Dear Irene,

What can I say, another great book in the Irene Kelly series! Jan Burke once again wrote a unique and page-turning novel that I couldn't put down. Throwing in a bit of mythology made this book even more entertaining and thought-provoking. And once again, the romance between Irene and Frank is a wonderful addition to the storyline. I'm ready to read the next book.

Fiesty newspaper reporter Irene Kelly (recovering from her last adventure) starts getting cryptic letters from a serial killer whose creepy fascination with her increases with each murder. Sound familiar? Well, yes, but that doesn't make it a bad plot.In this case the variation is classical. The letters are from Thanatos, Greek for death, and address Irene as Cassandra, the seer who's fated never to be believed until too late. Thanatos describes his victims and methods in terms of Greek and Roman mythology and taunts Irene with the possibility that if she's quick enough she might save a victim and catch the killer. And if she's not, she may be his final victim.Burke keeps the pace moving. With ingenuity, police work and investigative skills that ring true, Irene and her fiance, police detective Frank Harriman, find a link between the victims that reaches back 40 years. Still the mystery is far from solved and people keep dying while Irene finds strange tokens from Thanatos in her locked car.A good, suspenseful story with plenty of meat in the plot, a bang-up finish and just a little too much wise-cracking banter from Irene.

If y'all haven't read the first two books featuring Irene Kelly, fearless reporter ... well, I recommend getting & reading them soon!In this 3rd installment, Irene is recovering from the physical and psychological injuries she incurred in "Sweet Dreams, Irene" (definitely an ironic title, I'd say!) and is trying to recover her natural (feisty) courage to deal with a new threat: someone sending her mail, calling her his "Cassandra" and giving her "hints" about future horrific murders defined/described by mythology ... implying that SHE must solve the murders to stop them.Besides dealing with the frustrations of her physical limitations from previous injuries (leg cast, sore hand, painful shoulder), Irene must conquer the unwelcome fears her previous experiences had inflicted upon her ... and recapture the fearless curiosity that made her such a great reporter ... so she can keep more people from getting killed and bring the killer to justice.I enjoyed "watching" Irene follow the clues (and her instincts)to investigate & solve the mystery, even while dealing with the "conflicts" of reporter vs. police (confidential questions/informers) and conflict of interest (being engaged to a detective!)*AND* trying to deal with overly sympathetic friends, family and "suspects" who want to help.Did I say I had to read the whole book in one sitting? Pat, looking forward to the next Irene adventure!

Irene Kelly, reporter for the Las Piernas Express and newly engaged to boyfriend, Frank Harriman, has received her share of crank mail and calls. But nothing like this. The first letter from "Thanatos" (Greek God of death) details the death of Clio (Greek Muse of history) using the hammer of Hephaestus, saying the eyes of Argus (Hera took the 100 eyes of Argus and put them in a peacocks tail) will be upon her remains. And that night, history professor Edna Blaylock, was bludgeoned to death and her body was thrown into the peacock exhibit at the zoo. Unfortunately, this is only the first letter from Thanatos. It looks like Las Piernas has a serial killer on its hands who will only communicate with Irene. No matter how fast Irene and the police solve the riddles in these mythological letters, they're always a step behind the killer. As the body count rises, Irene digs into the background of Thanatos' victims trying to find a link and a motive to these senseless murders, hoping next time, she won't be too late..... Jan Burke has done it again. Another great Irene Kelly mystery that will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you turning pages to the end. This story has it all...smart, crisp writing and witty dialogue, a terrific plot line full of twists, turns and surprises, great characters and suspenseful scenes. Ms Burke has a real talent for scaring you one moment and making you laugh out loud, the next. Dear Irene is pure entertainment and a joy to read. If you're new to the series, go back and start at the beginning with Goodnight Irene. If you're already a fan, this mystery won't disappoint.

Another riveting and intelligent mystery by Jan Burke. All of her books maintain the same quality level (excellent)! Reading her is always a pleasure. I highly recommend her to anyone who likes a really well written modern mystery.