke's best. And the ending is such a shocker- sad too.

This is the second "Irene Kelly" from Jan Burke, who eventually went on to win an Edgar award for "Bones". Kelly began life in "Goodnight, Irene" as a reporter in the city of "Las Piernas" ("The Legs") on the coast south of Los Angeles. Kelly is the most assault prone reporter in the world leaving out Colombia and Chechniya. We have a newscaster in Chicago named Russ Ewing who has become the guy that accused killers call up to turn themselves in to so the police don't kill them. He has had something like 50 or 70 accused killers turn themselves in to him and hasn't been wounded once, yet Irene sustains more injuries than James Garner did in "The Rockford Files". Go figure.

Anyway, I wrote an Amazon review of "Goodnight, Irene" in which I identified many "beginners' faults" of detective writing. The good news is that "Sweet Dreams" corrects many of these faults and is thus a significant improvement over her first volume. I will take credit for this myself when I figure out how she read my review in 1993.

To begin with, the plot, which involves real or imagined Satanist activity at election time, is a lot more original and better designed than in her first work. Irene has stopped riding around in the cop car with her beau Frank all the time, which was an improbable feature of "Goodnight." She does more actual detection here than there. She tosses the blood around with less slapdash abandon in this book, although there's still room for improvement. For example, when a bloody human heart turns up, it doesn't get the attention that it really should, you know? The police test it to confirm that it's really human blood, but there doesn't seem to be much interest in WHOSE heart it is, etc., particularly considering that they should be able to make the same guess that the reader does.

One carry-over from the first book is that Irene is still prone to falling into stupid traps, as Frank points out:

"Why the hell did you go out to that field that night?"

"I've asked myself that question many times."

"I just don't understand it. You're smart. But I swear to God, Irene, sometimes you do something so..."

"Stupid," I finished quietly.

Well, *sigh* knowing you have a problem is the first step. Also, I have to say that the action flags a bit about three quarters of the way through, and after that there is some Penguin's Folly stuff. I just now invented that term. "Penguin's Folly" is from the 1960's Batman TV series, which was on for two half-hour segments per week. At the end of the Tuesday night segment, the Penguin (or whoever) would tie Batman and Robin to a death machine, and then RUN OFF AND LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED. Every time. And then at the beginning of the Thursday night segment, Batman and Robin would get out of it. Hence the term, "Penguin's Folly."

I also have to say that Kelly is not nearly so well-described or deep a character as she could be; she doesn't seem to have much in the way of higher interests, other than reporting, Frank's body, and staying alive. This has something to do with the breakneck style that Burke is using in these early volumes (she may change later), where you have not much chance to catch your breath, and the text is full of elaborate "detective story style" metaphors the way a box of Ghirardelli's chocolates is full of grams of fat.

So there's still room for improvement in this volume, but the learning curve from "Goodnight, Irene" to this one is encouraging, and in fact her third volume, "Dear Irene", is better yet.

Usually 2nd books by an author aren't quite as good as the 1st. I was happy to finish Sweet Dreams Irene just as happy as I was when I finished Goodnight Irene. Jan Burke has a way of giving her characters such interesting lives. Irene is a person most readers want to be. Her life is interesting and Frank makes her complete. The plot with the election,covens, and murders is as fun to read as most people would want. I'm sorry I waited so long to hear about Irene and I plan on reading more!

I read and enjoyed two earlier works of Jan Burke, "Goodnight, Irene" and "Hocus." When I found Ms. Burke had captured the Edgar Best Novel Award, I was pleased for her and looking forward to reading the book.

The plotting is excellent, and the book gets off to a brisk start. She quickly and efficiently introduces her characters making them stick in our minds. There is a shattering incident in the first third of the book that for most authors would be the grand finale. My first thought was how was she going to top this? Unfortunately, she doesn't. The rest of the book is professionally done. The denouement is Hollywood-Special-Effects worthy, but we are not jarred as we were before. The tension level climaxed before the book was half over.

Irene is a likable, if jittery, protagonist, but she doesn't seem to be the same independent lady she was in "Goodnight, Irene" a few books ago. The strain of multiple homicides has almost done her in. While this is a likely scenario for a typical human being, we expect constant pluck from our serial heroines. She cries and trembles constantly. She has flashbacks that are harrowing, and some of this gets in the way of the story. I had sympathy for these normal, if repetitious, emotions. However, she rambles on about her "guilt" (for what, I could never figure out.) Also there is always a crowd around to "protect" her, therefore, every scene had to account for five or six people which made for confusing reading.

Nicholas Parrish, the mad serial killer, was an extremely campy over-the- top character who seemed left over from some old horror movie. Maybe we have had enough of "serial killers" for awhile. It could be we are jaded and unable to work ourselves up to a good scare.

I'll look forward to meeting Irene Kelly again-after she has fully recuperated.

Being a fan of Jeffery Deaver and Patricia Cornwell, this book was recommended to me by a fellow reader. I had read Burke's "Flight" last year and quite enjoyed it, but found "Bones" a very different kind of story. "Flight" was more of a human interest story with a mystery thrown in, whereas "Bones" definitely enters Deaver "grisly and creepy serial killer book" territory.

Burke's ongoing character Irene Kelly, a feisty journalist, is part of a team of mostly cops and forensic specialists going on a mountain trek with a serial killer to find the body of a victim he says he buried there. Thus begins a harrowing, tragic and creepy cat-and-mouse game that will keep you reading (and maybe even keep you awake) until the end.

I guess my only criticism would be that the book is packed with such an enormous cast of characters that it is sometimes difficult to keep them straight (this is more in the first half, though). Fortunately, the later part of the story focuses most of its attention on 4 or 5 of them so it's easier to follow.

The book's villain is not one you're likely to forget soon!

I just recently discovered the Irene Kelly series, and am quickly becoming one of Jan Burke's devoted fans. This book is a suspense filled, spine-tingling read. Just don't read it late at night when you're home alone. Ms. Burke has created a memorable, charismatic serial killer in Nick Parrish, who is as devoted to his work as Hannibal Lecter. Irene Kelly becomes the focus of his attentions after he engineers a horrific escape from his captors in a scene of unbelievable carnage. Kelly is a reporter married to a cop, which causes many complications in her life. She's a remarkably likable, well rounded protagonist who has a strong marriage, good friends and lovable pets. Burke's portrayal of the cadaver locating dog, Bingle, is worth the price of the book. She's a fine writer who has created believable characters and has made me care about them.

This book was definately worth the time and money it took to read it, but I was not overly impressed. I have been worn out on all the typical mysteries - so I thought I would spend some time getting to know Irene. I did like the character and plan to read the next books in the series. Irene was well rounded and well written. If you're bored and need a new start - try this series out. It was enjoyable - just not breathtaking.

I read NINE because Amazon recommended it. I liked it so much that I thought I'd give the Irene Kelly series a try and I enjoyed the first one. I imagine her writing gets better (it did in NINE) - this story is a little dated (they use pay phones not cell phones, use the term "yuppies" - stuff like that). I am going to read the next in the series - I found the main characters real and likeable.

If my review prompts just one person to check out this new series, I will be happy indeed. In this first book, Irene Kelly goes back to her old job as reporter after the bombing murder of O'Connor, her best friend and former mentor at the newspaper. It seems that O'Connor had been about to make a breakthrough on a thirty-five year old case of an unidentified murder victim. The victim was a young, pregnant woman. Her hands and feet had been cut off and her face smashed to prevent identification. When Irene and Frank Harriman of the Las Piernas police become involved in the case, bodies start piling up too fast to keep count. Ms Burke's theme seems to be that past misdeeds will always come back to haunt us. This is a theme that also echoes through her work in later books. If you're a mystery fan, you definitely should check out this new series. It's well written, with fine character development, and intelligent plotting. I highly recommend it.