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Dear Alafair, I am so excited The Wife  is making its way into the world this week. It was one of my favorite books of 2017, and I've been impatiently waiting to talk about it since I read it over Thanksgiving. You're in my Hall of Fame , and I've read and enjoyed all of your books , from the Samantha Kincaid series to the Ellie Hatcher series , all of the standalones, and even the Under Suspicion series you write with Mary Higgins Clark . But, let's be honest, the books you write yourself are the best. And The WIfe  is your best book yet. Not only is The Wife  your best book yet, it's unbelievably timely. The titular wife, Angela, finds herself in a situation that has become all-too-familiar in recent months: her husband, Jason, an NYU economist who has found relative fame after a book that helped launch a media career, is accused of sexual harassment by an intern. Soon, an allegation of rape from a colleague follows. This novel offers sobering, and often de...

(this post contains some spoilers, both of this book and the rest of the series) There is so much to like about this book: 1. That cover is stunning. 2. The premise, a tv documentary working to solve cold cases by interviewing everyone involved, including the suspects, is great. I would definitely watch "Under Suspicion" if it were real. Reading the books is like watching the show, but we also get the behind-the-scenes action. 3. Laurie's dad is really great. 4. This novel is set at the Met Costume Ball. That's fun. And it inspired a really funny conversation with my friend Leslie, where we guessed what the conversation was like between Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. It went something like this: "Who is the most glamorous celebrity you can think of who would attend the Costume Ball?" MHC: "Barbra Streisand!" AB: "Definitely Beyonce." 5. It's a fun, entertaining read. but... There is so much not to like about this ...

Welcome to Day Three of My Best of 2015 Reading Round up!  As always, my Best of the Year lists cover what I read in 2015, which includes books published in any year. Today, I'm sharing my favorite mysteries. Yesterday, I shared  my favorite comics . Monday I shared  Hawthorne's favorite board books . (Want to look at past year's lists. They're all linked  here .) 10. All Dressed in White  by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke ( my review ) This book, the second in Clark and Burke's Under Suspicion series, was a delightful page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed the wide cast of characters, the exploration of Amanda, a fascinating character, and the setting. If you're looking for a fun, escapist pageturner, All Dressed in White is a great choice. 9. The Governor's Wife  by Michael Harvey ( my review ) The Governor's Wife, the fifth in Michael Harvey's Chicago P.I. Michael Kelly series,   is a compelling page-turner. I loved the reading ...

The backstory: All Dressed in White  is the second in the Under Suspicion series, following The Cinderella Murder . The series follows Under Suspicion, a television news special focused on unsolved cold cases. The basics: The cold case at the center of All Dressed in White follows the disappearance of Amanda White on the night before her wedding day. Did she run away or did something terrible happen? Laurie and her crew reunite the entire wedding party, plus Amanda's now divorced parents, at the same hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. My thoughts: While I loved the concept of The Cinderella Murder  and enjoyed reading it, I was disappointed with the resolution but curious to read the next book. I both enjoyed the reading experience of All Dressed in White  more, but it's also a better mystery. There's a cozy element to this book, in that I never felt like anyone was in danger, even knowing that a killer might be among the group. Still, the mystery in this book is what ...

The backstory: I've read and loved all of Alafair Burke's mysteries , so I was eager to read The Cinderella Murder, her first collaboration (and first in a new series) with Mary Higgins Clark, a prolific mystery author whose work I have never read. The basics: The Cinderella Murder  is the first in a new series entitled Under Suspicion. Under Suspicion is a news special focused on unsolved cold cases. Although this is the first in the series, the production crew characters were featured in Higgins Clark's previous novel, I've Got You Under My Skin . This review, and the book itself, contains spoilers from I've Got You Under My Skin. My thoughts: There are two main storylines in this mystery: the murder of Susan Dempsey twenty years ago and Laurie Moran's continued recovery after her husband's death and the death of his killer. Perhaps because I had not read I've Got You Under My Skin , I enjoyed Laurie's personal storyline much less. I didn...

The backstory: Alafair Burke is one of my favorite mystery writers. All Day and a Night  is the fifth novel in her NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher series (reviews of the first four: Dead Connection , Angel's Tip , 212 ,  and Never Tell. ) Also see my reviews of the three titles in her Portland ADA Samantha Kincaid series ( Judgment Calls ,  Missing Justice , and Close Case ) and her two stand alone mysteries ( Long Gone  and If You Were Here ). The basics: When Brooklyn psychiatrist Helen Brunswick is murdered in a similar manner to how six prostitutes were murdered by Anthony Amaro in Utica and New York City twenty years ago, Ellie Hatcher and her partner are tasked with taking a fresh look at the original victims to see if the same person could have killed all the women. Amaro is in prison, so he didn't kill Brunswick. My thoughts: As much as I love police procedural mysteries, there are special places in my heart for both stories about wrongful convictions and ...

The backstory: This time last year, I read Alafair Burke's first stand-alone novel,  Long Gone ( my review .) I spent the rest of last year trying to only read one of her books a month. I failed. I read all eight in only seven months. While I'm still eagerly awaiting more from her two series, featuring attorney Samantha Kincaid and police detective Ellie Hatcher, I eagerly read her second stand-alone mystery, If You Were Here. The basics: New York City is abuzz with the news of a woman heroically rescuing a young man who fell onto the subway tracks and then running away. When prosecutor turned journalist McKenna Jordan researches the story she discovers someone took cell phone video of the woman, and she looks exactly like McKenna's friend Susan Hauptmann, who has been missing for ten years. My thoughts: Having read all of Alafair Burke's novels in seven months last year, I'm able to spot some of her patterns, even as she continues to improve her craft. When I s...

The backstory: Never Tell  is the fourth novel in Alafair Burke's Ellie Hatcher series (my reviews of the first three: Dead Connection , Angels' Tip  and 212 .) When I accepted Never Tell  from the publisher for review in May, I had to read any of Alafair Burke's books. I intended to, so I said yes and figured I'd catch up in a year or two. Seven months and eight books later, I've raced through them all and am already eagerly anticipating her next novel, If You Were Here , a stand-alone thriller coming in June 2013. The basics: Julia Whitmire, a wealthy, talented, and beautiful sixteen-year-old, is found dead in her bathtub. The cops arriving on the scene classify it as a homicide: her wrists are slit and she left behind a suicide note. Her mother, however, is insistent Julia was murdered and persuades the NYPD to look into. Detective Ellie Hatcher doesn't buy it, but her partner J.J. Rogan is more open-minded. My thoughts: If I had to describe Alafair Burke...

The backstory: 212  is the third novel in Alafair Burke's series featuring NYPD homicide detective Ellie Hatcher (my reviews of Dead Connection  and Angel's Tip .) The basics: A bodyguard for a Donald Trump-like real estate magnate is found murdered in a penthouse apartment at 212, a high profile address that shares its numbers with New York City's original area code. Next NYU student Megan Gunther finds threats about her, along with her detailed schedule, posted on a campus gossip website and fears for her safety. My thoughts: After adoring Angel's Tip , I went into 212  with high expectations. I'm thrilled to report 212  is even better than its predecessor. Burke skillfully weaves multiple storylines into a narrative that is complex and smart but never overwhelming or confusing. The moving parts never become difficult to track, even as the plot's complexity increases. Ellie Hatcher is also at her best here. I didn't adore Ellie in Dead Connection , b...

The backstory: Angel's Tip  is the second mystery in Alafair Burke's Ellie Hatcher series, after Dead Connection  ( my review ). The basics: When Ellie Hatcher discovers the murdered body of Chelsea Hart, an Indiana college student who was visiting New York City with her friends, during her morning run, she takes the case as her own. My thoughts: After liking but not loving Dead Connection , I was curious what Angel's Tip  would bring. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic mystery as well as an impressive amount of character development for Ellie Hatcher. As the novel opens, some time has passed since the end of Dead Connection . Immediately, this time allows for Ellie to step out of some of the lingering shadows from the last novel and embrace her new promotion to a homicide detective. The reader jumps right into her new normal, and readers who didn't read Dead Connection  could still enjoy this mystery. What often seems to be a contrived plot:...

The backstory:  After loving  Long Gone  ( my review ), a stand-alone thriller, and devouring Alafair Burke's entire Samantha Kincaid series (my reviews of Judgment Calls ,  Missing Justice   and Close Case ), I was eager to read  Dead Connection,  the first in her Ellie Hatcher series. The basics: Ellie Hatcher grew up in Wichita, where her father was a cop and her mother still lives. Ellie and her troubled brother both live in New York City, where Ellie is now a cop. She normally works burglary  but she's called up to assist in a homicide investigation of a potential serial killer using an internet dating website to target his victims. My thoughts: From the beginning, Burke paints Ellie as a character to root for: "Ellie knew that a good, efficient detective—one who could prioritize her limited time in sensible ways—would act as a transcriber, file the report, and move on to the real work." This characterization is intrig...

The backstory: Close Case  is the third mystery in Alafair Burke's Samantha Kincaid series. Read my reviews of the first two books: Judgment Calls  and Missing Justice . The basics: When high-profile reporter Percy Crenshaw is murdered, the cops immediately identify a suspect and secure a somewhat suspicious confession. ADA Samantha Kincaid must try the case with the evidence given, even as she searches for alternate theories about the crime. My thoughts: I'm a huge fan of this series, and I both adore the character of Samantha Kincaid (and the well-developed characters of her family, friends and colleagues) and the fascinating mysteries she solves. Burke does a phenomenal job of teaching the reader about the law and about Portland, Oregon: "But in our hot spots, our most frequent calls aren't for robbery or rape. They're for stuff like loitering, graffiti, and street-level drug crimes. That's the kind of stuff that makes a neighborhood feel  unsafe. And ...

The backstory: Missing Justice  is Alafair Burke's second novel in the Samantha Kincaid series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first title in the series, Judgment Calls ( my review .) The basics: The action in Missing Justice  picks up one month after the events of Judgment Calls . Samantha is now a prosecutor in the Major Crimes Unit, and her first case there comes sooner than she expects when she gets a late night call telling her a judge is missing. My thoughts: Partially because so little time elapsed between these two books, I was glad to read them close together. Of course, I was also eager to read Missing Justice  because I adore Alafair Burke. The mystery in this novel began early, yet Burke still does an excellent job of teaching the reader about law, procedure and Portland without slowing down the action: "Portland has low violent crime and high property crime, driven primarily by a large population of street kids and drug addicts." (Although I must confess, the s...

The backstory: After reading and loving Alafair Burke's stand alone novel, Long Gone  ( my review ), I knew I wanted to read all of her novels. The basics: Judgment Calls is the first in Burke's Samantha Kincaid series. Kincaid is a prosecutor in Portland, Oregon, as Burke was when she wrote this novel. My thoughts: This novel begins as a legal procedural. As someone fascinated by the law and its differences, hearing about the legal system in Portland, Oregon was intriguing. Burke shared details to enhance the reader's understanding of the law, and these details added depth and nuance to the mysteries at the center of this novel: "The law requires mandatory minimum sentences for the most violent felonies. Not surprisingly, once Measure 11 defendants figured out they were facing long minimum sentences upon conviction, whether they pled out or not, they stopped pleading guilty and started rolling the dice at trial. As a result, the DA's office stopped filing ch...

The backstory: Long Gone  is Alafair Burke's seventh novel but her first stand-alone novel. The basics: In New York City, after a chance meeting at an art gallery, Alice Humphrey has just landed the perfect job of running a new art gallery. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, teenager Becca Stevenson has started keeping some secrets from her mother. Lastly, FBI agent Hank Beckman can't stop following the man he holds responsible for his sister's death, even though it may cost him his job. My thoughts: As you can see from my summary, this novel opens with three different narratives. Although it's clear the storylines will intersect sooner or later, I still found myself jotting down a character map as I read. In this novel, Alafair Burke left enough clues about little things to alert the readers to connections before these connections were made more formally. Remembering the details (or referring to the details on my character map) of characters led to some thrilling moments as...