Nine [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Jan Burke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2002

Hailed by reviewers and fellow authors alike, Edgar Award winner Jan Burke has won a legion of devoted readers with her witty, ingeniously crafted novels featuring Irene Kelly. Now Burke, who earned critical acclaim for her stunning departure novel, "Flight," returns with another electrifying thriller: "Nine" will hold readers in thrall until the breathtaking conclusion.

When a brutal felon on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list turns up dead in Los Angeles County, few mourn him; in fact, the public begins to cheer his unknown assailants as heroes. But as more brutalized corpses of fugitive outlaws are found, Sheriff's Homicide Detective Alex Brandon knows that the vigilante group the public has nicknamed "The Exterminators" may be far more ruthless and sadistic than its victims.

The corpses bear eerie similarities to victims of a serial killer investigated by Brandon ten years ago. The perpetrator died at the hands of his own deeply traumatized teenaged stepson, Kit Logan. Logan, protected by his wealthy family, never spent a day in jail; instead, he was sent to a private reform school for the truant sons of L.A.'s most affluent. Alex Brandon, unable to locate Logan for questioning, has a chilling sense he is being manipulated. But why?

A terrifying novel that asks what happens when justice is no longer enough, "Nine" introduces an unforgettable protagonist. A modern morality tale, it is another captivating gem from an acclaimed master of mystery and suspense.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A drug kingpin on the FBI's Most Wanted list is found hanging upside down over a bathtub, his corpse drained of blood. The killing looks like an organized-crime payback hit--until another Ten Most Wanted criminal is found similarly strung up, and then another. Soon Detective Alex Brandon of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department is grappling not only with a testy partner and a complicated home life, but also with a band of brilliant vigilantes whom the public starts to regard as heroes.

Alex Brandon is almost too good to be true, with his penetrating blue eyes, his steely toughness, his politeness, and his tenacious smarts. But Jan Burke--best known for her well-regarded series featuring reporter Irene Kelly--is such a sane, intelligent writer that Brandon and the book's many other characters come vividly alive. She's also a fine craftsman of individual scenes, many of which are perfectly paced little dramas or comedies. Nine's gripping, multithreaded plot is sometimes too complex for its own good, and the climax tips into melodrama, but overall the reliable Burke, a past winner of the Edgar and other mystery awards, has produced another winning read. --Nicholas H. Allison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Award-winning mystery author Burke (Flight; Sweet Dreams, Irene) takes a break from her Irene Kelly series to test the waters of stand-alone mainstream thrillers, and proves she can swim with the sharks in this tale of vigilante justice. The members of Project Nine, an exclusive club of deranged boys, create havoc for homicide detective Alex Brandon, the L.A. Sheriff's Department and the FBI, since their gruesome project involves eliminating the outlaws on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Brandon has a dark family history, to say the least, and grimly tolerates his partner, Ciara Morton, a good detective with a bad attitude. The leader of Project Nine, Everett Corey, began assembling his task force including Cameron Burgess, Morgan Addison and the delightfully vain Frederick Whitfield IV at Sedgewick, a rich kids' reform school in Malibu. The team's hero, haunted genius Kit Logan, whose nightmarish past includes the killing of his stepfather, serial killer Jerome Naughton, attended the same school. Ninth on the Project's list of targets is yet another Malibu alum: Kit's friend Gabe Taggert, whose involvement in a botched robbery/ homicide has driven him into hiding. Gabe's sister Meghan has history with both Everett and Kit, further complicating the mix. Brandon was involved with the Naughton case 10 years earlier and has dealt with some of the Sedgewick boys; while this makes him uniquely suited to solving the case, it also puts him at risk. Burke does an excellent job with her diverse, bustling cast which includes Spooky, a 13-year-old firebrand in Kit's care, and Chase, Brandon's troubled nephew providing plenty of background without short-changing the absorbing and inventive plot.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• ISBN-10: 0743223896
• ASIN: B0001GZO5Y
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,357,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of crime fiction novels and short stories. You can find out more about my writing on my Web site.

I'm also the founder of The Crime Lab Project, which works to increase awareness of the problems facing public forensic science labs in the U.S.

I live in Southern California with my husband, Tim, and our two dogs, Cappy (in the photo above) and Britches.

I want my epitaph to read, "Had a great time, thanks for inviting me." I hope not to be in need of that any time soon.

Oh yeah -- I'm a lifelong night owl. As another night owl once said, don't go to bed on the same day you've awakened.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nine rates the Maximum number of stars, October 25, 2002

By 

b mcb "bmcbook" (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nine (Hardcover)

Good character development - there's Alex, a homicide detective, with complicated family relationships. He investigates a murder where a large numeral 9 is left painted on the wall. Gripping plot -- the 9 goes on to be a 7 and 8 -- there's a serial killing in progress. What could NINE mean? Jan Burke develops great scenes showing how and why all the little individual pieces tie together into a Project Nine. A surprising twist adds to the flavor of the book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jan Burke never ceases to amaze, April 1, 2004

By 

Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nine (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a big fan of the Irene Kelly series and at first was a little reticent of reading a novel by Jan Burke that did not have Irene as the main character. Luckily I discovered that my fears were completely unfounded and that the quality of this novel is as good as the rest of Burke's work, if not better.

Four young men are the main participants in a group called Project Nine, whose mission is to take justice into their own hands by killing the criminals that are listed in the FBI's Most Wanted list. The members of the group are all former Sedgewick students, which is a school well known for harboring rich kids who have had problems in various areas (school, trouble with police, etc). The murderers use a very distinct method, and detective Alex Brandon finds clear similarities with a previous case in his career. The killer in that prior case ended up being murdered by his stepson, Kit, who was only eleven years at that time.

The author not only presents a highly interesting and complex plot in terms of the reasons behind the actions of the characters, but also does an amazing job in depicting Alex and Kit, and also in intertwining elements of their personal life into the story. Each time I grab a book written by Jan Burke I find myself surprised not only by the highly entertaining stories she creates, but also by the outstanding quality of her writing. This is probably why she has won numerous prizes, including the prestigious Edgar Award. This work has convinced me: besides waiting for the next Irene Kelly novel, I will grab anything this author writes!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Burke's fan base will grow thanks to this gripping thriller, December 8, 2002

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nine (Hardcover)

It happens. You start a book with high expectations for whatever reason --- the inside cover summary, a friend's recommendation or, heaven forbid, some nebbish reviewer --- and you're disappointed. The converse also happens, however. You're not expecting much when you crack the binding on the book and the next thing you know you're halfway through the story before you even think about putting it down --- kind of like being abducted by aliens, without the probes, if you will.

That's the sort of out-of-body experience I encountered when I picked up NINE by Jan Burke. I wasn't really familiar with Burke's previous work, more by accident than by design, so I approached NINE with a tabula rosa impression, an impression that is now indelibly etched into my memory. NINE is as complex and gripping a thriller as you may well read this year.

The premise of NINE revolves around an unknown perpetrator or perpetrators who are dramatically and theatrically murdering the individuals listed on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. The first, a drug kingpin who executed a potential witness against him, along with the witness's family, is strung up and left to die with his lifeblood draining from him. The mourners who attended this gentleman's demise could be counted on the end of one stump. The unknown individual who hastened his journey to the other side of the veil is quickly heralded as a hero. As the remaining individuals on the FBI's list are dispatched with efficient and creative rapidity, the public is enthralled. Detective Alex Brandon of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is not among the cheerleaders, however. The executions bear an eerie resemblance to the murders carried out by a serial killer, now deceased, some ten years previous; they appear to be done for the purpose of carrying out a taunting message to Brandon. As his investigation continues, Brandon becomes more and more certain that The Executioners, as the media has dubbed them, are actually targeting him. Burke almost loses her way at the end --- the ending almost seems a bit contrived --- but she ultimately manages to pull things off, coming back in a satisfying epilogue to tidy things up quite neatly and satisfactorily.

NINE will introduce Burke fans to a whole new cast of characters. While the main focus of the book is Detective Brandon, the supporting characters are so interesting that they ultimately come close to high-jacking the book away from him. While NINE functions quite nicely as a stand-alone, independent work, it would seem a shame for Burke not to utilize Brandon and his supporting cast of characters in future novels. Whatever Burke might choose to do, however, NINE will undoubtedly bring a legion of new readers to her work.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub