54. Goodnight, Irene by Jan Burke – Love it! This first book in the Irene Kelly series was terrific. Interesting and believable characters, a fun plot, tightly written to flow quickly and smoothly. Highly recommended. (finished 6/1)
55. Sweet Dreams, Irene by Jan Burke – I think this book, the second in the Irene Kelly series, is even better than the first! It kept me guessing till the end and had a great mix of new-story and continuing-character-relationship development. And, damn, that Irene is a tough cookie, in a totally real and believable way. (finished 6/4)
56. Remember Me, Irene by Jan Burke – A worthy 4th novel in this series. It is multilayered and the plot is sophisticated. I did figure out the major “twist” pretty early on, but the book still surprised me in places. Highly recommended. (finished 6/6)
57. Hocus by Jan Burke – This book was SOOOO good! It starts in media res, with no preamble, leaving you a little confused and disoriented, which is exactly the condition of one of the POV characters at that point. You will not want to put it down once you start, so clear your schedule first. It’s my fav in the Irene Kelly series so far. (finished 6/9)
58. Liar by Jan Burke – Another winner. I’m not sure Burke can write a bad book. This was a very personal story, involving members of Irene Kelly’s family and delicate family situations. Well done, with one of the quirkiest last lines I’ve read in a while: “He took my hand and we walked back to the car, speaking, as lovers will, of the benefits of cremation.” It reads more like an opening line and lets you know there will be more. Yay! (finished 6/11)
59. Bones by Jan Burke – I stayed up WAY too late yesterday to finish this book! It was so good that I couldn’t go to sleep until I’d finished it… about 3 hours after I’d hoped to hit Dreamland. C’est la vie and I don’t regret it a bit. I loved this book, which spans several months and therefore builds much more realistically to a satisfying conclusion. (finished 6/12)
60. Bloodlines by Jan Burke – Burke takes us time-traveling in this Irene Kelly novel, filling in some of the town’s history and the character’s back stories. We learn about Irene’s mentor O’Connor’s early years and about the development of their relationship. We see Irene’s early struggles as a reporter. We start to feel like we’ve moved to Las Piernas, rather than just visiting, and are getting to know the real dirt on some of the town’s “characters”. The story arch covers about 50 years, fully involving you in the three time periods Burke has chosen to focus on. Well written and a fun change of pace. (finished 6/17)
61. Kidnapped by Jan Burke – I think this is the newest Irene Kelly novel available now, so I’m caught up at last. Which is great, ’cause I love that feeling, but it also sucks, ’cause now I’ll have to wait and hope and wait and search and wait… and I hate waiting for the next book in any series. This one was good, though, really good. And it came out in 2006, so maybe that means a new one is rather imminent? A girl can hope! (finished 6/18 )
62. The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin – Confession time: Steve Martin is my secret husband. He doesn’t know it yet, but it’s true. He’s so smart and deep and subtly funny and sexy and still real and accessible. I don’t know how he does it, but every book he writes, every movie he acts in (except the 2nd Cheaper by the Dozen movie) just makes me love him that much more. Sigh! I smiled and had tears in my eyes throughout the last 20 pages or so of this quietly charming, quirky, smart book. It’s yet another reason to love him. (finished 6/21)
63. Nine by Jan Burke – 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! (finished 6/27)
