Dead Connection

Driven, young detective Ellie Hatcher, working scams and robbery in New York receives a surprising special assignment to the homicide department: A young woman had been strangled in an empty alley. Like her two other victims have been killed. One 12 and one 24 months ago and the fourth victim is coming up. All woman had something in common: They were connected to an online service named FirstDate. During investigations Ellie and her new partner won't get any help from FirstDate's CEO without a court order. The killer's changing his M.O. and one victim wasn't even an user of FirstDate but a FBI informant releasing informations about credit card fraud and Russian drug dealers. Mentioning FirstDate to an agent got her killed three days later. Searching for patterns that don't exist or don't add up Ellie and her partner use the help of former programmer and co-founder FirstDate to solve this case. A fantastic mystery, very well thought through. As a former deputy district attorney and being the daughter of James Lee Burke, an acclaimed crime writer, Alafair Burke certainly knows what she's writing about. Twist and turns, dramatic and a little love is all this book needed to make it a perfect, suspenseful mystery, very well written and without leaving any questions at the end. The character Ellie Hatcher is a stand-alone besides the Samantha Kincaid series, which I haven't read yet but certainly will read sometime soon.I read on e Alafair's webpage that there's going to be a series with Ellie. :-)

lafair Burke's DEAD CONNECTION receives Christopher Lane's smooth voice as it tells of a rookie detective who goes undercover on the Internet dating scene to draw out a serial killer targeting single women in Manhattan. To catch the killer Ellie must enter a world of stolen identities and place her own life in danger in a fast-paced, vivid mystery that comes to life under audio.

We should all disregard the previous review by C. Davis, as her other reviews reveal that she prefers books that are "Super Cute" and she writes like a Friends character talks. With that out of the way, any fan of the mystery genre has known about Alafair Burke for many years now. Each of her novels has improved and I was glad to be introduced to the character of Ellie Hatcher. Hatcher is a hard-working member of the NYPD with a troubling past and a bright future. This book captures the feel of Manhattan and moves along at a pace consistent with the big city. The plot is detailed and rewards careful readers. Looking forward to the next in this exciting new series!

A few years back, Alafair created a stir when she arrived on the publishing scene, residing as she did in the huge shadow of her father, crime novelist James Lee Burke (one of my all-time favorites). While never trying to match his mastery with words and imagery, she showcased her own talent for plotting and dialogue, and gave us a memorable protagonist in Samantha Kincaid. With each Kincaid mystery, Alafair's writing got stronger as did her ease in storytelling. Now, with the introduction of Detective Ellie Hatcher, Alafair takes it to another level. Drawing from her own experiences as a youth during the days of the BTK killer, she weaves in family and psychological insights without growing heavy-handed. She uses the theme of Internet dating, telling a cautionary tale while never oversimplifying. She teases us into the story with a great opening chapter, then leads us through a list of questions and suspects which pull us rapidly toward the conclusion. Ellie Hatcher is a tough cookie, throwing out snippets of humor and exhibiting a few character foibles, which only make her more likable. The book ends with her poised for her next investigation, a more personal one. Alafair also manages, in a cleverly handled scene, to connect Ellie with a certain Detective Robicheaux in Louisiana. With one series well underway, and another now off and running, Alafair Burke looks like she'll be around for a long time. That's a good thing. A very good thing.

Alafair is right on target with her latest book. She has contunied writing in the same way as her father James Lee Burke. Can't wait for next book.