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Friday, February 12, 2016

Blog Tour: The Ex by Alafair Burke

Author: Alafair Burke
Publisher: Harper 
Date of publication: January 26, 2016

Twenty years ago she ruined his life.
Now she has the chance to save it.

In this breakout novel of suspense in the vein of Luckiest Girl Alive and The Girl on the Train, a woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder—but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated.

Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife, Molly, by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that, when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when Jack’s world falls apart.

Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancĂ©, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide—and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder—there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is, who would go to such great lengths to frame him—and why?

For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets and absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him?

I am always a bit wary when books are marketed to be for "fans of ..."  Especially when it is a book that I didn't care for.  I am a fan of this author,b ut I was concerned I might not like The Ex because I hated The Girl on the Train.  If you haven't read either, I would say read this one, not that one.  The Ex was really good!  It's a very engaging, twisty mystery with likable characters.  This book would make a great movie!

In The Ex, Olivia is called by her ex-fiancee's daughter to see if she can get him free from jail.  He is accused of shooting and killing three people in the park.  One of whom happens to be the father of the kid who shot and killed his wife 3 years before.  Olivia is convinced that Jack is innocent and will do everything to get him free.  But with the evidence staked against him, she has a very steep uphill battle to climb.

One thing that I really liked about this book was that it kept me guessing.  Until the end, I wasn't sure if Jack did it or not.  I'm not going to spoil it for you, so you'll just have to follow the clues along with Olivia.  I really liked Olivia's character,  She is smart with tons of flaws, but is totally up front and honest about those flaws.  I like strong female characters like that.

I highly recommend this book.  With all of the secrets, twists and surprises, you won't be able to put it down!



About Alafair Burke


Alafair Burke is the New York Times bestselling author of ten previous novels, including the standalone thrillersLong Gone and If You Were Here, and the Ellie Hatcher series: All Day and a NightNever Tell212Angel’s Tip, and Dead Connection. She is also the coauthor of the Under Suspicion series with Mary Higgins Clark. A former prosecutor, she is now a professor of criminal law and lives in Manhattan.

Find out more about Alafair at her website, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.



Alafair’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, January 26th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, January 27th: A Bookish Way of Life
Thursday, January 28th: Curling Up by the Fire
Friday, January 29th: You Can Read Me Anything
Monday, February 1st: My Book Retreat
Tuesday, February 2nd: Luxury Reading
Thursday, February 4th: A Bookworm’s World
Friday, February 5th: Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, February 9th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, February 10th: Dreams, Etc.
Thursday, February 11th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Friday, February 12th: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, February 16th: Lessa’s Book Critiques
Wednesday, February 17th: Book Hooked Blog
Thursday, February 18th: JulzReads
Friday, February 19th: FictionZeal


1 comment:

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

I'm so pleased to see that you loved this book! Thanks for being a part of the tour!