All Day and a Night

March 24, 2014
Has suspected serial killer Anthony Amaro spent 18 years in New York’s Five Points Correctional Facility for a murder he didn’t commit? In Burke’s gripping fifth novel of suspense featuring NYPD Det. Ellie Hatcher (after 2012’s Never Tell), Ellie must suss that out in the wake of a fresh slaying in Brooklyn with the same signature, for which Amaro has an ironclad alibi. She must also consider the evidence against Amaro in five earlier murders in his hometown of Utica, N.Y., for which he was never prosecuted. That Ellie has recently moved in with the guy calling the shots, ADA Max Donovan, complicates matters, as does Carrie Blank, the associate of the lawyer handling Amaro’s wrongful-conviction claim, being the half-sister of one of the Utica victims. Burke sets the equally driven Ellie and Carrie on a collision course in a propulsive thriller marred only by the plot’s overreliance on coincidence. Agent: Philip Spitzer, Philip Spitzer Literary Agency.

May 15, 2014

The shocking murder of psychotherapist Helen Brunswick complicates an old case, as NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher and attorney Carrie Blank both search for the truth from opposite sides of the law. When similarities between Helen's murder and those of past serial killer victims come to light and an anonymous letter with inside information about Helen's case that might exonerate the convicted killer arrives, the police are forced to reevaluate the previous cases. While Ellie is assigned to the "fresh look" team, Carrie goes to work for a celebrity lawyer specializing in wrongful convictions and representing Anthony Amaro, the man imprisoned for the murders. She is enticed by the idea of discovering the truth, because her half sister was one of the original victims. As the cops and lawyers navigate new evidence and old confessions, they uncover dark secrets kept hidden for decades. This is the fifth book in the Ellie Hatcher series (after Never Tell), and familiarity with previous entries is helpful but not necessary. VERDICT A satisfying police procedural with added interest from alternating perspectives of detective and attorney. For fans of Lisa Gardner and Tess Gerritsen, and readers who enjoy tough female police officer protagonists and complex plots. [See Prepub Alert, 1/6/14.]--Emily Byers, Tillamook Cty. Lib., OR

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