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Деветата жертва
Списъкът на ФБР с 10-те най-издирвани престъпници започва бързо да намалява. Някой жестоко ги избива и подхвърля телата на полицията. Сензация плюс справедливост... Медиите и общественото мнение видимо са доволни. Но не и детективът от отдел „Убийства“ Алекс Брандън, който поема разследването. Тези екзекуции твърде много му напомнят някои стари случаи. Ако правилно е разчел посланието, списъкът на екзекуторите е доста по-голям. И включва едно ченге. Самият Брандън.
Джан Бърк е носител на най-престижните награди за криминален роман „Едгар Алан По“, „Агата Кристи“ и „Елъри Куин“
Джан Бърк е носител на най-престижните награди за криминален роман „Едгар Алан По“, „Агата Кристи“ и „Елъри Куин“
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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388 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
August 21, 2008
one of the sickest, most twisted mysteries ever. Highly recommend! I loaned this book to a friend some years back and never got it back. Just last month I found a nice copy in a flea market for one dollar, bought it, and when I got it home I saw where she had erased my name inside the front cover. I think I'll call her and ask for the book back...
May 7, 2017
Nine was a pleasure. Jan Burke wove three story lines together in a fast paced murder mystery.
The plot is completely unbelievable, but Jan Burke performs her magic and you just don't care.
The plot is completely unbelievable, but Jan Burke performs her magic and you just don't care.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2013
This is the worst Jan Burke novel I have read.
The plot is unbelievable and contrived. There is very little or no foundation laid for most of the characters' actions and they are all at best two dimensional. You have to totally suspend your sense of reality to enjoy this book.
Perhaps Ms. Burke needed some royalty cash quickly so she dashed this one off, not caring if the story turned out to be ridiculous and totally lacking in credibility.
The book comes nowhere close in quality to the Irene Kelly novels which I have enjoyed tremendously.
The plot is unbelievable and contrived. There is very little or no foundation laid for most of the characters' actions and they are all at best two dimensional. You have to totally suspend your sense of reality to enjoy this book.
Perhaps Ms. Burke needed some royalty cash quickly so she dashed this one off, not caring if the story turned out to be ridiculous and totally lacking in credibility.
The book comes nowhere close in quality to the Irene Kelly novels which I have enjoyed tremendously.
July 26, 2014
Los Angles Sheriff's Detective Alex Branson has his plate full. Someone is killing off fugitives from the FBI's ten most wanted list in the county. His nephew, son of his ex-wife and his brother, shows up on his doorstep. At the same time Kit Logan and his ward are being targeted. An intriguing read.
July 25, 2018
Would this be classified as a thriller? I'm not sure, but it certainly had me on edge the majority of the time. Major plot twist at the end that I did not see coming, but was also disappointing (it was a good twist, but I was forced to hate a character after initially liking them). So what happens when you have spoiled rich and entitled psychopathic narcissists? The main antagonists that's what. In a couple of characters we also have the opportunity to see how at the end of the day, it's up to us how we behave and feel/think about our circumstances. Do we let abuse, neglect and down right horrors make us into bad people seeking constant revenge and feeling like victims or do we learn and try to be better? On the other side, we also learn that money and power are very easily abused by the wrong people, but in the hands of the right ones, good can come from it. I enjoyed seeing/figuring out these little juxtapositions, even if it wasn't the authors intent to kind of show both sides of situations. Pretty good book for sure
July 3, 2022
If we aren’t careful, vigilantism’s trap can ensnare any of us. If your definition of “bad guys” is the one taken down, you might have the tiniest hint of a schadenfreude moment until you shake yourself and recognize that you and your tribe, whatever it is, could be just as likely to suffer from vigilantism. In this suspense fiction book, people think it’s cool that a group of faceless nameless killers are about the business of murdering people on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. If the feds can’t get them, people reason, why not someone who can?
The shadowy group of killers pose the criminal’s bodies in horrific ways, including hanging them upside down over a bathtub.
A detective and his partner must find the killers and stop the vigilantism, and the suspense in this book will carry you breathlessly to the back page. This is triumphantly crafted mystery/thriller fiction. The author is exceptionally talented, and you’ll benefit much from her ability if you take this on.
The shadowy group of killers pose the criminal’s bodies in horrific ways, including hanging them upside down over a bathtub.
A detective and his partner must find the killers and stop the vigilantism, and the suspense in this book will carry you breathlessly to the back page. This is triumphantly crafted mystery/thriller fiction. The author is exceptionally talented, and you’ll benefit much from her ability if you take this on.
September 11, 2024
Vigilantes are interesting and often as bad or worse than the criminals they pursue. In this case the vigilantes have an unexpected agenda that the public cheering them is unaware of. Each murder is on the FBI's most wanted list, but which one will be next?
The victims are bad guys, but the gruesome deaths inflicted make the vigilantes pretty damn scary.
It was the conclusion, for me, that knocked it down a star.
The victims are bad guys, but the gruesome deaths inflicted make the vigilantes pretty damn scary.
It was the conclusion, for me, that knocked it down a star.
November 17, 2017
At first I had a hard time keeping the characters straight, but once the story developed, I found myself wanting to know more and more about them. This story has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing at every page. I especially loved the ending!
July 20, 2023
i didn’t HATE the ending.. but like having this random side character be the one to end everett’s killing spree…. just didn’t love that. i wanted so badly for the main crew to give everett what he had coming to him. but happy with who survived!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2024
Way too many characters. During the first 1/3 I kept getting lost. I did like the story, although it was totally unbelievable and unrealistic (how does everyone have unlimited money/wealth??). Probably more a 2.5 than a 3.
Read
January 23, 2021Very suspenseful lived the way the book ended
June 19, 2021
Kept me reading well past my bedtime and up early to finish 😊
March 27, 2022
Read in 2003. A terrifying novel that asks what happens when justice is no longer enough.
August 20, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
May 28, 2025
i really liked the storyline of it
August 10, 2008
Dubbed by the media “the Exterminators”, a group of vigilantes are torturing and killing the FBI’s Most Wanted suspects. They are hailed by some as heroes, but L.A. County Homicide Detective Alex Brandon disagrees. Burdened with a new female partner who aggravates everyone she comes into contact with, Alex struggles to identify and stop the murders.
This is a standalone book for Jan Burke, better known for the “Irene Kelly” series. I was really looking forward to reading this, but admit being a bit disappointed. This is a fine novel, fully of vivid characterizations and her usual engrossing prose. There is only two small points that detracted from the story. First of all, the storyline itself demands that you suspend your disbelief. Hardened criminals wanted by every law enforcement agency in the U.S. are easily tracked down, caught and killed by these, well -- bored, rich and self-indulgent guys with no apparent previous experience in catching fugitives.
The second problem is the author reveals the villains early in the book. I know some writers want to examine either the villains’ personalities or their motivations. However, the villains in this particular novel are only two-dimensional, and their motivations never really become clear. Worst, the time spent on these caricatures take away from time that could have been spent with the “good guys”. I wanted to read more about the truly multidimensional, intriguing and very human heroes of the story.
There is Alex, who as a child found his father’s body after a suicide. His family is taken in by his Uncle John, who becomes a driving force in his life. Alex’s wife ends up leaving him for another man – his own brother, and now years later he tries to resist getting involved with a troubled nephew he's never met.
Then there is Kit, whose childhood reads like a nightmare, and who only found salvation after murdering his own stepfather and going to live with a loving grandmother. Kit believes in luck, and keeps a rabbits foot close at all times, fills his pockets with charms, and uses lucky numbers to try to ward off the evil that threatens him. His courage and fragility captured my heart.
There is a host of other great characters, whose stories were shortchanged by the emphasis on exploring the personalities of the simple, psychotic villains. However, since this is Jan Burke we’re talking about, I could still hardly put the book down, and I wouldn’t want to dissuade anyone from reading it.
This is a standalone book for Jan Burke, better known for the “Irene Kelly” series. I was really looking forward to reading this, but admit being a bit disappointed. This is a fine novel, fully of vivid characterizations and her usual engrossing prose. There is only two small points that detracted from the story. First of all, the storyline itself demands that you suspend your disbelief. Hardened criminals wanted by every law enforcement agency in the U.S. are easily tracked down, caught and killed by these, well -- bored, rich and self-indulgent guys with no apparent previous experience in catching fugitives.
The second problem is the author reveals the villains early in the book. I know some writers want to examine either the villains’ personalities or their motivations. However, the villains in this particular novel are only two-dimensional, and their motivations never really become clear. Worst, the time spent on these caricatures take away from time that could have been spent with the “good guys”. I wanted to read more about the truly multidimensional, intriguing and very human heroes of the story.
There is Alex, who as a child found his father’s body after a suicide. His family is taken in by his Uncle John, who becomes a driving force in his life. Alex’s wife ends up leaving him for another man – his own brother, and now years later he tries to resist getting involved with a troubled nephew he's never met.
Then there is Kit, whose childhood reads like a nightmare, and who only found salvation after murdering his own stepfather and going to live with a loving grandmother. Kit believes in luck, and keeps a rabbits foot close at all times, fills his pockets with charms, and uses lucky numbers to try to ward off the evil that threatens him. His courage and fragility captured my heart.
There is a host of other great characters, whose stories were shortchanged by the emphasis on exploring the personalities of the simple, psychotic villains. However, since this is Jan Burke we’re talking about, I could still hardly put the book down, and I wouldn’t want to dissuade anyone from reading it.
March 28, 2016
I read my first Jan Burke book over ten years ago and really enjoyed it. Yet, for some strange reason that I still can’t figure out, I never picked up any of her other books until a few months ago, when I read her short story anthology, Eighteen, which I loved so much that it inspired me to write a fresh batch of my own short stories.
I know Burke’s Irene Kelly series is wildly popular, but I’m fickle about series. You get attached. You make (imaginary) friends. Eventually the author takes the characters you know and love down a character arc you can’t forgive, and you lose a loved one. I no longer see the point in entering what is bound to be a tragic relationship doomed from the start.
Nine is one of Burke’s stand alone novels. It seems as though she feels that it’s important for the reader to really know the characters, to understand where they’re coming from and what their motivation is. That may have slowed the pacing in this book a bit. By the end of the book, it didn’t matter at all. If she had sped through the plot instead of building the slow and steady suspense that culminated in a big, breathless climax, it wouldn’t have been the same ride. (And this book is a ride.) 5 stars.
I know Burke’s Irene Kelly series is wildly popular, but I’m fickle about series. You get attached. You make (imaginary) friends. Eventually the author takes the characters you know and love down a character arc you can’t forgive, and you lose a loved one. I no longer see the point in entering what is bound to be a tragic relationship doomed from the start.
Nine is one of Burke’s stand alone novels. It seems as though she feels that it’s important for the reader to really know the characters, to understand where they’re coming from and what their motivation is. That may have slowed the pacing in this book a bit. By the end of the book, it didn’t matter at all. If she had sped through the plot instead of building the slow and steady suspense that culminated in a big, breathless climax, it wouldn’t have been the same ride. (And this book is a ride.) 5 stars.
February 8, 2014
Kit Logan (Christopher) has custody of Spooky (a 13-year-old girl who dresses like a guy) and runs around town chasing after the USA's most wanted, according to "Crimesolvers". Unfortunately, the bad guys catch and kill seven or eight of them.
Alex Brandon (of the police) is also hot on the trail (for 49 chapters) when he deduces that the all-male high school, Sedgewick, has something to do with it.
There are some twists. Moriarty is Alex's home guard and a former Green Beret, not Sherlock's bad guy. Frederick gives his fortune to a "boyakina." There are some cuts to various places I know (Avalon, PVP, Malibu, Blue Jay, Manhattan Beach) but to my disappointment, no significant discussions of any of the areas.
I thought it was interesting that Kit and the other criminals have A LOT of money. I don't believe criminals have much money; like Patty Hearst, or the Kennedys, they have parents that buy their way out of situations like that.
Mildly entertaining.
Alex Brandon (of the police) is also hot on the trail (for 49 chapters) when he deduces that the all-male high school, Sedgewick, has something to do with it.
There are some twists. Moriarty is Alex's home guard and a former Green Beret, not Sherlock's bad guy. Frederick gives his fortune to a "boyakina." There are some cuts to various places I know (Avalon, PVP, Malibu, Blue Jay, Manhattan Beach) but to my disappointment, no significant discussions of any of the areas.
I thought it was interesting that Kit and the other criminals have A LOT of money. I don't believe criminals have much money; like Patty Hearst, or the Kennedys, they have parents that buy their way out of situations like that.
Mildly entertaining.
May 14, 2011
I really, really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, and the story. It wasn't a suspenseful who-dunnit, but it was still a gripping read: some suspense, some wince-inducing horrors. The only "complaint" I have, was that I had this impression all thru the book, that this book was somehow. . .extracted from the author. It wasn't that it was poorly written, there were no obvious holes in the story, and I enjoyed it, but I imagined that writing this book was very difficult, or challenging for her and that she almost had to give "birth" to it in a very painful, laborious way. Once finished, I read the author's acknowledgements, and was surprised to read her comment about the working title for this book being "The $%^&*#$% book", which confirmed my suspicions. Over all though,I really did enjoy the book a great deal.
May 5, 2010
The story is about the members of Project Nine, an exclusive club of deranged boys that went to Sedgewick, a rich kids' reform school in Malibu they create havoc for homicide detective Alex Brandon, the L.A. Sheriff's Department and the FBI, since their gruesome project involves eliminating the outlaws on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Everett Corey, the leader of Project Nine assembled his task force including Cameron Burgess, Morgan Addison and the delightfully vain Frederick Whitfield IV. Project Nine also targets Kit Logan, Gabe Taggert, Meghan Taggert and Alex Brandon because of past grievances. This novel has some gruesome moments and violence in it, a good book to read to all thriller lovers.
January 4, 2010
Jan Burke is one of the best writers out there. Nine is a stand alone mystery/thriller in which an LA County Sheriff's detective becomes deeply involved in the investigation of the killing of people on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List. The characters and story are very interesting and compelling. Jan Burke knows how to get the reader deeply involved in the story she is telling. I would love to spend more time with the people in Nine. While this is a stand alone, I can see a possibility for more stories with these characters. I hope it isn't just wishful thinking on my part.
I know I am behind in everything, but how did I get this far behind on one of my absolute most favorite authors? I guess that just means I have much to look forward.
I know I am behind in everything, but how did I get this far behind on one of my absolute most favorite authors? I guess that just means I have much to look forward.
June 26, 2010
Whenever a writer veers off from a beloved series, I approach the book with an edge -- a mix of resentment and low expectations. My apologies to Jan Burke because this was a mystery masterpiece. It was one of those rare edge-of-your-seat books with continual curves that I did not see coming.
As you start into the book, don't be put off by the introduction to so many characters and her flipping between using last and first names...it will all come together. (Okay, yes, I'm at the age where I wrote a few names down so I could keep track when I started, but soon tossed my cheat sheet aside.) You get to know the characters and it all comes together brilliantly. Brava!
As you start into the book, don't be put off by the introduction to so many characters and her flipping between using last and first names...it will all come together. (Okay, yes, I'm at the age where I wrote a few names down so I could keep track when I started, but soon tossed my cheat sheet aside.) You get to know the characters and it all comes together brilliantly. Brava!
May 30, 2015
I bought this book many many years ago and to this day it still remains one of my favorites though the cover is worn off and the spine is broken. The tale of morality it weaves is incomparable to anything else I have ever read. Don't you think it'd be just for a serial killer to suffer in the same way his victims have? Eye for an eye? Then you'll love Jan Burke's masterful storytelling as much as I did.
March 1, 2024
10/23/23 Well enough written but too complicated to really enjoy and a bit predictable.
2/24/24 I guess I have read this before but didn't check Goodreads before reading it again. I really liked it this time around. Yes there was a lot going on but maybe the fact that it was not even a year ago that I read this the first time made it easier for me to keep up this time. Anyway, I really like it.
2/24/24 I guess I have read this before but didn't check Goodreads before reading it again. I really liked it this time around. Yes there was a lot going on but maybe the fact that it was not even a year ago that I read this the first time made it easier for me to keep up this time. Anyway, I really like it.
February 28, 2007
I guess the underlying theme is crime mystery, but really there are three main stories, and they are all sort of inter-related, and it's really interesting how all the characters end up coming together. The characters themselves are well-done too - I found I didn't mind when the novel switched back and forth among the smaller stories.
January 16, 2008
Enjoyed this story immensely. In this mystery, the bad guys are identified early on as the police work to find out the who. For the reader, the mystery is the why. You get clues to the whys along the way, the final filling in comes as a bit of a surprise at the end as well as an understanding of the title. Characters are interesting and the story line is involved but good.
October 5, 2010
Not an Irene Kelly novel, but oh-so-good nonetheless! With no female lead and some really complicated, twisted characters, Burke makes us care, rather quickly, about the principals in this novel. Enough that the gruesome details of the murders we read about are not enough to make us put the book down. Bravo, Jan!
October 13, 2021
Vigilantes are killing bad guys on the FBI's ten most wanted list. This fast-paced thriller is an intriguing beach read about entitled rich kids gone bad, with a lot of twists. There's some pretty sick stuff.
March 21, 2016
This is NOT an Irene Kelly mystery. It is a decent story: bad guys are killing off the FBI's 10 most wanted list. It would be nice to see these good guy characters again, even. However, more Irene should be a priority according to this reviewer!
September 15, 2007
Burke, Jan-NINE-VG+-Stand alone - very well done-would like more of these characters
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews