Customer Reviews

The Messenger: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having been a Burke fan since I discovered the Irene Kelly series, I always eagerly snap up her novels as soon as they're available.

When I read the product description for this work and saw that she was exploring a new genre - the paranormal - I couldn't wait to dig in.

I wasn't disappointed. Ghosts, a centuries-old vendetta, redemption and damnation, compelling characters... all the goodies one could ask for.

This novel moves along at breakneck speed, without a wasted page. Brisk, taut, lean, engaging.

So why not that fifth star? Somehow, I was left wanting just a bit more. It felt that in some way, this could have been a little bit... bigger.

But if this is a new arena for Burke, well... bring it on. She's easily entered ground Koontz used to explore in his heyday, and with great aptitude. If she expands her scope, she could give Stephen King a run for his money.

That would be GREAT, as I really love that genre when it's well done.

Fans of Jan Burke's crime fiction are in for a treat. Burke has always taken great pains to be exact. Realistic. Logical.

This latest book has released her to imagine supernatural beings with powers unshackled by reality. What a brutally tasty read it is!

The Messenger of the title is an immortal. He has lived hundreds of years. Tyler Hawthorne is a good guy. Perpetually handsome. Young. Wealthy. He visits people who are dying to transmit their final messages to their loved ones.

Lord Adrian Varre is the villain. He's the creepiest, slimiest, nastiest villain you ever loathed. Good vs. evil. A little love interest for spice. The timeless battle between an immortal and a nasty who wants to be.

Delicious! This one screams SEQUEL!

Gold Star Award Winner!

Tyler Hawthorne is a mystery. He is never sick and seems to heal from any injury at an alarming rate. He's suave, confident, and extremely wealthy.

But Amanda Clarke doesn't like him. In her opinion, bringing hope to her dying best friend, Ron, is just plain stupid. Ron has been sick for ages and will most likely die - how dare Tyler bring him hope of recovering?

Only Ron does recover. And as Amanda begins to learn more and more about this Mr. Hawthorne character, she becomes more intrigued and enamored with him.

But Tyler's past doesn't come free. Someone's out to get him, and will go to any means to get a hold of a precious lost item that Tyler now has. And that puts others in danger, such as Amanda, whom Tyler has grown very fond of. Sometimes even man's best friend - the enormous, black-as-night dog, Shade - can't help his master get out of every dangerous situation.

Jan Burke writes a thrilling tale of a mysterious man and a normal woman. Throughout the story, more is learned of Tyler and his "powers", which only intrigues the reader to keep going to the next chapter to find out the next puzzle piece of his life. Then there's the actual plot of who is after Tyler and why, which unfolds in such a way that the reader will never want to put the book down until the last page.

Burke's story is truly engrossing, and with its many mysteries and plot twists, it is sure to entertain all readers.

Reviewed by: Steph

First Sentence: Come to me.

Amada Clark lives in the house left to her by her parents. She is not alone as the ghosts of her parents, aunt and uncle are there with her. She has a new neighbor, Tyler Hawthorne, and his black dog, Shade.

Tyler, ever aged 24, has been alive since the 1800s and was injured at Waterloo. It is Tyler's responsibility to comfort the dying. Tyler and Amanda team up against Lord Varre, from whom Tyler received a memento more ring those 200 years ago and who must be destroyed in order that Tyler may be mortal again.

Although I am a long-standing fan of Jan Burke, this just did not work for me at all. I did read past my normal 50-page rule, but finally had to give up.

The writing seemed very simplistic, although it was written for young adults. The protagonist, Amanda, annoyed me beyond words. Admittedly, I didn't read terribly far into the book, but there seemed to be little character development.

I would love to be wrong and know others found the book improved significantly as it went on, but it just wasn't for me.

I'll start by saying I've always been a huge Jan Burke fan, I love all the Irene Kelly mysteries, and have gone to great pains to actually get signed copies of them. I'm also a huge fan of paranormal mysteries from Jim Butcher to Katie Mcallister (romance) to Charlene Harris. So this book should have been my cup of tea.


Unfortunately, it wasn't. This was pretty much the lousiest book I've read in several years, and I read a whole lot each year. I was extremely disappointed. What's even worse, it's the book I chose to take on an overseas airplane flight and I was stuck with it! I don't know what happened, I suspect that Ms. Burke was not comfortable in this genre and struggled to adapt to where the market is right now.

I'm truly sorry to write a bad review for her as her work has been so good. Don't believe me, read it for yourself, but by all means don't spend money on it! Get the library copy, or borrow from a friend.

I've read the other reviews posted here and I just have to wonder if they actually read the book.....

I am a huge Jan Burke fan, but when I read she was exploring a new genre, I got nervous. Lately, some of my favorite authors are going off on different paths and they've been - in a word - disappointing. So I opened the book with a bit of apprehension. It didn't grab me by the throat like her other books have and my apprehension increased. I continued on, though, and suddenly the book opened up to me like the sun breaking through the clouds. It was exceptionally good! This woman can write! If you've never read her Irene Kelly books, get number 1 and dig in. You might as well order everything she's written because, believe me, you're going to want to read it. Thanks, Jan for not letting me down.

What a refreshing concept -a paranormal thriller/romance without vampires, weres, or other non-human entities!
I've been a fan of Jan Burke for a long time and I enjoyed this book immensely. I hope she continues in this genre, as well as continuing her other series.

When a salvage diver in the Caribbean Sea hears an insistent voice inside his head, he dismisses it as nothing more than a mechanical failure. But when the voice goes on to promise Eduardo Leblanc immense wealth, knowledge and power in exchange for his help, he can't resist acquiescing to the voice's commands. The "voice" is as good as its word, but Eduardo's Faustian bargain unleashes a force nearly as evil and unforgiving as the devil himself.

For fans of Jan Burke, her latest novel may come as a bit of a surprise. Best known for her Irene Kelly mystery series, she sets out in an entirely different direction in THE MESSENGER. This supernatural thriller features immortal beings, cemetery dogs, spontaneous combustion and a whole graveyard's worth of ghosts.

Though the book begins with Eduardo, the real story commences 10 years later, when Tyler Hawthorne visits a dying neighbor. Aside from the fact that he is rich, handsome and far more world weary than the average twenty-something bachelor, Tyler also has the odd habit of showing up at the bedsides of people who are near death. When Tyler tells his neighbor Ron that he's not going to die after all, Ron's friend, Amanda Clarke, doesn't bother to hide her disgust. She pegs Tyler as the worst sort of con artist --- one who preys on the weak so he can take advantage of them. But after Ron experiences a miracle recovery within days of Tyler's visit, Amanda begins to rethink her judgment and regret some of her accusations.

Over the next few months the two begin to grow closer, but Tyler can't trust Amanda enough to reveal his secret: that when he lay dying at Waterloo nearly two centuries earlier, he met a strange young man and made a deal to save his life. As Tyler watched thousands of undelivered letters flutter across the battlefield, he found himself wishing he could deliver them to the friends and family members they were meant for. Following an impossibly rapid recovery, he soon finds himself doing more or less the same thing. He becomes a Messenger, an essential link between the dying and their loved ones, perhaps the only man who has the ability to help them send messages they aren't capable of sending themselves.

Unfortunately, Adrian deVille, Lord Varre, the young man who gave Tyler his unusual powers, now wants to take them away --- or at least to reclaim the immortality he had intended to "temporarily" bestow upon Tyler so he could age a couple of decades. To make matters worse, Tyler has no idea that Lord Varre is even a threat; he believes that Lord Varre's remains are safely locked away in a chest at the bottom of the ocean.

I've been a fan of the Irene Kelly series for a few years now and am new to the realm of the supernatural thriller, so this book was a bit of a stretch for me. Tyler and Amanda are interesting, likable characters and the plot is well crafted, but Lord Varre isn't entirely convincing as an antagonist. Though he is supposed to be the embodiment of evil, at times --- especially toward the end of the novel --- Lord Varre seems more comical than frightening. Still, for fans of the paranormal genre, THE MESSENGER will likely prove an engaging read.

--- Reviewed by Lori Lamothe

At the Battle of Waterloo, twenty something British officer Tyler Hawthorne is severely wounded. While still on the battlefield, Lord Lucien Adrian deVille gives his probably dying brother in arms a ring with stipulations. The ring brings immortality to the bearer but the individual must spend eternity comforting those near death. He also is given a companion to protect him, Shade the cemetery dog.

Almost two centuries later, a Caribbean salvage diver working a vessel sunk in 1815 finds Adrian's remains. Upon returning to the surface Adrian revives and propels his rescuer to help him find Tyler. He succeeds and Adrian travels to Los Angeles to see how his crony is doing. Tyler still tends to his work this time assisting a leukemia patient. However, the still twentyish looking Tyler is in love for the first time in his over two hundred year existence. His cares for heiress Amanda Clarke, who survived a horrific accident that wiped out her family but enabled her to see ghosts; she struggles with survivor guilt, but is attracted to Tyler. Adrian a "messenger" of evil is coming to cause problems for the couple and his dog Shade.

This is a terrific paranormal thriller that grips the audience from the moment that Adrian arrives at Tyler's side on the battlefield and never slows down once the time and place switch from the Napoleonic Wars through the deep sea rescue to mdoern day America. The story line is fast-paced with the key trio plus the canine seeming genuine even with their supernatural abilities. Jan Burke provides a strong horror tale that fans will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

Wow! Now wouldya look at this. Its the same great author with the same great writing style going in a new direction. This supernatural mystery, love story and with dogs just fills the order for this time of year. A good mystery, lots of adventure, suspense, surprises and a little bit of a love story. What more could you ask for. I have always enjoyed books by Jan but this one was a surprise and a treat. I could not put it down and read it from cover to cover in one sitting.