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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 show more madmen with a score to settle. And when she does, someone is going to pay for the sins of the past. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Hocus is the fifth in Jan Burke’s series about reporter Irene Kelly, and in this one her husband, Police Detective Frank has been kidnapped by a twosome calling themselves Hocus. Hocus started out with computer hacking but lately they have escalated the violence and have killed. It turns out that Hocus has a connection with Frank, as he was the policeman that rescued them when they were small boys and had been kidnapped along with their fathers. The two small boys had been forced to watch their fathers being murdered. What they want in exchange for Frank’s safety now is for Irene to find out the identity of the policeman who helped in the kidnapping.
I enjoy this series, but would have to say that this wasn’t one of my favorites. show more I found it a rather cookie-cutter plot that seemed to drag and when the ending finally came, it felt rather rushed and glossed over. I think part of my discconect was that both of the main characters, Irene and Frank, were in a position of weakness. I usually enjoy these characters and will continue on with the series and hope for improvement in the next entry. show less
I enjoy this series, but would have to say that this wasn’t one of my favorites. show more I found it a rather cookie-cutter plot that seemed to drag and when the ending finally came, it felt rather rushed and glossed over. I think part of my discconect was that both of the main characters, Irene and Frank, were in a position of weakness. I usually enjoy these characters and will continue on with the series and hope for improvement in the next entry. show less
Good story in the series. Some cool plot pieces. Quick read for me.
Irene Kelley - #5
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Author Information
31+ Works 5,091 Members
Jan Burke, an award-winning mystery writer, holds the distinction of being the first woman novelist to win the Ellery Queen Mystery Readers' Award. She was also awarded an Edgar for her Novel, Bones. Her popular mystery series features the newspaper writer Irene Kelly, who lives and works in Southern California. Burke was born in Texas. With her show more family she moved to Southern California when she was a young girl. She attended California State University, Long Beach, earning a degree in history. After graduating, she worked for several years as a manager of a manufacturing plant. Her first novel, Goodnight Irene, was written during those years. Goodnight Irene was well received and the Irene Kelly series has grown in popularity with each subsequent novel. Other notable works from the series are Dear Irene and Hocus. Her works include Bloodlines, Kidnapped, The Messenger, and Disturbance. (Bowker Author Biography) Jan Burke has won the Edgar Award, the Macavity Award & the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Award. She lives in Southern California. (Publisher Provided) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Goldmann (43936)
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Hocus
- Original title
- Hocus
- Original publication date
- 1997
- People/Characters
- Irene Kelly
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 298
- Popularity
- 107,390
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.56)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, French, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 3
