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. 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. ( )

Irene Kelley - #5 ( )