Most Popular Books by Jan Burke

In this Edgar Allen Poe Award–winning novel, Irene Kelly is on the hunt for the body of a murder victim…with the killer as her guide: “a journey into the heart of darkness” (Los Angeles Times). Only one person knows where Julia Sayre is: her killer. Four years ago, the young mother of two disappeared, a story that soon became a personal mission for Irene Kelly. But the search for Julia proved fruitless. Now on death row for unimaginable acts of torture and murder, inmate Nick Parrish is plea-bargaining for a life sentence, promising to lead investigators—and Irene—into the dark isolation of the Sierra Nevadas, where they will discover what really happened to Julia Sayre. But Parrish has other terrifying secrets and plans, and now his deadly focus is on a new potential victim—Irene Kelly.

Edgar Award-winning author Jan Burke, acclaimed for her Irene Kelly novels, hits the ground running with a harrowing thriller featuring homicide detective Frank Harriman. When the wreckage of a small plane belonging to a Las Piernas Police Department detective who disappeared a decade ago is discovered in the San Bernardino Mountains, an emotional and disturbing triple-homicide case is reopened with a vengeance. Was the pilot a sellout who murdered a key witness? Alone, following his instincts, Frank traces the path of his predecessor to uncover the truth -- and comes face-to-face with a madman whose killing intent has just taken off.

For reporter Irene Kelly it''s a terrifying investigation -- because it''s so personal. Her husband, Detective Frank Harriman, has been kidnapped by terrorists who call themselves Hocus -- deadly manipulators who give Irene three days to meet their demands before killing their hostage. But Irene''s biggest shock is yet to come -- as she uncovers her husband''s history, and learns of a horrific crime committed a decade earlier. As seconds slip away, Irene willingly steps into a trap set by two madmen with a score to settle. And when she does, someone is going to pay for the sins of the past.

The sixth thrilling installment of Edgar Award–winning author Jane Burke’s mystery series featuring Irene Kelly who’s on the run after being wrongfully accused of murder and must uncover long-buried family secrets before the killer strikes again. Intrepid sleuth and reporter Irene Kelly barely has time to recover from the shock of her estranged aunt’s murder before she’s hit with an even bigger surprise—she’s the number one suspect. With the LAPD close on her heels, Irene sets out to find her aunt’s son, Travis, a young man who wants nothing to do with Irene or any of the Kelly family. Long-buried family tensions are resurfacing in ways no one could have predicted, and Irene can sense someone is hunting her down. Convinced that Travis is the killer’s next target, Irene joins forces with him. But protecting him puts her squarely in harm’s way. Now she must evade both the law and a relentless killer determined to settle an old family score. Only by untangling a web of lies and long-held secrets—of bigamy and adultery, alibis and murder—can Irene uncover who has started killing again, and why.

When Irene Kelly''s articles profiling missing children run in the Las Piernas Express, she anticipates the renewed public interest and the deluge of phone tips and remembered clues; she even anticipates the renewed pain of the anguished parents. What she doesn''t expect is that the articles will set off a murderous chain reaction -- and put her life in peril. Perhaps one of the more tragic disappearances in recent Las Piernas history was that of Jenny Fletcher, just shy of her fourth birthday. The body of Jenny''s father, Richard, a graphic artist, was found bludgeoned in his studio; hours later Jenny''s stepbrother Mason was apprehended with the murder weapon and bloody clothing in his car. But little Jenny was never found. As the years pass, everyone assumes Jenny is dead. Everyone except her brother Caleb, who not only believes Jenny survived but steadfastly believes in Mason''s innocence. Caleb, now a graduate student studying with forensic anthropologist Ben Sheridan, works on cases for the Las Piernas Police Department. When bones are discovered at the old Sheffield estate just days after the missing-children articles appear, Caleb finds himself drawn into a case that threatens to bring personal tragedies back to the present. He has a fierce ally in reporter Irene Kelly, who will stop at nothing to solve the mysteries of his father''s murder and his sister''s disappearance.

From New York Times bestselling suspense author Jan Burke comes the fourth of six e-short story collections. Convicted is a mini-anthology containing a brand-new short story, “The Anchorwoman” featuring a young Irene Kelly, plus three stories from the highly acclaimed Eighteen print anthology: “Revised Endings, “Devotion,” and “The Muse.” Jeffery Deaver, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kill Room, praised Eighteen as “Astonishing…wry…these stories are sure to delight.” And New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman says, “A delightful collection of page-turners. At turns chilling, funny, poignant—and always insightful. With these stories, Jan Burke’s at the top of her game.”

USA Today bestselling author of Nine JAN BURKE delivers chills, suspense, shockers, and sharp wit in eighteen works of short fiction sure to satisfy longtime fans and newcomers alike. This positively addictive anthology is full of surprises -- a patchwork of settings and characters not soon forgotten, and mysterious twists and revelations not quickly shaken! 18 includes "Devotion" Agatha Award nominee for Best Short Story "Unharmed" Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award and Macavity Award winner "The Man in the Civil Suit" Agatha Award winner "Abbey Ghosts" Edgar Award nominee ...and also features her first Irene Kelly story, "A Fine Set of Teeth."

The year is 1958. O''Connor, a young reporter with the Las Piernas News Express, is desperate to discover who has perpetrated a savage attack on his mentor, Jack Corrigan. In and out of consciousness, Corrigan claims to have witnessed the burial of a bloodstained car on a farm, but his reputation as a heavy drinker calls his strange story into question. In a seemingly unrelated mystery, a yacht bearing four members of the wealthy Ducane family disappears during a storm off the coast. An investigation finds that the Ducane home has been broken into; a nursemaid has been killed; and Max, the infant heir, has gone missing. Corrigan recovers his health, but despite a police investigation and his own tireless inquiries, the mysteries of the buried car and the whereabouts of Maxwell Ducane haunt him until his death. Twenty years after that fateful night, in her first days as a novice reporter working for managing editor O''Connor, Irene Kelly covers the groundbreaking ceremony for a shopping center -- which unexpectedly yields the unearthing of a buried car. In the trunk are human remains. Are those of the infant heir among them? If so, who is the young man who has recently changed his name to Max Ducane? Again the trail goes maddeningly, perhaps suspiciously, cold. Until today. Irene, now married to homicide detective Frank Harriman, is a veteran reporter facing the impending closing of the Las Piernas News Express. With circulation down and young reporters fresh out of journalism school replacing longtime staffers, Irene can''t help but wish for the good old days when she worked with O''Connor. So when the baffling kidnap-burial case resurfaces, Irene''s tenacious love for her mentor and journalistic integrity far outweigh any fears or trepidation. Determined to make a final splash for her beloved paper and solve the mystery that plagued O''Connor until his death, Irene pursues a story that reunites her with her past and may end her career -- and her life.

In her first stand-alone thriller, the bestselling author of the popular Irene Kelly series introduces LAPD Homicide Detective Alex Brandon, who investigates the vigilante slayings of the FBI''s Most Wanted suspects.

This book is about what it really means to be born again. To many people, the term born again means a one-time Christian experience of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. However, we argue that being born again has a broader meaning, including learning how to really live every day of our lives. Todays world is at a critical juncture. In the past few years, we have witnessed a global economy that is out of control. Governments spend more than they have, people are losing their homes to foreclosure, businesses close because they are unable to pay their employees, and people are out of work and search for months to find a job, which often barely pays them a living wage. They lose their self-esteem and motivation to even look for work. Our whole nation and world is in need of being born again, but not just in a religious sense. The teachings of Jesus and other spiritual leaders tell us that we are individually responsible for our lives. The answers to all lifes problems are found within ourselves. The kingdom of God is within. This means that there is a spark of the divine found within each person. To be truly born again means to live in harmony with the laws of the universe. We must take responsibility for our own thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Utilizing the teachings of great spiritual teachers, we will focus on building each other up and the destructive values such as greed, power, control, and jealousy will be transformed into values of love, cooperation, understanding, and compassion. This is the real meaning of being born again.

This e-short story collection from New York Times bestselling suspense author Jan Burke features a brand new Irene Kelly short story, “The Privileged,” plus three unforgettable stories from the print anthology Eighteen. Before Frank Harriman and Irene Kelly got married, Frank was a rookie cop in Bakersfield, California. When he investigates one of the worst types of calls a policeman can get—a bad smell coming from a closed trailer on a hot day—Frank and his training officer are not surprised to find a dead body. But everyone is stunned when the corpse leads to the police chief’s downfall...

With a brand-new short story featuring Tyler Hawthorne from The Messenger, plus three stories from Eighteen, this is the third of six e-short story collections from New York Times bestselling suspense author Jan Burke.

From New York Times bestselling author Jan Burke comes the last of six short story collections—sure to please fans of suspense masters Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton, and Robert Parker. Case Closed is a mini-anthology containing a brand-new short story—“The Last Place You Look,” featuring Frank Harriman in his younger days as a rookie cop—with an added bonus of three stories from the highly acclaimed print anthology Eighteen: “At turns chilling, funny, poignant—and always insightful” (New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman); “Astonishing…wry…these stories are sure to delight” (Jeffery Deaver, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kill Room).

From Edgar Award-winning author Jan Burke, the first in the thrilling "first-rate series" (Washington Post Book World) featuring investigative reporter Irene Kelly who, after her best friend and journalist is killed by a hidden bomb in a package, begins to pursue the long-unsolved mutilation murder of a young woman in Southern California. For thirty-five years the identity of the dismembered woman found under the Las Piernas pier has remained a mystery. What secret did she take to her grave? Southern California reporter Irene Kelly has uncovered a maze of forensic records and confidential files that suggest a motive far more sinister than anyone imagined. The discovery has brought her close to Detective Frank Harriman, and closer still to exposing a killer who will resort to anything to keep his secrets buried -- and Irene silenced forever.

The fifth of six e-short story collections from New York Times bestselling suspense author Jan Burke, including three stories from the highly acclaimed print anthology Eighteen, praised as “Astonishing…wry…these stories are sure to delight” (Jeffery Deaver, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kill Room). Justice Done is a mini-anthology containing a brand-new short story, with an added bonus of three stories from Eighteen: “Miscalculation,” “Two Bits,” and “An Unsuspected Condition of the Heart.” New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman says of the anthology, “A delightful collection of page-turners. At turns chilling, funny, poignant—and always insightful. With these stories, Jan Burke’s at the top of her game.”

Irene Kelly is a reporter with a fierce integrity. Detective Frank Harriman is her lover and friend. Now they''re both about to be plunged into political hellfire when a ruthless politician rocks a race for district attorney with a stunning allegation: his opponent''s son is in the clutches of a satanic cult. The charge takes a fatal turn when a local woman is brutally murdered, and the grisly crime scene bears unholy implications. Tracking the clues takes Irene behind the closed doors of an isolated home for troubled youths, where obscuring the truth is only part of a stranger''s diabolic game. To win it, Irene will have the devil to pay.

Who is Tyler Hawthorne? Beneath the Caribbean Sea, a salvage diver hears an eerie voice calling to him from the wreckage of a nineteenth-century ship. In return for promised riches, the diver becomes the servant of Adrian deVille, Lord Varre, the creature who has called to him. It''s a bargain the diver will come to regret. Varre enlists him in a hunt for a man named Tyler Hawthorne. Ten years later, in a canyon in the foothills above Los Angeles, Amanda Clarke has become curious about her new neighbor, Tyler Hawthorne. He''s not home much, but others tell her that her new neighbor is about her age -- twenty-four. He''s also wealthy, handsome, and single. Amanda soon suspects that another description can be added to the list of Tyler''s attributes: con artist. When Tyler shows up at the hospice room of her friend Ron and tells the dying man he''ll live, Amanda angrily resents Tyler for giving Ron false hope. Until Ron begins to recover. Although Tyler continues to puzzle her, Amanda finds herself drawn to him. Tyler finds himself drawn to Amanda as well, but he has a secret he must keep from her: he''s been twenty-four for almost two hundred years. Two centuries ago, he bargained for his life. In exchange, he became a Messenger, one who hears the final thoughts of the dying and conveys those last messages to their loved ones. Since that time, his life has been nomadic and -- except for the companionship of a remarkable black dog -- solitary. The dying also convey messages to Tyler and now they are hinting that his long service may be coming to an end. He begins to hope that he can return to a normal, mortal life and allows himself to grow closer to Amanda, unaware that he is being pursued by an old enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy him and that he can only leave his role as the Messenger behind at a dreadful cost.