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. ( )

Synopsis: 'Malibu, California is the location of Sedgewick a school where the rich send their offspring who get in trouble with the law. These juvenile offenders bought their way out of jail time and while Everett Corey was there he put together a gang that stayed close friends once they left the school. These wealthy adults are, with the help of friends in very high places, kidnapping and killing the members on FBI's ten most wanted list. They are not doing this for altruistic reasons but for the adrenaline high and to thumb their noses at authority. The group is also going after people they have a grudge against including LAPD homicide detective Alex Hartwick, Meg Taggert and former Sedgewick student Kit Logan. To lure this enemy threesome into a trap, they use the people that the trio care most for as hostages.'
Review: This is a bit chilling, particularly since it involves students in a private school. The ending was okay, but fell a bit flat. ( )

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.
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I love anything Jan Burke writes. She's a murder mystery type writer, and she's very good. This is a bit of a departure from her regular stuff, but I still enjoyed it a LOT. This is about a serial killer that the police in CA and FBI are having a hard time figuring out. One LAPD detective is at the center of the investigation and trying to help others along the way. It's well written, proceeds pretty quickly which draws you in, and ends dramatically. Burke is a great storyteller. ( )

Serial killer thriller, Only book of hers I've read. ( )