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Irene Kelly #7
Grabesstille
Nobody writes better than Jan Burke about the real world of print journalism, and that aspect of her latest Irene Kelly mystery is as strong as ever. The tensions of being the wife of a cop and continuing to work as a crime reporter in the Southern California desert city of Las Piernas have increased with each big story Irene covers: it's almost as though her associates are waiting for her to make some mistake, to fumble a story. When an edgy, rebellious teenage girl asks her to look for her missing mother, Irene crosses the path of a very dangerous serial killer--Nicholas Parrish. He is one of those totally anonymous but enormously gifted and resourceful villains found only in fiction. Parrish kills women who happen to look like Irene (and his abusive mother), and attracts devoted disciples to his grisly cause. Because of Irene's involvement, several more lives are damaged or endangered, and the strain takes its toll on the reporter's mental stability.
Burke is such a fine, realistic writer that she can tread her way carefully across territory already well covered by Patricia Cornwell, Jeffery Deaver, Thomas Harris, et al. and still find something new to say about ritual murder and forensic science. But her real talent is bringing to full, instant life a remarkable woman--and the city she lives and works in. --Dick Adler
510 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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May 31, 2020
2020 Summer Clearance Special
I vividly remember the first time I read this novel—I was on vacation with a cousin and while she slept, I huddled in the next bed in our hotel room, unable to set the book down. Even when I finished reading, I was jumpy for several days afterwards.
This was one of the first books that got me reading again after my mother was killed in a car accident. She was my reading buddy, we were a book club of two, and I quit reading fiction for years when I was unable to discuss it with her any more. Along with Patricia Cornwell's first novels, Bones was my entrée into the whole serial killer mystery genre. Perhaps because of that, I still retain a fondness for this novel.
It is rapidly becoming a period piece. Cell phones were a new and expensive option. Newspapers were still influential and lucrative. The papers themselves were still being printed by presses. Perhaps because of Irene's profession, she seems surrounded by a whole battalion of men: her husband, his cop friends, her cousin, her neighbour, their friends, male anthropologists, and so on. I'm always mystified by writers' use of this formula, since it would be my female posse that I would want around and, unlike Irene, I would be spilling my guts to them, probably more than they would care to hear. So I don't know how realistic Irene's personal life is, but I guess I can see how it works better for the dramatic tension.
By this time, several rereads later, this book is still a four star experience for me. Part of my Summer Clearance Special is an attempt to weed my bookshelves. I had anticipated reading Bones one last time and then disposing of it. I've emerged from this reading unsure whether that's what I really want to do. I guess there's no harm in letting it linger a while longer.
I vividly remember the first time I read this novel—I was on vacation with a cousin and while she slept, I huddled in the next bed in our hotel room, unable to set the book down. Even when I finished reading, I was jumpy for several days afterwards.
This was one of the first books that got me reading again after my mother was killed in a car accident. She was my reading buddy, we were a book club of two, and I quit reading fiction for years when I was unable to discuss it with her any more. Along with Patricia Cornwell's first novels, Bones was my entrée into the whole serial killer mystery genre. Perhaps because of that, I still retain a fondness for this novel.
It is rapidly becoming a period piece. Cell phones were a new and expensive option. Newspapers were still influential and lucrative. The papers themselves were still being printed by presses. Perhaps because of Irene's profession, she seems surrounded by a whole battalion of men: her husband, his cop friends, her cousin, her neighbour, their friends, male anthropologists, and so on. I'm always mystified by writers' use of this formula, since it would be my female posse that I would want around and, unlike Irene, I would be spilling my guts to them, probably more than they would care to hear. So I don't know how realistic Irene's personal life is, but I guess I can see how it works better for the dramatic tension.
By this time, several rereads later, this book is still a four star experience for me. Part of my Summer Clearance Special is an attempt to weed my bookshelves. I had anticipated reading Bones one last time and then disposing of it. I've emerged from this reading unsure whether that's what I really want to do. I guess there's no harm in letting it linger a while longer.
December 5, 2018
So I’m like 100% sure no one is ever going to read one of my reviews for this series and decide to read these books. I’m not very eloquent and seriously almost the only thing I can think of when I’m done is just how FREAKING GOOD they are. I’m such a picky reader but these have everything.
This story is just WOW. It starts out on page one from the serial killer’s POV and it sucks you in and doesn’t stop. I had to take about 800,000 ‘breaks’ from reading this because some parts just freaked me out so bad, but holy smokes. I couldn’t have asked for a better story!
My friend Katieann told me over and over this was her favorite book in the series and now I can see why! I will definitely be rereading this soon so I can do it knowing what is going to happen and not freaking out so bad haha.
This is my favorite so far in the series. So many great things in here. If you like murder mystery/ forensics/ suspense / thriller/ genuine friendships/ real love/ etc etc this is the series for you. Seriously give it a try.
I have no clue what I’m going to do with my life when this series is over. Thankfully I still have a few more books to go until I have to worry about it! All the hearts for Irene Kelly, Frank, O’Conner, Ben, Bingle, Travis, Jack, Stinger, Lydia, Rachel, Pete, Cassidy, even crusty old John who has grown on me tremendously, and the rest of this band of characters that makes me LOVE this series so freaking much sometimes I want to cry. Have I mentioned I love this series? Yep, I love it. Read it.
This story is just WOW. It starts out on page one from the serial killer’s POV and it sucks you in and doesn’t stop. I had to take about 800,000 ‘breaks’ from reading this because some parts just freaked me out so bad, but holy smokes. I couldn’t have asked for a better story!
My friend Katieann told me over and over this was her favorite book in the series and now I can see why! I will definitely be rereading this soon so I can do it knowing what is going to happen and not freaking out so bad haha.
This is my favorite so far in the series. So many great things in here. If you like murder mystery/ forensics/ suspense / thriller/ genuine friendships/ real love/ etc etc this is the series for you. Seriously give it a try.
I have no clue what I’m going to do with my life when this series is over. Thankfully I still have a few more books to go until I have to worry about it! All the hearts for Irene Kelly, Frank, O’Conner, Ben, Bingle, Travis, Jack, Stinger, Lydia, Rachel, Pete, Cassidy, even crusty old John who has grown on me tremendously, and the rest of this band of characters that makes me LOVE this series so freaking much sometimes I want to cry. Have I mentioned I love this series? Yep, I love it. Read it.
April 18, 2010
Journalist, Irene Kelly, and a notorious serial killer are included on an expedition bound for the burial grounds of one of his victims. The serial killer is actually allowed out of prison to lead this expedition. Implausible.
The expedition includes a dozen (plus) forensic experts, forest rangers, and sheriffs/guards. This should be enough of a security force that one would assume they'd all be safe. Not.
The whole expedition except for Irene, the killer, a cop, and the corpse finding dog (my favorite character) are blown up by a booby trap. The rest of the book is about the sequelae of that expedition. Unlike other readers, I did not find this book to be particularly scary. It was brutal in parts. The plot was predictable, the characters were derivative, and it was way, way, way too long. It was exhausting to finish because I simpl wanted to skip through page after page of what I did not think actually added to the plot. Perhaps it is a convention of publishing these days that the more pages a book has, the better it is; or the more it can cover up "there's nothing new here" or you can charge more for it.
I had actually picked this up because I wanted to do some escapist reading between my current dense history read and my quality fiction read. Because it had won an Edgar, I thought it would be a quality read. I was wrong.
The expedition includes a dozen (plus) forensic experts, forest rangers, and sheriffs/guards. This should be enough of a security force that one would assume they'd all be safe. Not.
The whole expedition except for Irene, the killer, a cop, and the corpse finding dog (my favorite character) are blown up by a booby trap. The rest of the book is about the sequelae of that expedition. Unlike other readers, I did not find this book to be particularly scary. It was brutal in parts. The plot was predictable, the characters were derivative, and it was way, way, way too long. It was exhausting to finish because I simpl wanted to skip through page after page of what I did not think actually added to the plot. Perhaps it is a convention of publishing these days that the more pages a book has, the better it is; or the more it can cover up "there's nothing new here" or you can charge more for it.
I had actually picked this up because I wanted to do some escapist reading between my current dense history read and my quality fiction read. Because it had won an Edgar, I thought it would be a quality read. I was wrong.
January 21, 2014
The first third of this book was promising. I always love a good serial killer, and this one seemed sure not to disappoint. The foray into the wilderness was thrilling and kept me turning the pages, and I was pretty creeped out by the coyote tree. However, after the return to civilization, the storyline just fell flat. Everything was a little too neat and predictable, the characters uninteresting, and the ending just...blah. By then I had lost interest and honestly don't even really remember what happened, except that it was very unrealistic and also boring- kind of a challenging feat to accomplish both at the same time. I think Burke put all of her effort into the first 100 pages then got lazy, but somehow still had to make a novel out of it. Won't be reading any more of hers.
August 14, 2016
Pekala, şu an biten Kemikler için söyleyecek pek bir şey yok aslında. Angel Books ile kapağını beğenerek aldığımız, Edgar Allan Poe Ödüllü olmasıyla bence severiz dediğimiz bir kitaptı. Aslında sevebilirdikte. Bayılmazdık bence tabii ama severdik. Öhöm, fark ettiniz sanırım hep -dik eki kullandım. Buradan Kemikler'in bizlere hayal kırıklığı yaşattığını anlamış olduğunuzu varsayıyorum.
Çeviri, redaksiyon, editörlük vs. kitabı baskıya hazırlayan her ne süreç varsa hepsi yetersizdi.
Çevirmen, zaman atlamalarını, karakter geçişlerini aktaramamış. Sadece bunları da değil aslında birçok şeyi aktaramamış. Zaten yanlış çevirisi mi çoktu yoksa toparlayamadığı cümleler mi çoktu bir yerden sonra saymayı bıraktım. Şöyle bir cümle hatırlıyorum, "İlk yardım dersim gelmişti." E, hoş gelmiş madem, buyursun şöyle, çay mı içer kahve mi? :/ Allah aşkına bu nasıl bir cümledir? Bu cümleye izin veren de nasıl bir editördür demek istiyorum fakat kitabın editörü de yok. Künyede herhangi bir editör bilgisine denk gelemiyoruz maalesef.
Kitap boyunca bir kez bile üç noktayı görememek de büyük hüsrandı doğrusu. Çok aradım kendisini lakin en sonunda görevlinin biri bana "Kendisi emekliye ayrıldı efendim, yerine artık 'dört, beş veya altı nokta' bakıyor." diyerek kibarca üç noktayı artık aramayı kesmemi ve kendisini rahat bırakmamı söyledi. Yine birileri de "herşey" ve "şuan"ı ayırmak istiyorum diye kötü kalpli biri olduğumu iddia etmeye başladı. "Orijinal"e ise dosdoğru denk gelince göz yaşlarımı tutamadığımı görüp mendil uzatanlar da en sonunda derdimin ne olduğunu anladılar.
Buna rağmen hikaye kendisinde cevher olduğunu ispatlamak istercesine arada bir tempoyu arttırmayı başardı ve bana heyecanı hissettirebildi. Fakat kötü kalpli cadının biri -evet, atık kötü olan ben değilim, niyetimin tamamen hayırlı olduğu ortaya çıkmıştı yukarıdaki paragrafta- hikaye tam hızlanmaya başlamışken çelme çakıp o yakaladığım minik parıltının çamura bulanmasına sebep oldu!
Karakter tasvirlerine de çok denk gelmiyorduk kitapta. Aklımda sadece katilin öldürdüğü kadın profili kalmış. Onun haricinde zaten karakter bolluğundan kim kimdi hatırlayamazken bir de karakterlerin tasvirleri olmayınca hepten gözümde canlandıramadım ve birbirlerinden ayıramadım karakterleri.
Her şey düzgün olsaymış benden bi 3 puan alırmış kitap fakat şu an 3 vermeye gönlüm el vermiyor.
Yayınevini birkaç nokta hakkında bilgilendirdim de bakalım, sağ olsunlar ilgilendiler fakat ciddi anlamda titiz bir çalışma istiyor kitap. Üzerine baya emek verilmeli ve o cevher parlatılmalı düşüncesindeyim. O zaman suç romanı okumak isteyenler için hoş bir kitap olabilir. Eğer alacaksanız, 2. veya 3. baskısını falan bekleyin bence. Muhakkak da bir kitapçıdan alın ve sayfalarına şöyle bir göz atın bakalım. Hemen hemen bi 5-6 sayfada bir 5 nokta sizi selamlıyorsa eğer bizde selamı almak her ne kadar farz olsa da bu seferlik günah işleyebilirsiniz bence. Allah sizi anlayacak ve affedecektir. :)
Bir dip not düşeceğim, gereksiz gördüğüm ama vicdanımı hafifletmek adına eklemek istediğim. Kemikler yayınevinin ilk kitabı, ilk çalışması. İyi bir çıkış yakalamak istemiş belli ki bu kitapla fakat acemiliğine gelmiş. Umarım ilerleyen kitaplarda daha temiz bir baskı ile karşılaşırız. :)
Çeviri, redaksiyon, editörlük vs. kitabı baskıya hazırlayan her ne süreç varsa hepsi yetersizdi.
Çevirmen, zaman atlamalarını, karakter geçişlerini aktaramamış. Sadece bunları da değil aslında birçok şeyi aktaramamış. Zaten yanlış çevirisi mi çoktu yoksa toparlayamadığı cümleler mi çoktu bir yerden sonra saymayı bıraktım. Şöyle bir cümle hatırlıyorum, "İlk yardım dersim gelmişti." E, hoş gelmiş madem, buyursun şöyle, çay mı içer kahve mi? :/ Allah aşkına bu nasıl bir cümledir? Bu cümleye izin veren de nasıl bir editördür demek istiyorum fakat kitabın editörü de yok. Künyede herhangi bir editör bilgisine denk gelemiyoruz maalesef.
Kitap boyunca bir kez bile üç noktayı görememek de büyük hüsrandı doğrusu. Çok aradım kendisini lakin en sonunda görevlinin biri bana "Kendisi emekliye ayrıldı efendim, yerine artık 'dört, beş veya altı nokta' bakıyor." diyerek kibarca üç noktayı artık aramayı kesmemi ve kendisini rahat bırakmamı söyledi. Yine birileri de "herşey" ve "şuan"ı ayırmak istiyorum diye kötü kalpli biri olduğumu iddia etmeye başladı. "Orijinal"e ise dosdoğru denk gelince göz yaşlarımı tutamadığımı görüp mendil uzatanlar da en sonunda derdimin ne olduğunu anladılar.
Buna rağmen hikaye kendisinde cevher olduğunu ispatlamak istercesine arada bir tempoyu arttırmayı başardı ve bana heyecanı hissettirebildi. Fakat kötü kalpli cadının biri -evet, atık kötü olan ben değilim, niyetimin tamamen hayırlı olduğu ortaya çıkmıştı yukarıdaki paragrafta- hikaye tam hızlanmaya başlamışken çelme çakıp o yakaladığım minik parıltının çamura bulanmasına sebep oldu!
Karakter tasvirlerine de çok denk gelmiyorduk kitapta. Aklımda sadece katilin öldürdüğü kadın profili kalmış. Onun haricinde zaten karakter bolluğundan kim kimdi hatırlayamazken bir de karakterlerin tasvirleri olmayınca hepten gözümde canlandıramadım ve birbirlerinden ayıramadım karakterleri.
Her şey düzgün olsaymış benden bi 3 puan alırmış kitap fakat şu an 3 vermeye gönlüm el vermiyor.
Yayınevini birkaç nokta hakkında bilgilendirdim de bakalım, sağ olsunlar ilgilendiler fakat ciddi anlamda titiz bir çalışma istiyor kitap. Üzerine baya emek verilmeli ve o cevher parlatılmalı düşüncesindeyim. O zaman suç romanı okumak isteyenler için hoş bir kitap olabilir. Eğer alacaksanız, 2. veya 3. baskısını falan bekleyin bence. Muhakkak da bir kitapçıdan alın ve sayfalarına şöyle bir göz atın bakalım. Hemen hemen bi 5-6 sayfada bir 5 nokta sizi selamlıyorsa eğer bizde selamı almak her ne kadar farz olsa da bu seferlik günah işleyebilirsiniz bence. Allah sizi anlayacak ve affedecektir. :)
Bir dip not düşeceğim, gereksiz gördüğüm ama vicdanımı hafifletmek adına eklemek istediğim. Kemikler yayınevinin ilk kitabı, ilk çalışması. İyi bir çıkış yakalamak istemiş belli ki bu kitapla fakat acemiliğine gelmiş. Umarım ilerleyen kitaplarda daha temiz bir baskı ile karşılaşırız. :)
October 26, 2017
I've been really in the mood for creepy books leading up to Halloween. This book had been sitting on my shelf for a few years, so I figured I would give it a try. And for anyone thinking about picking this up, it is book 7 in a series. I was unaware of that until 3/4 of the way through the book when I looked at the copyright date. The characters kept talking about how rich someone needed to be to own a cell phone lol it was written in 1999 and oh how times have changed. That's when I saw the portion about other books in the series. This can totally be a stand alone, but the author eludes to some past trauma that occurred in other books that affects the main character's decisions in this book. Also, the author doesn't spend a lot of time describing certain characters because if you're a reader of the series, you already know who they are. However, this book can definitely hold up as a stand alone.
This book starts off with Irene Kelly, a reporter, being a member of a large group who goes hiking into a remote portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to find the remains of a serial killer's victim. Irene had been following this particular victim's story from her disappearance 4 years before, so when Nick Parrish cut a deal to lead investigators to her body in exchange for life in prison (rather than the death penalty), she goes along on the expedition. However, this expedition was part of Parrish's plan all along and the hiking trip goes horribly wrong (i.e. he laid some traps, people die, he gets free, and starts hunting Irene). If that was the entire book, I would have been SO HAPPY! I loved the first half of the book when they were in the mountains. It was creepy, suspenseful and completely original (to me anyways). But then, the second half of the book happened. While I hate spoiling things, in this instance, I feel like it may be necessary.
Irene (and maybe a few others, maybe not) are rescued from the mountains and Parrish escapes. The whole second half of the book is filled with Irene dealing with the PTSD of surviving the excursion and then Parrish eventually stalking/hunting her to finish what he started. I was so bored with the second half of the book. I was bored of listening to her talk to her therapist. I was bored reading each and every time she saw Parrish's face when she was at the grocery store or sitting in traffic. And I was bored with the very slow cat and mouse game that was played while waiting for the big finale. And the finale really wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. The author spends a lot of time showing how smart and prepared Parrish is. He had planned for almost everything but somehow, the ending seemed like it was so haphazard. And I managed to guess the twist at the end.
It wasn't a bad book and I may read something from Jan Burke in the future, but it wasn't my favorite.
This book starts off with Irene Kelly, a reporter, being a member of a large group who goes hiking into a remote portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to find the remains of a serial killer's victim. Irene had been following this particular victim's story from her disappearance 4 years before, so when Nick Parrish cut a deal to lead investigators to her body in exchange for life in prison (rather than the death penalty), she goes along on the expedition. However, this expedition was part of Parrish's plan all along and the hiking trip goes horribly wrong (i.e. he laid some traps, people die, he gets free, and starts hunting Irene). If that was the entire book, I would have been SO HAPPY! I loved the first half of the book when they were in the mountains. It was creepy, suspenseful and completely original (to me anyways). But then, the second half of the book happened. While I hate spoiling things, in this instance, I feel like it may be necessary.
Irene (and maybe a few others, maybe not) are rescued from the mountains and Parrish escapes. The whole second half of the book is filled with Irene dealing with the PTSD of surviving the excursion and then Parrish eventually stalking/hunting her to finish what he started. I was so bored with the second half of the book. I was bored of listening to her talk to her therapist. I was bored reading each and every time she saw Parrish's face when she was at the grocery store or sitting in traffic. And I was bored with the very slow cat and mouse game that was played while waiting for the big finale. And the finale really wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. The author spends a lot of time showing how smart and prepared Parrish is. He had planned for almost everything but somehow, the ending seemed like it was so haphazard. And I managed to guess the twist at the end.
It wasn't a bad book and I may read something from Jan Burke in the future, but it wasn't my favorite.
July 14, 2017
Kısacası kitap, serisinin 7. kitabı. Ama öncesini okumadım diye endişelenmenize gerek yok. Tek başına rahatlıkla okunabilir. Konu ve kurgu bir kaç detay dışında iyi. Yalnız çeviri ve redaksiyonda sıkıntı büyük. Olaylar heyecan kazandığı sırada kopukluklarla karşılaştığım için akıcı ilerlemedi. Yayınevi bu konuyla ilgileneceklerini söyledi, o yüzden 2. basımını beklemenizi öneririm.
http://angelssbooks.blogspot.com.tr/2...
http://angelssbooks.blogspot.com.tr/2...
July 12, 2022
Well, I'm not going to be keeping this one. Never want to reread it, ever. Too much inside the mind of a serial killer -- I ended up skipping quite a few chapters because, well, EW.
October 19, 2015
This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, so maybe there were unrealistic expectations. I was also impressed with the Edgar Award for best mystery this book won, as well. But I wasn't overly impressed by the end. It left me underwhelmed.
The first third or half was solid. Investigators in the mountains; a serial killer with them. Bodies turn up and you know the killer will get away.
But there were so many missteps after that. The dialogue is really, really terrible. Very stilted, very unrealistic. It talks down to the reader and overexplains really simple things, as if the author didn't think the readers could follow along.
Some scenes just backfired. When the killer mails to the main character, a reporter, a pair of her own underwear, she and her co-workers break into inexplicable laughter. The author tries to say that the hilarity is due to extreme tension, but it never comes across that way. It's just an awkward scene. There's a lot of those.
An example that blends both of these: a bomb is set up beneath one of the bodies in the mountains, and the killer gets away (after awhile) in the confusion. The author/narrator (or the first-person main character) asks: Who could have known that was going to happen? I read that and immediately thought, I did. You will, too, even if you're not a particularly astute reader. Awkward.
And the end is unrealistic. The killer, a genius, suddenly comes to her workplace, where there's an armed guard or two, plus co-workers, plus a helicopter that lands on the roof--and he doesn't know any of this, even though he has stalked all of his other victims to the point of knowing their lives better than they do. The ending is really unfulfilling. It hinges on the identity of the killer's helper, but you'll figure that out before too long. You might even see it right away, not too far into the book.
These could be forgiven if the writing was good enough, but it's not. It's awkward, the dialogue is just plain bad, and it mellows in a sentimentality and, at times, in suddenly jarring religious-speak (the main character suddenly says out loud to someone that they don't have to work on the Lord's day--even more confusing, since the narrator says she's mostly a non-believer)--and, well, the book's an award-winning mess. I have nothing against a suddenly and unrealistically religious character, or occasionally bad dialogue, or scene and plot missteps--but not all at once in the same book.
This book is the 7th in the series, but you don't have to read any of the previous ones to read this one. Unfortunately, I have no desire to do so, nor to read any of the next ones. I see that I have written more negatively of this book than many have, but I don't see any way around it. If you wish, someone please let me know if the previous ones, or the latter ones, were any better.
The first third or half was solid. Investigators in the mountains; a serial killer with them. Bodies turn up and you know the killer will get away.
But there were so many missteps after that. The dialogue is really, really terrible. Very stilted, very unrealistic. It talks down to the reader and overexplains really simple things, as if the author didn't think the readers could follow along.
Some scenes just backfired. When the killer mails to the main character, a reporter, a pair of her own underwear, she and her co-workers break into inexplicable laughter. The author tries to say that the hilarity is due to extreme tension, but it never comes across that way. It's just an awkward scene. There's a lot of those.
An example that blends both of these: a bomb is set up beneath one of the bodies in the mountains, and the killer gets away (after awhile) in the confusion. The author/narrator (or the first-person main character) asks: Who could have known that was going to happen? I read that and immediately thought, I did. You will, too, even if you're not a particularly astute reader. Awkward.
And the end is unrealistic. The killer, a genius, suddenly comes to her workplace, where there's an armed guard or two, plus co-workers, plus a helicopter that lands on the roof--and he doesn't know any of this, even though he has stalked all of his other victims to the point of knowing their lives better than they do. The ending is really unfulfilling. It hinges on the identity of the killer's helper, but you'll figure that out before too long. You might even see it right away, not too far into the book.
These could be forgiven if the writing was good enough, but it's not. It's awkward, the dialogue is just plain bad, and it mellows in a sentimentality and, at times, in suddenly jarring religious-speak (the main character suddenly says out loud to someone that they don't have to work on the Lord's day--even more confusing, since the narrator says she's mostly a non-believer)--and, well, the book's an award-winning mess. I have nothing against a suddenly and unrealistically religious character, or occasionally bad dialogue, or scene and plot missteps--but not all at once in the same book.
This book is the 7th in the series, but you don't have to read any of the previous ones to read this one. Unfortunately, I have no desire to do so, nor to read any of the next ones. I see that I have written more negatively of this book than many have, but I don't see any way around it. If you wish, someone please let me know if the previous ones, or the latter ones, were any better.
June 14, 2011
I picked this one up from a secondhand bookshop while trying to add my books up to 3 for promotion. Now, I've always enjoyed a good mystery and seeing as this was an Edgar award winner, I was intrigued. And it didn't disappoint. In fact, I'll be on the hunt to read the rest of the series, starting from the very first book where we meet the journalist Irene Kelly who the books are based on.
I chose this book to read while I was flying home and so I didn't get to realize this was part of a series until I came home to check it on here. But even though it was a series book, this is the 7th, it didn't bother me reading it as a stand alone. Obviously we're supposed to have met some of the main characters but I think every book features a different mystery in itself with new additional characters so I wasn't lost trying to figure out who was who. Everything I needed to understand to follow the story was plainly explained to me and I was able to enjoy the mystery to the fullest.
The book is about a serial killer making a deal with the police to bring them to the body of a long lost victim. Along with the police and the killer and his lawyer goes Irene, who was in touch of the victim's family and who's acting on their behalf, and a group consisting of anthropologists and rangers to help around the mountain area where the body is supposedly buried.
The way this book was told was new for me. While we get Irene's first person narration on her side of the story, we do get the killer's point of view as a third person narration, and also of a few other people's. Irene is the only one who tells her story firsthand and this type of division of narration was new to me, yet not at all confusing or bothersome. We do get a new chapter or a clean paragraph for every new viewpoint so I didn't have to think about whose perspective we've jumped to while reading.
The mystery was a very good one that kept me at the edge of my seat, I was constantly thinking of a new theory when the one I had before went down the drain. There were some very likeable characters, and Irene herself was a heroine who was strong and real. I also enjoyed the parts with the serial killer's perspective. I've always had a certain curiosity when it comes to serial killers, and Jan Burke has described a man so cold, so calculating and so sociopath. Nick Parrish, the killer, is a man who scares you, gets under your skin, and he has such a unique sense of humor in a way only a sociopath can have.
Apart from a few editing mistakes and a couple of sentences I took longer to understand, possibly due to english not being my main language, I gave this 5 stars because I really enjoyed the mystery and the plotting and the characters. And because it tempted me enough to add the whole series to my to-read list.
I chose this book to read while I was flying home and so I didn't get to realize this was part of a series until I came home to check it on here. But even though it was a series book, this is the 7th, it didn't bother me reading it as a stand alone. Obviously we're supposed to have met some of the main characters but I think every book features a different mystery in itself with new additional characters so I wasn't lost trying to figure out who was who. Everything I needed to understand to follow the story was plainly explained to me and I was able to enjoy the mystery to the fullest.
The book is about a serial killer making a deal with the police to bring them to the body of a long lost victim. Along with the police and the killer and his lawyer goes Irene, who was in touch of the victim's family and who's acting on their behalf, and a group consisting of anthropologists and rangers to help around the mountain area where the body is supposedly buried.
The way this book was told was new for me. While we get Irene's first person narration on her side of the story, we do get the killer's point of view as a third person narration, and also of a few other people's. Irene is the only one who tells her story firsthand and this type of division of narration was new to me, yet not at all confusing or bothersome. We do get a new chapter or a clean paragraph for every new viewpoint so I didn't have to think about whose perspective we've jumped to while reading.
The mystery was a very good one that kept me at the edge of my seat, I was constantly thinking of a new theory when the one I had before went down the drain. There were some very likeable characters, and Irene herself was a heroine who was strong and real. I also enjoyed the parts with the serial killer's perspective. I've always had a certain curiosity when it comes to serial killers, and Jan Burke has described a man so cold, so calculating and so sociopath. Nick Parrish, the killer, is a man who scares you, gets under your skin, and he has such a unique sense of humor in a way only a sociopath can have.
Apart from a few editing mistakes and a couple of sentences I took longer to understand, possibly due to english not being my main language, I gave this 5 stars because I really enjoyed the mystery and the plotting and the characters. And because it tempted me enough to add the whole series to my to-read list.
July 2, 2008
After reading this book, I wondered where Jan Burke comes up with her ideas and how she can describe the complex mind of a killer in such a startling and believable way. This book scared the living daylights out of me. In part because I took the book on a camping trip (not recommended since most of the action occurs in the mountains!). "Bones" has such an intriguing plot line and more intriguing characters. I wanted to put it down because I was so scared, but couldn't because I had to know what happened next. I have to say, this kind of story is not my norm. I prefer something a little less frightening. I have read all of Jan Burke's books. She doesn't usually venture this far into the "scare the bejeebers out of you" category. But if you're one of those people who reads Stephen King at 2 a.m. with a flashlight, this one's for you.
September 16, 2015
The book started so good. Much tension was building, it explodes, but then fizzles out. The characters don't feel well fleshed out. Eventually, I cared not at all about the killer on the loose or anything that happens throughout. I was only glad that Bingle makes it through. In the end was the story about catching a dangerous killer on the lam, or a woman learning not to feel sorry for herself? It's debatable, but either way I felt the story died about halfway through.
January 22, 2023
If anyone is wondering, yes, this can be read as a standalone! Granted there are quite a few names to remember, but from what I gathered they aren’t in previous books in the series. Jan Burke does a great job at letting the reader get to know the characters and usually gives context as to whom she is talking about as well. It is different from any crime novel I have read, and I highly recommend it!
This novel continued to shock me. From the different characters point of views to the precise detail that is thought out during the plot of this book. So much so that I was a bit dissatisfied with the initial rescue and ending of the book. The book was planned out so well that I felt the climax and ending were a bit rushed. Granted, there is a nice plot twist that I predicted wrong!
Some random notes I had were about how I enjoyed how Burke delved into different kinds of trauma and PTSD. Also, the only problem I had with the writing was how there were too many short sentences left at the end of chapters. They meant to leave you on a cliffhanger, and I enjoyed them at first, but there were too many. Sometimes I wanted to feel blindsided.
I will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the Irene Kelly series.
This novel continued to shock me. From the different characters point of views to the precise detail that is thought out during the plot of this book. So much so that I was a bit dissatisfied with the initial rescue and ending of the book. The book was planned out so well that I felt the climax and ending were a bit rushed. Granted, there is a nice plot twist that I predicted wrong!
Some random notes I had were about how I enjoyed how Burke delved into different kinds of trauma and PTSD. Also, the only problem I had with the writing was how there were too many short sentences left at the end of chapters. They meant to leave you on a cliffhanger, and I enjoyed them at first, but there were too many. Sometimes I wanted to feel blindsided.
I will be keeping an eye out for the rest of the Irene Kelly series.
June 12, 2025
Man this book was not for me…I don’t understand why the most exciting action takes place within the first quarter of the book and is so sparsely covered that it’s not even very exciting to read. The characters fall into the major stereotypes of journalism and policing and by default of course cannot accept mental health help. The serial killer is just awful; I’m sorry but he is such an unscary, lacking motive, and in the end easy to take down guy I’m surprised it took the entire novel. And then the “twist” at the end with the accomplice was super unnecessary and also lackluster. I really try to give books the benefit of the doubt and although the idea could have been interesting it was just not fleshed out in any substantial way.
April 7, 2018
I hadn't read Jan Burke before but will definitely be looking for the name again when I'm in the book store. I liked the whole reporter in the trail of a serial killer plot, and was pleasantly surprised that it was much more than that. If you like thrillers in the mode of Tomas Harris, this author is in that vein. Highly recommend.
April 15, 2018
Jan Burke's book deservedly won the Edgar Award. Serial killer Nick Parrish is real scary. could use the services of a Dexter in this story.
September 21, 2019
Not a big fan of books where women are on the run from being raped! I read this as part of a goal to read Edgar best novel award winners and nominees.
April 28, 2010
Maybe it's because I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I was not enthralled by this one. I felt that the characters were all underdevloped and that from the beginning I didn't care about any one of them. I didn't care for the writing style and I felt the change of the narrators was too odd and inconsistent to make any kind of impact. And to be honest, the story itself wasn't that captivating, not to mention that it all seemed too neat and tidy by the end. I won't be picking up any more books in the Irene Kelly series.
August 22, 2009
I got about a third of the way into the book and thought I would need to stop reading it because I thought I couldn't handle where it seemed to be going. I preserved, however, and it turned out to be a suspenseful, tense and ultimately a great read. Like many readers, I did find this frightening at times. In the end, I enjoyed it immensely and wish I hadn't read most of the Jan Burke series, already, so I had something more of hers to read.
May 3, 2009
At first I thought the book was too scary for me, and I almost stopped reading it, but getting further into it, I found it truly intriguing, and a really fascinating read. It was also very visual and would make a terrific suspense movie.
August 23, 2015
I really enjoy the Irene Kelly series & this book dosen't disappoint, full of twists & turns right to the end
October 19, 2018
The very first Irene Kelly book that I read! I loved it! I even ordered the rest of the series on amazon right away after I finished Bones! Highly recommended!
December 6, 2017
Anytime that I start a book, I look to see if the author has a good concept and grip on the three basic parts of a story: Plot, characters and settings. I have now come to the conclusion that there is a fourth part of a good novel; an excellent novel, and that would be continuity.
So overall, if I were to review all of the books that I have read so far, how many of them would nail it on all four parts of a book? I know one thing, Jan Burke's book, "Bones," surely did not. Let's look at each part more closely.
Plot - Very disorganized and climaxed way too early in the book. The author then tries to tie in somewhat of a second plot to story, but fails miserably at it. If Jan Burke would of taken what she did at the end of the story and intertwine it with the original plot of the story, it would of worked better.
Characters - Very much under developed and confusing. I'm done with the book, but still am wondering about the two main characters. What was Irene Kelly's main objective in the book? Did Nicholas "Nicky" Parrish achieve what he needed to do? No, even the switching between secondary characters left me stymied and puzzled.
Setting - I couldn't tell from one scene to another; were they still in the forest or were they at a building. Burke was clear enough with descriptive dialogue and scenery to keep me enticed. And sometimes, it didn't help with trying to figure out the characters.
Continuity - I felt that Jan Burke had a hard time; struggled with going back to a scene and pick up from where she had left off. Without the proper continuity, the story didn't flow properly and had me lost several times.
Once an author has hit every part of what makes an excellent story, the reader is drawn in, enticed and wrapped up in with the plot. The reader tries to guess the characters next moves, not trying to decipher what the author is trying to convey to the reader.
Jan Burke's "Bones" just didn't even tap that nail in. She missed the mark so bad, that the I couldn't wait to get the book done.
I must admit though, before I started to write this review, I went on line to see what other readers/reviewers had said about this book. And I had to agree with the majority of them: Jan Burke just didn't do it with this book. A very small amount felt that the book was good; that it being in a series of books, that it could even be a stand alone book. I have to disagree with them. If I knew that this book was one in a series, I might of considered picking up one or two books prior to this one to read, but to be considered as a stand alone, is not right.
Sorry readers and Jan Burke. I just cannot recommend this book at all.
So overall, if I were to review all of the books that I have read so far, how many of them would nail it on all four parts of a book? I know one thing, Jan Burke's book, "Bones," surely did not. Let's look at each part more closely.
Plot - Very disorganized and climaxed way too early in the book. The author then tries to tie in somewhat of a second plot to story, but fails miserably at it. If Jan Burke would of taken what she did at the end of the story and intertwine it with the original plot of the story, it would of worked better.
Characters - Very much under developed and confusing. I'm done with the book, but still am wondering about the two main characters. What was Irene Kelly's main objective in the book? Did Nicholas "Nicky" Parrish achieve what he needed to do? No, even the switching between secondary characters left me stymied and puzzled.
Setting - I couldn't tell from one scene to another; were they still in the forest or were they at a building. Burke was clear enough with descriptive dialogue and scenery to keep me enticed. And sometimes, it didn't help with trying to figure out the characters.
Continuity - I felt that Jan Burke had a hard time; struggled with going back to a scene and pick up from where she had left off. Without the proper continuity, the story didn't flow properly and had me lost several times.
Once an author has hit every part of what makes an excellent story, the reader is drawn in, enticed and wrapped up in with the plot. The reader tries to guess the characters next moves, not trying to decipher what the author is trying to convey to the reader.
Jan Burke's "Bones" just didn't even tap that nail in. She missed the mark so bad, that the I couldn't wait to get the book done.
I must admit though, before I started to write this review, I went on line to see what other readers/reviewers had said about this book. And I had to agree with the majority of them: Jan Burke just didn't do it with this book. A very small amount felt that the book was good; that it being in a series of books, that it could even be a stand alone book. I have to disagree with them. If I knew that this book was one in a series, I might of considered picking up one or two books prior to this one to read, but to be considered as a stand alone, is not right.
Sorry readers and Jan Burke. I just cannot recommend this book at all.
November 8, 2023
This book was recommended to me – and I thought it would be worth reading, being an ‘Edgar Award Winner.’ I was pretty disappointed. I thought the plotting was poor, the characterizations were very weak, that the writing had no ‘Flow’ – and even writing ‘style’ seemed to change/vary along the way.
The writer introduced 30 or so characters in the first 30 or so pages, which I thought was a bit much for her to expect readers to keep track of. And throughout the book for the most part, there were no physical descriptions given for these characters, which for me makes it tougher to track who/what they are. I like to have a mental ‘image.’ And the characterizations were flat – little personality to speak of… the character with the most ‘personality’ was a dog named ‘Bingle’ – and maybe the serial killer, but it’s kind of tough to relate to such an over-the-top freak as depicted here.
Nothing really happens for the first 100 pages or so – we’re on a ‘project’ in the woods, and although it does allow the reader to get better acquainted with some of the characters – it reads like a huge, and boring, ‘expository lump’ for nearly the first third of the book.
But then we have some actual ‘story’ going – some action, which goes on for about the next 75 pages or so. Then we go into a kind of snore-fest to page 340-some – a section of characters agonizing, speculating, regretting, and general navel-gazing. And some weird geography… The ‘project’ section mentioned above takes place in what’s described as the ‘Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains’ – and by description, the protagonist & Co. reside in a fictional place called ‘Las Piernas,’ which seemed to be not far away. Then at one interval, the characters are at ‘The Beach’ – which seems to be nearby Las Piernas – salt air, etc…. But hey – the Sierras are 150 miles from the Pacific Ocean!!!
But we move on and then there is more ‘action’ for about 6 pages. The remainder of the book is 20-some pages of ‘wrap-up’ and explanations, etc.
I finished the book because I was curious to see where the author would go with it. And found that the ending was also pretty weak – and very ‘convenient’ in some ways. I’m kind of surprised that this effort won an Edgar. I’d be very interested to know who constituted the ‘Voting Panel’ that year. I think the writing was marginal, the plotting was weak, and the editing was virtually incompetent.
The writer introduced 30 or so characters in the first 30 or so pages, which I thought was a bit much for her to expect readers to keep track of. And throughout the book for the most part, there were no physical descriptions given for these characters, which for me makes it tougher to track who/what they are. I like to have a mental ‘image.’ And the characterizations were flat – little personality to speak of… the character with the most ‘personality’ was a dog named ‘Bingle’ – and maybe the serial killer, but it’s kind of tough to relate to such an over-the-top freak as depicted here.
Nothing really happens for the first 100 pages or so – we’re on a ‘project’ in the woods, and although it does allow the reader to get better acquainted with some of the characters – it reads like a huge, and boring, ‘expository lump’ for nearly the first third of the book.
But then we have some actual ‘story’ going – some action, which goes on for about the next 75 pages or so. Then we go into a kind of snore-fest to page 340-some – a section of characters agonizing, speculating, regretting, and general navel-gazing. And some weird geography… The ‘project’ section mentioned above takes place in what’s described as the ‘Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains’ – and by description, the protagonist & Co. reside in a fictional place called ‘Las Piernas,’ which seemed to be not far away. Then at one interval, the characters are at ‘The Beach’ – which seems to be nearby Las Piernas – salt air, etc…. But hey – the Sierras are 150 miles from the Pacific Ocean!!!
But we move on and then there is more ‘action’ for about 6 pages. The remainder of the book is 20-some pages of ‘wrap-up’ and explanations, etc.
I finished the book because I was curious to see where the author would go with it. And found that the ending was also pretty weak – and very ‘convenient’ in some ways. I’m kind of surprised that this effort won an Edgar. I’d be very interested to know who constituted the ‘Voting Panel’ that year. I think the writing was marginal, the plotting was weak, and the editing was virtually incompetent.
July 5, 2024
The Irene Kelly series of murder mysteries feature a newspaper reporter and her homicide detective husband in Southern California. Bones has an interesting, if at times grisly, plot about a serial killer and an expedition to the mountains to find the graves of his victims. There are some good details on forensic archeology and cadaver dogs looking for the scent of bodies. Irene is a well-developed and real characters, although it is hard to believe that she could have so many bad things happen to her. Her husband Frank is a real sweetie and there are some other good people in the cast of characters. There were a few facts that were off and it was hard to believe that a dog would understand so much human language but the dogs in the book added to the story. I thought the 500 pages made the book too long and it dragged the story out some. But I did enjoy reading this and earlier books by the author.
August 28, 2017
In itself it was an intriguing story. It was insightful, thrilling and at times even funny. However I am a little bit upset about the printing. I don't know if this was the writers intent but it was loaded with annoying errors. If you have a victims name written wrong THREE times on ONE page you are really doing something wrong. The start of the book is full of words written wrong, missing words out of senctences, words misplaced in a sentence, .... It seems to go better after 50 pages or so and then all of a sudden towards the end it starts again for a few pages. I find it really sad for the authos because otherwise it's a good story but those errors almost made me put it down. And I was glad I bought it at a second hand bookshop at a low price because if I had to pay the price of a new book (and face it, they're not cheap) I would've been livid and never would want to read anything of this author again.
April 19, 2020
As I read along, I can actually see that Bones was thoroughly researched and written. The details were written with so much thoughts put into it to make it more realistic. It was vividly described that at some point I had to actually question whether it was really a fiction novel or was based off of a real life story. I couldn't stop reading it. Definitelt a must read. At some point, she may have lost me with some of the backstory storytelling, but I'd still love to read another book of hers. Been looking for something to watch on Netflix that wouls blow my mind or at least picked my interest and puzzle me, apparently, it was just this book. I can't believe I put off reading this for quite sometime. 😅
August 12, 2019
Jammer genoeg is deze thriller spannender in de eerste dan in de tweede helft. Hoewel ik enkele vraagtekens zette bij het verhaal (we gaan met een heel team op pad met een seriemoordenaar op zoek naar een of meerdere lichamen maar ondertussen is er geen contact met de thuisbasis noch ongerustheid als er enige tijd geen nieuws is dus gaat de man - toevallig rechercheur - van de verslaggeefster die mee is met een clandestien groepje zelf op zoek?), vond ik het eerste deel wel spannend om te lezen. Het tweede deel vond ik te lang aanslepen en de ontknoping vond ik wat mager. Het boek was goed genoeg om met plezier te lezen, maar voor mij geen topper.
July 8, 2017
This one sat on my bookshelf for a long time, unread. Perhaps because it was a new-to-me author or because it was part of a series. Probably the later. But I picked it up and read it in nearly one sitting. Such a good mystery. It was well written with lots of twists and turns in the plot that kept me turning the page. I even was surprised at the end. While I did like the main character, my favorite was Bingle - the dog. I recommend this read. It is a stand alone even though it is part of a series. If I come across the others in the series or by this author, I would pick them up as well.
April 24, 2018
Longer than the previous books but good. More perspectives than any other books so far.
Wrigley should have been fired a long time ago & I don't know why the board keeps him on board as it is the obvious the son is not as passionate in journalist as his father is. It will save everyone the hassle of dealing someone like him.
I think Parrish & his partner should have dealt with Irene's problem since they were 'excited' about her misfortune, it is obvious that they want that misfortune as well, to liven up their boring lives.
Wrigley should have been fired a long time ago & I don't know why the board keeps him on board as it is the obvious the son is not as passionate in journalist as his father is. It will save everyone the hassle of dealing someone like him.
I think Parrish & his partner should have dealt with Irene's problem since they were 'excited' about her misfortune, it is obvious that they want that misfortune as well, to liven up their boring lives.
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