Dear Irene,: An Irene kelly Novel (Irene Kelly Mysteries (Paperback))

When a strange letter signed "Thanatos" -- the ancient Greek name for death -- lands on Irene Kelly's desk, the intrepid reporter doesn't think much of it; she gets crazy mail all the time. A less cryptic message is sent when a body turns up the next morning. As more letters roll in, the death toll mounts...and Irene fears that her mysterious pen pal has cast her in his own private Greek tragedy as Cassandra, the seer whom others refused to believe. It's the killer's dream to challenge Irene to follow his ancient blueprint for murder. It's his ultimate desire to make her face the inevitable -- that she is the next to die.

when A Strange Letter Signed Thanatos -- The Ancient Greek Name For Death -- Lands On Irene Kelly's Desk, The Intrepid Reporter Doesn't Think Much Of It; She Gets Crazy Mail All The Time. A Less Cryptic Message Is Sent When A Body Turns Up The Next Morning. As More Letters Roll In, The Death Toll Mounts...

publishers Weekly

nearly Recovered From The Wounds She Received In Sweet Dreams, Feisty Reporter Irene Kelly Returns To Her California Newspaper Office To Be Caught Up In Another Intelligent Tale Of Danger And Vengeance. Among Her Accumulated Mail Is A Letter From Someone Calling Himself Thanatos, Addressing Her As Cassandra And Promising That ``clio Will Be The First To Die.'' Dismissing The Letter As The Work Of A Kook, She Nevertheless Pursues The Mythological References: Thanatos Is Death; Cassandra, A Woman Cursed With Telling The Truth But Not Being Believed; And Clio, The Muse Of History. That Night The Body Of A College History Professor Is Found, Her Skull Battered, In The Peacock Enclosure Of The Zoo. The Next Day Irene Is Phoned By Someone Who Identifies Himself As Thanatos, Claims Responsibility For The Crime And Threatens Another. As The Warnings And Murders Continue, Irene And Her Fianc, Police Detective Frank Harriman, Find Themselves Caught In The Web Of Police And Press Relations And The Counter-pressures Of Frank's Desire To Protect Irene Versus Her Need For Independence. Burke Maintains Firm Control Of Her Intricate Tale, Leading Readers Along A Suspenseful Path To A Dramatic Conclusion. (feb.)

When a strange letter signed "Thanatos"--The ancient Greek name for death--lands on Irene Kelly's desk, the intrepid reporter doesn't think much of it; she gets crazy mail all the time. A less cryptic message is sent when a body turns up the next morning. As more letters roll in, the death toll mounts ... and Irene fears that her mysterious pen pal has cast her in his own private Greek tragedy as Cassandra, the seer whom others refused to believe. It's the killer's dream to challenge Irene to follow his ancient blueprint for murder. It's his ultimate desire to make her face the inevitable--that she is the next to die Signing his letters "Thanatos (ancient Greek for death), Irene's clandestine correspondent addresses his as his "Cassandra" (the seer whom no one believed). He cryptically proclims that clio, the muse of history, will be the first to die. Initially, Irene dismisses Thanatos as just another kook- but then a history professor is found brutally murdered. As victims begin piling up, Thanatos continues writing Irene, and each letter presents mythology-based clues inteded to reveal the next murder Reporter Irene Kelly matches wits with a killer who is giving her advance notice of his kills with riddles from Greek mythology. He signs himself Thanatos, as the Greeks called death, addresses her as Cassandra, the woman who told the truth but whom no one believed, and warns that Clio will be the first to die, a reference to the muse of history. The very same night a woman professor is murdered. By the author of Sweet Dreams, Irene I crumpled that one into a ball and spiked Pigskin right into the round file-and did it all left-handed.