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A review by vanessakm
Dead Connection by Alafair Burke
3.0
I read this book based on a good review from Entertainment Weekly and I'm thankful I did as otherwise I'm not sure this writer would have entered my radar. It's quite good for the mystery genre and fills the most essential requirements of a likable hero/heroine and unputdownableness (is that a word? It totally should be.) Burke has created a heroine in Ellie Hatcher who is wonderfully believable and sympathetic so I'm happy to see this is the first in a series--the third book is due out in April 2010.
It's difficult to write a synopsis of a mystery novel without giving too much away or sounding formulaic (which would do this book injustice), but the basic story is about a rookie detective in the NYPD who finds herself assigned for complicated reasons to a homicide case that looks to be the work of a serial killer who is selecting victims from an online dating site. Once you start reading, expect to do little else until you get to the end.
This was fun but it isn't a mystery that will give you something to think about when the book is over. If you want that, check out Dennis Lehane. But if you want an above average heroine and well-written, tense, sad and funny plot, Burke is your girl. She is also the daughter of novelist James Lee Burke (whose detective Dave Robicheaux has a funny cameo here) and a law professor at Hofstra. She has another series about Samantha Kincaid, an ADA in the Pacific Northwest, that I intend to check out as well.
It's difficult to write a synopsis of a mystery novel without giving too much away or sounding formulaic (which would do this book injustice), but the basic story is about a rookie detective in the NYPD who finds herself assigned for complicated reasons to a homicide case that looks to be the work of a serial killer who is selecting victims from an online dating site. Once you start reading, expect to do little else until you get to the end.
This was fun but it isn't a mystery that will give you something to think about when the book is over. If you want that, check out Dennis Lehane. But if you want an above average heroine and well-written, tense, sad and funny plot, Burke is your girl. She is also the daughter of novelist James Lee Burke (whose detective Dave Robicheaux has a funny cameo here) and a law professor at Hofstra. She has another series about Samantha Kincaid, an ADA in the Pacific Northwest, that I intend to check out as well.