Long Gone
by Alafair Burke
Suspenseful
Alice
Humphrey wants to make it on her own without the help of her
family. A lay-off doesn't make that easy. Then, suddenly
opportunity comes her way. Drew Campbell offers her a job
managing a new art gallery in Manhattan's Meatpacking District with one
hitch. The anonymous wealthy owner wants the first show to
feature a specific artist. Alice isn't exactly crazy about the
art work, but once this show is over, according to Drew, the owner will
be hands-off, allowing her to run the gallery as she sees fit.
How can she resist? Now she can finally step out of the shadows
of her famous filmmaker father. Just as she is getting settled
into the new job, everything goes wrong. When she opens the gallery,
everything is gone --- everything except Drew Campbell's dead
body. Suddenly, Alice is the center of a police
investigation. How can she prove her innocence? All the
links to the job offer and Drew Campbell lead nowhere. Alice
knows she has been set up, particularly when the police uncover a link
between the gallery and a missing girl. In order to clear
herself, Alice will risk her life in a chase to find the answers to a
crime that combines art and technology. As Alice unearths deeply
hidden family secrets, the danger level rises. Will Alice be able
to clear her name -- and at what cost?
LONG GONE, Alafair Burke's first stand alone thriller, is full of
exciting and carefully plotted twists cleverly revealed that keep a
reader guessing to the end. Even when one thinks one knows all
the answers, a few carefully plotted surprises add delightful
twists. Alafair Burke escalates the dramatic suspense in ever
increasing levels as Alice digs deeper and deeper for answers.
Alice Humphrey is a likable character, one with which a reader can
easily identify or empathize. The very well-written dynamics
between Alice Humphrey and her family draw the reader into Alice's
character and the emotion of the story. The narrative style flows
smoothly. LONG GONE is a book this reader could not put
down.
Alafair Burke is a writer to watch and follow. Not only were her
earlier books very good, but with each new novel, Alafair Burke's
mastery of her craft becomes richer. One gets the feeling that this
author does not rely on the sensationalistic flash of shocking details
so common in the suspense genre but rather she is a writer who uses the
narrative itself and her characters to create suspense. LONG GONE is a
keeper. After completing the final page of an Alafair Burke novel, one
eagerly awaits the next. Quite simply, LONG GONE is wonderful suspense.
With each new novel I read by this author, I feel that Alafair Burke
has lasting power within the genre. Highly recommended!
Publisher: Harper
(June 21, 2011)
Author
website
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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