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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
212 Is A Perfect 10, March 30, 2010
Ellie Hatcher is back with a vengeance. A vengeance that lands her butt squarely in jail. Smart, independent Ellie Hatcher proves to the world everyday that she's far more than a pretty face. She can "bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan." She juggles her job, her older brother Jess, Assistant District Attorney Max Donovan, even her mother back in Wichita. And while she may not be as hip as her brother would like, she still manages to do it all with panache.
Burke's work is the epitome of art imitating life. Her plot lines are "ripped from the headlines;" the characters and dialogue are infused with pop culture; and she brings to life the New York City she so loves. 212 has no shortage of Burke's signature wit, which often comes out in her crisp, commanding dialogue. Ellie's exchanges with both her brother Jess and her partner J.J. could walk off the pages they are so believable. Burke's strengths are numerous, but her dialogue is quite possibly my favorite. Conversation is clear, it's sharp, it's witty. When a reader believes the dialogue, he/she believes the characters delivering it. For my money, no one does this better than Alafair Burke.
The complexity of 212's plot is carefully balanced. Burke peals back layer after layer, creating numerous unexpected twists throughout the book. But the twists never go over the top, nor do they become too numerous for belief. Instead the keep the reader gripped to the pages. I tried to slowly savor this book, but the plot simply wouldn't let me.
In addition, the plot of 212, like each of Burke's previous novels, reflects current events. But more than that, it examines some hefty "why" questions that are floating around these current events as well. And whenever Burke addresses a "why" question in her writing, she illustrates that the answer to that question is never a basic one, like so many people want to make it out to be. Afterall, it's humanity she's addressing, and humanity is certainly never basic. In 212, Burke takes a 348 page back swing allowing her to masterfully stroke her theme straight down the fairway and sink a hole-in-one on the final page. It's a monumental ending, one that won't quickly leave your thoughts.
I waited over a year for Ellie Hatcher to return to action, and 212 was worth every minute of that wait.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sex and the City, May 22, 2010
There's a rumor going around that an ex- New York Governor, who resigned amid a sex scandal, is being considered for an hour-long CNN program. The wags are pointing out that it would be a switch: This time he would be paid by the hour instead of forking over money to a working girl for services. Then, of course, there were a former President and a certain southern Governor also involved in sex scandals.
Of course there is nothing new about the sex trade; just look back to the Bible and Mary Magdalene or David and Bathsheba. But the topic is timely. Just consider the murder of a Boston woman who advertised her "services" on Craig's list about the time the manuscript for the present novel was submitted. Such a topic plays an important role in helping Ellie Hatcher and her partner, J.J. Rogan, to solve at least three murders in this well-written police procedural.
The novel moves forward, with either one or the other of the two detectives uncovering possible facts or motives in a confusing array of clues, each raising different theories until the pieces finally fall into place. The author utilizes her deep knowledge of the legal system, pitting it against a contemporary issue, to create an absorbing story line, replete with all the necessary twists to keep the reader turning pages. With characterizations to match.
Highly recommended.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 1/2 Stars . . . Her Best Yet, May 8, 2010
Alafair Burke gains greater depth with each novel. In this third Ellie Hatcher story, we find the erstwhile NYPD detective from Witchita involved in a complicated murder case that leads her and her partner J.J. Rogan into the intricacies of escort services and the high-profile clients those services often entangle.
Borrowing from recent headlines without ever copying them--or, for that matter, telegraphing her intentions to the reader--Burke gives us a fast-paced mystery. Ellie and Rogan think they are nearing the truth about one particular murder at 212 Lafayette in the 212 area code of Manhattan, when things get murkier from another murder, this time of an NYU college girl. More will die before the plot twists to its final knot, and Burke does a fine job of going deeper into Ellie's character and her relationships with her brother, partner, and lover. She also creates a plausible scenario that is not all that it seems. There are a few pages near the end where antagonists conveniently spout off all the info Ellie needs to tie things together, but this is a longtime characteristic of mystery novels.
Yes, this is more mystery than thriller (ala Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay), but the use of multiple viewpoints helps ratchet the intrigue throughout. Burke continues to grow into a fine mystery writer, and this is her best yet.
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