What do you think?
Rate this book
Apprehended
From the New York Times bestselling suspense author Jan Burke comes a brand-new e-short story with the added bonus of three short stories from the Eighteen anthology.Apprehended is a mini-anthology containing a brand new short story from Jan "The Unacknowledged," which features the fan-favorite investigative reporter Irene Kelly, back in her journalism school days. Also included are three short stories from the previously published "Why Tonight," "A Fine Set of Teeth," and "A Man of My Stature."Praise for "Astonishing…wry…these stories are sure to delight." —New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Deaver"A delightful collection of page-turners. At turns chilling, funny, poignant—and always insightful. With these stories, Jan Burke’s at the top of her game." —New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman
- GenresMystery
98 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2014
3 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 20, 2014
Short fiction mysteries seem to be a vanishing species. Back in my younger days, There were a number of short fiction magazines that specialized in mysteries and detective stories. The most popular ones were Ellery Queen's, Alfred Hitchcock's, and Mike Shayne's Mystery Magazines. Mike Shayne's was basically hard-nose detective tales, Ellery Queen's was a combination of usually more civilized detective stories and similar who-dun-its, while Alfred Hitchcock's went in for suspense mysteries usually with a twist at the end. Yet the heyday of mystery short tales have been over for a decade or two and, while there may still be some esoteric indie magazines out there, I have rarely seen a short tale of mystery in today's choice of reading materials.
Which is why I was intrigued to see this short 100 plus page book of fiction by Jan Burke who is best known for her novels featuring investigating reporter Irene Kelly. This short book of stories features one original story in the Irene Kelly canon, "Unacknowledged" and three other short tales which were previously released in her older collection, 18. Any of these stories would feel quite comfortable in either Ellery Queen's or Alfred Hithcock. They have an old fashioned charm in which the guilty is always discovered and the violence tends to be off-screen so to speak.
"Unacknowledged", as mentioned, features Irene Kelly but is set back in her college days. It is the more gentler, sweeter tale of the bunch proving that even mystery writers can have a soft side. "Why Tonight" is a tighter tale in which a wife wonders about her husband's death...and so does the local sheriff. "A Fine Set of Teeth" is my favorite partly because I like stories about musicians and I enjoyed the corny musician jokes interspersed throughout. (Q: How can you tell if a stage is level? A: The bass player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth) But the last story titled "A Man of My Stature" may be the best. It would be a gem in any detective magazine, especially Alfred Hitchcock's, and is reminiscent of Roald Dahl's twisty little crime caper stories.
So I am glad to know someone out there is still writing good mystery short fiction. If you are primed to read a few tales, this would be a good book to get. It would make for some good evening reading; the kind that involves an easy chair, a pipe, and a dog curled up next to the fireplace.
Which is why I was intrigued to see this short 100 plus page book of fiction by Jan Burke who is best known for her novels featuring investigating reporter Irene Kelly. This short book of stories features one original story in the Irene Kelly canon, "Unacknowledged" and three other short tales which were previously released in her older collection, 18. Any of these stories would feel quite comfortable in either Ellery Queen's or Alfred Hithcock. They have an old fashioned charm in which the guilty is always discovered and the violence tends to be off-screen so to speak.
"Unacknowledged", as mentioned, features Irene Kelly but is set back in her college days. It is the more gentler, sweeter tale of the bunch proving that even mystery writers can have a soft side. "Why Tonight" is a tighter tale in which a wife wonders about her husband's death...and so does the local sheriff. "A Fine Set of Teeth" is my favorite partly because I like stories about musicians and I enjoyed the corny musician jokes interspersed throughout. (Q: How can you tell if a stage is level? A: The bass player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth) But the last story titled "A Man of My Stature" may be the best. It would be a gem in any detective magazine, especially Alfred Hitchcock's, and is reminiscent of Roald Dahl's twisty little crime caper stories.
So I am glad to know someone out there is still writing good mystery short fiction. If you are primed to read a few tales, this would be a good book to get. It would make for some good evening reading; the kind that involves an easy chair, a pipe, and a dog curled up next to the fireplace.
April 11, 2015
Apprehended was my very first taste of Jan Burke's crime fiction, author of the Irene Kelly Mysteries series.This collection contains four short stories (the last three were previously included in Eighteen):- Unacknowledged (a previously unpublished piece featuring Irene Kelly and Frank)- Why Tonight- A Fine Set of Teeth (J Burke's first Irene Kelly story)- A Man of My StatureThree out of the four stories deal with crimes that are not just black and white, and therefore they present a moral dilemma. I thought "A Fine Set of Teeth" was the odd one out, with a clear cut crime, but I also found that to be the most engrossing tale in this set.I also enjoyed "A Man of My Stature" with its ironic premise."Why Tonight" was full of humanity and unavoidable sympathy for the two main characters.The first story, "Unacknowledged" was the least engaging for me.All in all I did enjoy Jan Burke's writing, but I could only rate the whole experience as being "OK" (around the 2.5 stars mark) - there was nothing that made me think "yes, I really did like that!". Maybe the the stories would have had more impact on me had I been more familiar with this author and with Irene Kelly.I will certainly put the Irene Kelly's Mysteries on my to read list.As per this offering, I still find it a worthwhile read for anyone who likes light crime fiction that gives you some food for thought.
BooksChatter
BooksChatter
April 13, 2014
Apprehended by Jan Burke is a 2014 Pocket Start publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Apprehended is mainly a re-issue of a collection of short stories previously published in the "Eighteen" anthology. However, this one does included a never before released short story entitled "The Unacknowledged" featuring Irene Kelly which is the first story in the book. This was my favorite story,
' actually. The story is set in 1973 while Irene is still in college. She discovers that her good friend, Mark, may need her intervention when a new student arrives and he is instantly taken with her.
The second story is "Why Tonight?" The effects on a woman who has suffered through years of heartache due to her husband's numerous infidelites is examined.
The third story is "A Fine Set of Teeth" . Frank and Irene find themselves embroiled in the messy world of musical groups which includes all the competitions and backstabbing. This one was also a favorite of mine mainly because of the jokes included at random here and there through out the story.
The fourth story is "A Man of My Stature". This is a quirky story about a man trying get out of owning up to a mistake that could cause him financial ruin.
Occasionally when an author that typically writes full length novels publishes a group of short stories, long time fans can find it unappealing. Short stories are not for eveyone. In this case, three out the four stories were very good. One of them sort of fell flat for me although I did get the irony. Fans of Irene Kelly should really like the new short story which gives you a glimpse of her in the past. Overall, I felt like this was a solid group of shorts and it was fun to read something just a little offbeat in between novels. Fans of this author should be pleased with the selection and for those that have never read Jan Burke I would perhaps suggest starting with one or two of the full length novels then try this one out. Overall this one is 4 stars
Apprehended is mainly a re-issue of a collection of short stories previously published in the "Eighteen" anthology. However, this one does included a never before released short story entitled "The Unacknowledged" featuring Irene Kelly which is the first story in the book. This was my favorite story,
' actually. The story is set in 1973 while Irene is still in college. She discovers that her good friend, Mark, may need her intervention when a new student arrives and he is instantly taken with her.
The second story is "Why Tonight?" The effects on a woman who has suffered through years of heartache due to her husband's numerous infidelites is examined.
The third story is "A Fine Set of Teeth" . Frank and Irene find themselves embroiled in the messy world of musical groups which includes all the competitions and backstabbing. This one was also a favorite of mine mainly because of the jokes included at random here and there through out the story.
The fourth story is "A Man of My Stature". This is a quirky story about a man trying get out of owning up to a mistake that could cause him financial ruin.
Occasionally when an author that typically writes full length novels publishes a group of short stories, long time fans can find it unappealing. Short stories are not for eveyone. In this case, three out the four stories were very good. One of them sort of fell flat for me although I did get the irony. Fans of Irene Kelly should really like the new short story which gives you a glimpse of her in the past. Overall, I felt like this was a solid group of shorts and it was fun to read something just a little offbeat in between novels. Fans of this author should be pleased with the selection and for those that have never read Jan Burke I would perhaps suggest starting with one or two of the full length novels then try this one out. Overall this one is 4 stars
October 1, 2015
It's been ages since I've picked up an anthology and I certainly wasn't disappointed in this one. I have read several of Jan Burke's Irene Kelly series.
The first story takes the reader back to the days when Irene Kelly was in journalism school. More of a cozy mystery, a new girl arrives and there's just something not quite right about her. Irene starts investigating when her best friend becomes interested in her.
The other three short stories ... Why Tonight, A Fine Set of Teeth, and A Man of My Stature were all published previously in Eighteen.
Of note is Jan Burke is the founder of the Crime Lab Project (CrimeLabProject.com) and is a member of the board of the California Forensic Science Institute. I do believe this is the reason her books come across as so authentic.
Nice easy reads, some mystery, some life lessons, sure to please most anyone.
My thanks to the author / NetGalley / Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books Pocket Star who furnished an ebook in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
The first story takes the reader back to the days when Irene Kelly was in journalism school. More of a cozy mystery, a new girl arrives and there's just something not quite right about her. Irene starts investigating when her best friend becomes interested in her.
The other three short stories ... Why Tonight, A Fine Set of Teeth, and A Man of My Stature were all published previously in Eighteen.
Of note is Jan Burke is the founder of the Crime Lab Project (CrimeLabProject.com) and is a member of the board of the California Forensic Science Institute. I do believe this is the reason her books come across as so authentic.
Nice easy reads, some mystery, some life lessons, sure to please most anyone.
My thanks to the author / NetGalley / Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books Pocket Star who furnished an ebook in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
January 31, 2022
The second in the short story series containing a couple more Irene Kelly tales, a couple other tales of murder both modern & vintage. Very good.
June 16, 2014
This is more of a 2.5 star read for me. It is a set of 4 short mystery stories, with a bit of a twist to each of them. The Unacknowledged is about a college student, new to the school, who has a mysterious past. Interesting, but quite complicated, with a present story tied to the past. Thanks to a helpful college professor, the mystery is solved. Why Tonight? was my favorite, simply because I liked the characters. This is about a woman who finds that her husband has committed suicide on the night of a huge explosion at a local factory. She has to wait all evening for the authorities to have time for her. Her friend, the deputy, finally arrives to help her out. A Fine Set of Teeth was another good one about a witch of a singer who berated everyone around her, including the other members of the band. Her murder is not surprising, but her murderer is. A fun touch to this story were the terrible music jokes that were included from time to time, setting the mood for the next section of the story. Finally, A Man of My Stature was basically a confessional letter about what was almost the perfect murder, but was discovered because of a tiny detail. The stories were interesting with a bit of a twist, but they seemed very similar, probably because they all were on the dark side, and quite complicated.
April 13, 2014
I really enjoy Jan Burke's writing, have been reading her Irene Kelly series since the get-go. This little collection is different; she writes with a variety of disparate, yet entirely authentic voices and also experiments with different settings than the usual. And all of it is really good.
In fact, the only reason star number five is missing is because a hundred pages isn't a whole book, as far as I am concerned, it's part of a book, or maybe a large pamphlet. I felt I was just getting warmed up, ready to go on to the next story, and..oh. It's over. I guess that's it.
I am grateful to Net Galley for the free read, but I would not pay cover price for 100 pages, not even for Burke.
It is good to see Ms. Burke back in action. Her work is always skillful and holds my interest till the dead last word on the very last page.
In fact, the only reason star number five is missing is because a hundred pages isn't a whole book, as far as I am concerned, it's part of a book, or maybe a large pamphlet. I felt I was just getting warmed up, ready to go on to the next story, and..oh. It's over. I guess that's it.
I am grateful to Net Galley for the free read, but I would not pay cover price for 100 pages, not even for Burke.
It is good to see Ms. Burke back in action. Her work is always skillful and holds my interest till the dead last word on the very last page.
May 8, 2014
“Apprehended” was published in 2014 and was written by Jan Burke (http://www.janburke.com). Ms. Burke has published 10 novels and many short stories. “Apprehended” is a collection of four of her short stories.
While these would be considered mysteries, they are more straight forward in their explanation of the respective crimes than you would normally expect of a mystery. Each describes a crime, why and how it was committed, without the investigative discovery that you would normally expect of a mystery.
Ms. Burke did a good job of developing her characters and creating short engaging stories. I personally would have preferred more mystery to the stories. I am not a big fan of short stories, still I do recommend this collection.
While these would be considered mysteries, they are more straight forward in their explanation of the respective crimes than you would normally expect of a mystery. Each describes a crime, why and how it was committed, without the investigative discovery that you would normally expect of a mystery.
Ms. Burke did a good job of developing her characters and creating short engaging stories. I personally would have preferred more mystery to the stories. I am not a big fan of short stories, still I do recommend this collection.
May 26, 2014
I love books of short stories. Jan Burke has included several of her Irene series. Of the four stories, my favorite was "Unacknowledged" an Irene college story. The other three stories were in a previous anthology. All are well written, give a good story and keep you interested to the last page. A great gift for the mystery buff in your family.
September 24, 2016
I love anthologies, they are a good introduction to any author if you have not read the authors books. In this case it is the first time I have read Jan Burke. But I will soon pick up another to add to my reading shelf. Can't wait to read a full novel.
February 11, 2014
It was okay if you like short stories. I love Jan Burke's books but prefer the novels to the short stories.
February 22, 2014
Relish these stories over breakfast or lunch or on your commute - some romance, some murder, some heartbreak - told so well by mystery star Jan Burke.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews