Liar
From AwardAnnals
| Book: | Liar: An Irene Kelly Mystery |
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| Author: | Jan Burke |
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| Publisher: | HarperTorch |
Intrepid sleuth/reporter Irene Kelly barely has time to recover from the shock of learning that her estranged aunt has been killed before being blindsided by an even bigger surprise—she’s the number one suspect! With the LAPD biting fast at her heels, Irene searches for her aunt’s son, Travis—a young man who wants nothing to do with Irene or any of the Kelly clan. The seeds of contention sown by family members no longer living are now being reaped by the next generation in ways no one would ever have expected. As deeply buried family skeletons are unearthed, the line between stalker and stalked becomes increasingly blurred, with dangerous consequences for Irene. She casts her lot with Travis, who she believes is the killer’s next target, but her efforts to protect him place her squarely in harm’s way. Now Irene must dodge not only the arm of the law but also the reach of a killer who appears to want to settle the score of an age-old family grudge. Only by sorting out the truth from the lies in a skein of old family secrets involving bigamy and adultery, alibis and murder, and secrets encrypted in hobo signs will she learn who has begun to kill again—and why.
In Liar, Jan Burke delivers her trademark skillfully woven tale with complex characters, gripping suspense, and heart-stopping action, but this time Irene Kelly must play a deadly game with the highest and most personal stakes ever.
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Reviews
Amazon.com
As reporter Irene Kelly investigates her Aunt Briana’s death, she learns all about the longstanding feuds between several branches of her extended family and becomes the number one suspect in a murder case. Kelly’s part of the family split with her Aunt Briana and her husband decades ago for reasons that Kelly has never really understood, but which involve bigamy, murder,illiteracy, and of course, money. Kelly’s first task is to locate her cousin Travis, who she hasn’t seen since childhood, and inform him of his mother’s untimely death. Next, Kelly has to protect him from whoever murdered his mother. While investigating the case, Kelly encounters a violent man in a wet suit, a slightly unhinged inventor, a storyteller named Cosmo, and some unsavory residents of a trailer park - and learns that she is distantly related to most of these odd characters.
This is Jan Burke’s sixth book about the adventures of Irene Kelly, a sassy journalist who lives in sunny southern California with her husband (a police detective), drives a Karmann Ghia, and seems to be a magnet for trouble. In this case, the trouble is that everyone is lying, even people with good intentions. Kelly’s cousin is a capable and seasoned liar, a skill that comes in handy in several sticky situations. When deceit isn’t enough, Kelly’s best friend Rachel leaps to their aid with flying fists and tough talk. Fans of mysteries by Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky are likely to enjoy Jan Burke’s writing. Irene Kelly is a likeable, approachable heroine - an ordinary middle-aged woman who manages to get the best of the bad guys by relying on her wits and her friends. -Jill Marquis
