Liar

Irene Kelly #6

by Jan Burke

The response to Jan Burke from readers, booksellers, and reviewers has been exuberant from the start -- and just keeps getting better. She is regularly compared to such masters as Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, and Robert Parker and praised for her "first-rate plotting" (The Washington Times), "crisp, crackling prose" (Library Journal), and deft hand at characterizations. The critics are now saying "Burke is on the fast track" (USA Today) and "on the verge of a breakout to bestsellerdom" (Booklist).This time out, reporter Irene Kelly investigates a murder that hits too close to home, and she is forced to confront long-buried secrets that come to the surface -- and a killer determined to stop her dead in her tracks. The stakes climb high and the suspense never lets up in this riveting thriller that confirms Jan Burke's rightful place alongside today's masters of the genre.

Set for publication just as the paperback edition of Hocus hits stores, Liar should blast Jan Burke right onto the bestseller list.

"With bat-out-of-hell pacing and suspense that will leave your nails ragged...I've always counted on Jan Burke as one of my favorite guilt-free pleasures". -- Janet Evanovich

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Crime, Audiobook, Suspense

404 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Amy Bruestle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all of the Irene Kelly books!!!!

[Jane Routley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suit people who liked Sue Grafton. Absorbing. Characters annoyingly thin skinned.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all another great read in this series. As written in the synopsis, the lead detective in the death of Irene’s aunt suspects Irene of being behind the murder which was utterly preposterous. Luckily it never got too out of hand or the story could have taken a serious down turn for me. But once again, as she unraveled all of the clues I couldn’t stop reading. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading about Irene and how she solves all of these cases one clue at a time.

I did have one lingering question that didn’t get answered and I’m hoping it will later on...what was Rachel’s connection with the lead detective?? There was obviously a history there but it was never disclosed as to what it was. I need to know!! Another great book in this series though. I can’t wait to pick up the next one.

[Cupcakencorset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner. I’m not sure Burke can write a bad book. This was a very personal story, involving members of Irene Kelly’s family and delicate family situations. Well done, with one of the quirkiest last lines I’ve read in a while: “He took my hand and we walked back to the car, speaking, as lovers will, of the benefits of cremation.” It reads more like an opening line and lets you know there will be more. Yay!

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Tod ihrer Tante zwingt die Reporterin Irene Kelly, sich mit ihrer Vergangenheit auseinander zusetzen. Obwohl der Kontakt schon lange abgebrochen war, wird Irene und nicht ihr Cousin Travis als Alleinerbe eingesetzt. Als sich Irene näher mit den Umständen des Todes beschäftigt, stellt sich heraus dass die Tante ermordet wurde. Das bringt Irene und auch Travis in tödliche Gefahr.



Meine Meinung

Irene hat ihre Tante jahrelang nicht gesehen. Der Kontakt riss ab als sich herausstellte, dass ihr Onkel ein Bigamist war. Jetzt macht sie sich auf die Suche nach ihrem Cousin und der Familie ihres Onkels. Denn der hatte ein Geheimnis, das mit dem Tod ihrer Tante zu tun hatte.

Man merkt dem Buch sein Alter an. Ihr wahres Gesicht wurde 1999 veröffentlicht, deshalb wirken die Nachforschungen von Irene oft schwerfällig weil sie auf Internet oder Handys größtenteils verzichten muss. Einige Ereignisse hätten sich ein paar Jahre später so nicht mehr abspielen können, weil Irene Zusammenhänge schneller erkannt hätte.

Ich fand die Familiengeschichte von Irenes Tante und Onkel oft unübersichtlich. Teilweise war nicht klar zu erkennen, welche Rolle das einzelne Familienmitglied spielt. Das hat die Autorin in meinen Augen unnötig kompliziert gemacht. Trotzdem ist Ihr wahres Gesicht ein solider Krimi, der gegen Ende hin allerdings ein bisschen aufgeräumter hätte sein können.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I am not a thrill book fan, this one was okay. I admired Irene, Travis and Rachel's bravery in the story. The gut wrenching truth and crime had me clutching the next page not sure if I was going to pass out or throw up. It was hard to get through but Travis made it easier to be honest. His story telling abilities were top notch. Rachel's go getter attitude and stomach made of iron had me thinking she could solve the mystery from the moment I first read about her. Irene and everything she had been through from past to present is a warrior woman. There are other characters in this story that I would write pages about but to summarize everyone of them are written greatly. Although, there are a few minor errors I found while reading this paperback, I dismissed them just as quickly as I read them for the fact that I wanted to get to solving the mystery and unlocking clues. If you like crime and have a mild scenes of humor, you might just like this book.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone murdered Irene Kelly’s estranged aunt. They buried the woman next to Irene’s parents in the local cemetery, and Irene’s crazed sister demands she help get that body out of the plot that belongs to Irene’s crazed sister. The problem is she only owns the plot in her head. There’s no formal paperwork on it.

As Irene, a newspaper reporter, digs into the death of her aunt, she learns someone murdered the woman. When she seeks the woman’s son to get help with background on the dead woman, everything in Irene’s world explodes. Before the book ends, even her precious Volkswagen Karmann Ghia will no longer be part of her life.

This was decent, but you’re not likely to remember much of it a week after you’re done. This is a good installment in the series, and you need not have read previous books to appreciate this one.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Irene Kelly mystery really kept me guessing. I was quite convinced the whole way through that one character I really liked was going to end up being a villain because... that happens in a lot of series to new characters I like a lot. Happily, Liar did not go that route. In fact, I'm hoping this new character pops up again in later books.

I never did figure it out before the reveal, which is how I prefer to experience mysteries. No wonder I enjoyed it! I also love that each Irene Kelly book takes place shortly after the previous one, so Irene and her husband Frank and the other recurring characters are still dealing with stuff that happened before. They tie together really naturally that way, and I dig that.

[Jarad Sergent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Not as page turning as the last few.

[Natalie K Hout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Liked Hocus better. But this was good

[aprilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

losing some interest but will keep going...

[Dlmrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Interesting family history story. Bogged down a bit in the middle but I pushed through to the end.

[Debbie Mikell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoy. Easy read.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun, fast-paced mystery with Irene Kelly. Her estranged aunt is murdered and Irene and gang have to dodge cops, Private investigators, and murder attempts to find the culprit.

[Karen]

Slow read. Having trouble remembering who's who and who's related to who. Who is the Liar? Might never find it. Struggling to finish.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series of eleven (as of 2011) ... I'm rereading the series.

Irene's great aunt, Mary, informs Irene that her aunt Briana (Irene's mother's sister) has died ... she was run over by a car. As Briana's sole beneficiary, Irene becomes the number one suspect of the murder, even though she hadn't see Briana in over twenty years. This sets Irene and her friend, Rachel (a former cop, now a private investigator) on the trail to find Briana's son, Travis, which they do.

Travis' father, Arthur, recently died. He had brought scandal to the family years ago when it was discovered that he was married to two women ... to Briana but first to Gwendolyn, who was rich. This all came out when Gwendolyn was murdered about twenty years ago and, though the case was never solved, many assumed Arthur had done it.

So not only is Irene out to solve Briana's murder, she also must solve Gwendolyn's murder since they are probably linked.

I enjoyed this book. It moved along at a good pace and I liked the characters. One of the focuses was on Irene and Travis getting to know each other as long-lost cousins, separated because of a misunderstanding.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2012/05...

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#6 in the Irene Kelly series. Finalist 1998 Agatha Award for Best Novel.

Irene Kelly series - Irene's sister is furious when she discovers a stranger buried next to their mother. She demands that Irene fix the problem. Eventually, Irene learns that the plot is occupied by her aunt Brianna, long estranged from the family and the victim of a hit-and-run accident that looks suspiciously like murder. At first, the police suspect Irene, since Brianna's will left everything to her. Then Brianna's son, Travis, turns up. He's desperate to find out who killed his mother and asks Irene to help. But the same person who killed Brianna apparently wants Irene and Travis dead, too.

[Chris Demer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an "Irene Kelly" novel by Jan Burke. Irene is a reporter for a local newspaper. The story revolves around her aunt, who has been murdered, and various family members who may be suspects, including herself.

She has had no contact with her aunt for many years, nor her cousin, as her parents (when they were alive) had issues with her aunt. She "married" a man who apparently had been married to another woman (a wealthy one), who had been murdered years ago.

The story is complicated, but she eventually tracks down her cousin, and with him and her friend, a former cop, identifies the real killer, and the motives behind the crime.

A good beach read.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Irene Kelly, Southern California newspaper reporter mystery. This one deals with family members as Irene gets reunited with family members on her mother's side who she hasn't been involved with for years. This getting together leads to discoveries that past truths were incorrect and leads her into a series of murders, attempts on her and her cousin's life as they unravel the murders 20 years earlier and current.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd rather give it 3.5 than 4 stars (I rounded up), for while it's still a strong entry in the Irene Kelly series, the climactic scene is a little contrived. And besides,there simply wasn't enough Frank Harriman in the story to satisfy me...I looooooove Frank Harriman. I mean, I really, really, really, REALLY love him....

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#6 in the Irene Kelley Series. This was centered around her cousin that she had been estranged from Travis. It centered around Irene being suspected of killing his mother for money that she had been left in her will. It was full of suspense and I enjoyed it even though I have not read any in this series in a long time.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

An oldie, but a goodie! It was fun finding an Irene Kelly mystery I had not read. In this one she is finding "lost" relatives and determining who killed her Aunt. Lots of mayhem and enough plot to keep you up late.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing character: Irene Kelly; reporter gets involved in her family history when she is beneficiary of an aunt's will and begins to look into prior history of murder, bigamy, and lost relatives.

[Laurla2]

"worried minds continually snatching our weary bodies back from the brink of sleep"
"whats wrong?" "i'm being paranoid" "oh yeah? thats much more fun as a group activity. tell me whats making you nervous."

[Mary Follis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love to see Irene in action, but this story had so many names and relationships it was hard for me to keep them straight. Finally by the end I knew who everyone was, but it was confusing reading at times. Still, I gladly will go on to the next Irene Kelly mystery.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe my favourite Irene Kelly mystery. Suspense, twists and turns. Excellent

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly not the best of the series, but an interesting read nonetheless... In this one you get to meet more of Irene's extended family.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good Irene Kelley book. This time the death of a relative sets her off on a trail that involves family issues as well as murder.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this protagonist alot--she is edgy but real