Jan Burke has never stood still as a writer and everything she’s ever published has been a delight to mystery fans. Throughout the years she’s exposed layers of our genre until you cannot be in a cabin without a touch of claustrophobia, pass a house without wondering what secrets it holds, or read an noxious headline without wanting Irene to tell you the rest of the story.
We’ve waited for THE MESSENGER. Readers have become expectant of the book a year deal. Imagine my surprise when I opened a book without the main ingredient of crimes and misdemeanors. But wait… THE MESSENGER sings with the talents of the best-selling Burke. Crisp and lyrical prose melded with a story full of the exotic, unimaginable, and decidedly creepy.

The book starts with a dive for treasure. Soon a young man realizes he’s made a deal with something darker than normally found in our world. The hunt for an individual has been successful and he wants no more to do with the matter.
Tyler Hawthorne has moved to L.A. He’s a young man of 24 with a two century history. Tyler has a talent for connecting those who are about to die with their loved ones one last time. An old enemy has found him and wants something back.
To tell more of the plot would be a cheat. Suffice to say that THE MESSENGER is unlike anything Burke has written with mysteries of a different kind abounding. For long time fans it is yet another direction in a fabulous career. For folks who’ve perhaps not read Burke, THE MESSENGER is an introduction to one of our best writers. Burke is a writer known for her sardonic wit, well-drawn characters and unforgettable stories. Done, Done and absolutely.

Ruth Jordan 0f Crimespree Magazine