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thesydda's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
ncrabb's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book in the Irene Kelly mystery series, and it’s a great start.
Kelly, a former newspaper reporter turned PR flack, is horrified by the brutal and sudden death of her friend and fellow reporter, O’Connor. He had been working for more than three decades on an unsolved disappearance case. He called the woman Hannah, and every year on the anniversary of her disappearance, he wrote about the case in an attempt to keep readers thinking about it as he did. But apparently O’Connor got too close to the truth, and his life was explosively taken.
Now usually, most detectives in mysteries are characterized as despisers of the press, but Detective Frank Harriman is unusual, to say the least. He strongly encourages Irene to take her old job back at the paper in an effort to see how far her friend, O’Connor, got toward the solution of that disappearance. In truth, she had been missing her old job, so his urging was all she needed to go back to it. She and Frank ultimately close in on things that make the case for more compelling than it might appear at first glance, and as more facts are revealed, a killer will stop at nothing to silence Irene.
Kelly, a former newspaper reporter turned PR flack, is horrified by the brutal and sudden death of her friend and fellow reporter, O’Connor. He had been working for more than three decades on an unsolved disappearance case. He called the woman Hannah, and every year on the anniversary of her disappearance, he wrote about the case in an attempt to keep readers thinking about it as he did. But apparently O’Connor got too close to the truth, and his life was explosively taken.
Now usually, most detectives in mysteries are characterized as despisers of the press, but Detective Frank Harriman is unusual, to say the least. He strongly encourages Irene to take her old job back at the paper in an effort to see how far her friend, O’Connor, got toward the solution of that disappearance. In truth, she had been missing her old job, so his urging was all she needed to go back to it. She and Frank ultimately close in on things that make the case for more compelling than it might appear at first glance, and as more facts are revealed, a killer will stop at nothing to silence Irene.
floridaminnie's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best crime mystery books I have ever read. The writing it witty and Jan doesn't wait to grab your attention and keep it throughout the whole book. A must read from crime book lovers!
laurla's review against another edition
i enjoyed it.
"'goddammit irene, you'll do as your told!"
"that line only worked for my father, and he wore it out in less than fifteen years.'"
"'irene, do you know what the two saddest words in the english language are?"
"boo and hoo?"
"no, wise ass. the two saddest words in the english language are 'if only'.'"
"i grew up in upstate new york. like a friend of mine says, only penguins should live there. you ever been to upstate new york? no? well i suppose for some people its got attractions. but every time i even start to miss it, you know what i do? i go out to my garage. i got a snow shovel out there. honest to god. i'm probably the only guy in southern california with a snow shovel in his garage. yeah i just look at that snow shovel and think about what it feels like when there's a good windchill factor and a driveway full of snow and i say, 'just sit there you bastard. i'm never picking you up again in my lifetime'."
"'goddammit irene, you'll do as your told!"
"that line only worked for my father, and he wore it out in less than fifteen years.'"
"'irene, do you know what the two saddest words in the english language are?"
"boo and hoo?"
"no, wise ass. the two saddest words in the english language are 'if only'.'"
"i grew up in upstate new york. like a friend of mine says, only penguins should live there. you ever been to upstate new york? no? well i suppose for some people its got attractions. but every time i even start to miss it, you know what i do? i go out to my garage. i got a snow shovel out there. honest to god. i'm probably the only guy in southern california with a snow shovel in his garage. yeah i just look at that snow shovel and think about what it feels like when there's a good windchill factor and a driveway full of snow and i say, 'just sit there you bastard. i'm never picking you up again in my lifetime'."
theogkaren's review against another edition
3.0
A fun read and a good start to a series. I enjoyed the main character's (Irene) voice and the fact that she is a strong leading lady. The plot line was fairly predictable, but was still fun to follow. Some of the dialogue felt a little forced (especially the ex-hockey player - he sounded way too stiff and formal for a guy who used to bash people around on the ice).
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