Customer Reviews

Dead Connection

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Detective Ellie Hatcher is specifically sought for a special assignment on the homicide task force when a clue left at the scene of a murder seems to connect two cases to an online dating service. Detective Hatcher is a rookie NYPD detective but Detective Flann McIlroy, seeks her involvement anyway. Why? I don't want to spoil the novel for anyone: suffice to say there is an explanation in the novel.

This thriller is set in the murky world of identity theft and anonymity: both made easy by the use of the internet. While Hatcher and McIlroy set out to solve the crimes, they uncover other crimes that may be related and a number of potential suspects. Along the way, both Hatcher and McIlroy break a number of rules and individual readers may find this irritating if not unbelievable.

And the conclusion? Some aspects are more clear-cut than others, and I found some parts of the storyline more satisfying than others. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read and well worth picking up if you have a couple of hours to fill.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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.

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. :-)

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!

Having enjoyed Angel's Tip very much, Burke's second book featuring NYC Detective Ellie Hatcher, I decided to go back and read Dead Connection, the first book in the series. I'm glad I read them in reverse order or I probably wouldn't have ever read Angel's Tip. Dead Connection has Hatcher, a rookie detective, requested to work on a special assignment with the homicide task force. Without going into detail about the assignment, Hatcher and her seasoned, publicity-seeking partner, are assigned to draw out a serial killer who is using an internet dating service to target single women in Manhattan. This plot starts off interesting but eventually becomes a bit tedious due to a lack of action and to its getting bogged down with some convoluted subplots and twists and turns that Burke used to try to throw the reader off from guessing who the killer is. As a result, I found that the plot dragged at times. Further, while Burke's rookie hero working on her first homicide case is a likable and interesting character, Hatcher lacks some credibility. This is due to the author's enabling Hatcher to outthink/outsmart/outguess all of her superiors as well as the baddies in regards to "unhatching" the plot and solving the case. Despite the flaws in Dead Connection, it is a satisfying read. Also, you should be aware that Burke's style improved considerably in Angel's Tip, making it a very worthwhile read.

A possible serial killer is targeting young and attractive females in "Dead Connection," by Alafair Burke. Thirty-year-old rookie Ellie Hatcher is temporarily transferred to Manhattan's Thirteenth Precinct, where she is assigned to work with Flann McIlroy of the Manhattan South Homicide Task Force. Flann has a reputation for concocting off-beat theories about his cases that have sometimes led to a successful outcome. With Ellie's help, Flan plans to track down a killer who used an online dating service to meet his victims. It may not be a coincidence that a second young woman, Amy Davis, was murdered exactly one year after the killer struck for the first time. Ellie and Flann are up against a vicious and clever sociopath who has his own hidden agenda and is willing to kill repeatedly to achieve his goals.

Fifteen years earlier, Ellie's father died, apparently by his own hand. However, she is convinced that William Summer, known as the College Hill Strangler, actually killed Kansas detective Jerry Hatcher and made his death appear to be a suicide. Ellie has gone public to clear her father's name and help her mother collect the life insurance and pension money that were unjustly withheld from her.

Alafair Burke is a skilled writer with a no-frills, earthy style and a welcome a touch of sardonic humor. The angle about Internet dating is timely if a bit shopworn, and tech-savvy readers will enjoy the passages explaining the ins and outs of computer networking. Ellie and Flann are insightful, hard-working, and determined; their solid instincts eventually lead them in the right direction. Unfortunately, they are initially led astray by the false trail that the perpetrator leaves for them.

Although socializing is not high on Ellie's agenda, Burke creates a much-needed romantic interest for the lonely detective. At the same time, her irresponsible older brother, Jess, suddenly reappears in her life. He cheerfully mooches off Ellie and teases her unmercifully, but underneath his sarcastic veneer, Jess is a loving brother who is extremely protective of his little sister.

As the book progresses, Burke introduces too many red herrings and byzantine subplots that will leave some readers scratching their heads in bewilderment. They may need to reread a good portion of the novel in order to decipher who did what to whom and why, since the plot threads eventually unravel. There are allusions to corruption in the police department, the uneasy relationship between law enforcement professionals and the headline-hungry media, the competition between local cops and the FBI, and the nefarious actions of Russian mobsters. Ellie Hatcher is the book's saving grace. She is a fully developed character with both brains and beauty, who also has a nice balance of self-confidence and humility.

Far from tying up her story too neatly, Burke presents a satisfyingly open-ended conclusion. She demonstrates that life throws unexpected challenges at us when we least expect them. In addition, the book's finale has a touch of moral ambiguity. Normally law-abiding individuals will sometimes ignore the dictates of conscience in the interest of achieving justice.

Detective Ellie Hatcher has been working fraud since joining the NYPD but she gets summoned over to homicide to help another detective on a case that includes two women dead a year apart, each with online dating profiles on the same site. Ellie's job is to try and help a detective known mostly for his off the wall theories and see what they can put together before things get too much worse (but you know things will always go from bad to worse).

This is the first book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it because it felt fresh to me as a reader, maybe because the subject matter was somewhat relevant. I enjoyed Ellie's character and her interactions with her brother because it actually makes her human, unlike some of the other heroines. I suppose a great deal of attraction to her character is in the fact that she seems realistic and relate-able, instead of cold or brusque. On the down side, the action toward the end seemed a little rushed and unrealistic but I know that happens sometimes. Still this is definitely an author and series worth checking out.

Over the last few years, Alafair Burke has delivered a fine series of mystery novels featuring District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. These books catapulted Burke (the daughter of bestselling author James Lee Burke) into the big time. Her newest procedural features NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher, an attractive, bright and street-smart rookie.

Hatcher lives with a haunted past. Her father, who was a cop in Wichita, Kansas, where she grew up, died mysteriously in pursuit of a serial killer dubbed the College Hill Strangler. After an internal investigation by his department, his death was ruled a suicide. But even as a kid Ellie never believed her father would take his own life. She felt a cover-up was easy to pull off because her mother would not question any findings or complain about losing the compensation to which she was entitled. Burke says of her new leading lady: "Her father always told her, Find the motive, and the motive will lead you to the man." These words are the foundation of Hatcher's tenaciousness and unflagging commitment to bring justice to victims.

In DEAD CONNECTION, Burke's story unfolds around the latest cyber-phenomenon: online dating services. In this Sargasso Sea of strangers who put themselves "out there," victims could be exposing themselves for trouble rather than love. Yet, ironically, Burke herself met her husband through "an online dating service [and goes on to say]...there I found the plot of [this novel] and...Ellie Hatcher."

Hatcher is surprised and flattered when bombastic detective Flann McIlroy asks her to be assigned temporarily to his department. So far the investigation has revealed that the only common thread in the lives of the dead women is the dating service to which they all subscribed. And he proposes to use the rookie as bait to catch a killer. She is not quite sure how she feels about this since she thought she was chosen for her brains. But her desire to work with the "legendary" McIlroy overrides any misgivings on her part. She doesn't dare question the plum assignment.

As they embark on their quest, one very explosive fact emerges: both Hatcher and McIlroy are hardheaded, stubborn people who want to do things their own way. But as the very junior side of this unlikely team is constantly reminded, she must take her lead from her older colleague. Ultimately, their relationship works and brings both pathos and humor to a chilling story.

As the two delve deeper and deeper into the dating service, they come to find the owner a scoundrel who may have dealings with the Russian mafia. If he does, how does that impact their serial killer investigation? Have they stumbled into a new crime and a new investigation? In spite of this possible complication, Ellie and Flann diligently continue searching for a mass murderer. And can he be part of some Russian tactic by using the Internet? As Ellie continues to think all of this through, she remembers how the College Hill Strangler played head games with her father. She slowly comes to the conclusion that her job is to find a mass murderer who's playing games with her. Can this insight help her in her quest to find this madman?

Alafair Burke's previous novels were tightly written and well plotted, and the characters all worked in sync. Unfortunately, in DEAD CONNECTION she doesn't pull the various subplots together into a cohesive whole. Here, the main plot seems to get out of control, and she leaves too many unanswered questions. And Hatcher, while charming and savvy to a certain degree, is too young and naïve to be a New York City detective. Burke built a solid fan base with her Samantha Kincaid series; her audience can only hope that she will return to familiar territory starring a more interesting heroine, or imbue Ellie Hatcher with more gravitas. Nevertheless, DEAD CONNECTION is the perfect summer read.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

Many years ago I received this author's first novel as a Christmas gift. It was an enjoyable read, but not one that prompted me to add her to my "must buy on release" list where her father (James Lee Burke) has shared space with many other contemporary fiction writers. Fast forward to December, 2010, where I realize I've forgotten to pack books for a week long vacation. Thoughtfully my airline had a mechanical problem which gave me 6 extra hours to mill around the airport. Finding nothing of particular interest in the newsstand, at least not that I didn't already own at home, I pulled out my iPad and stumbled across this title, which became my first ever "E-book".

I'd make a terrible mystery writer, because I feel compelled to jump to the conclusion right away: This book was one of the best I'd read in years, and Ms. Burke is now on that "buy on release" list of mine. The characters were well developed and the suspense kept me "turning pages" well into the night, as a good mystery should. And the subject matter was so fresh and contemporary - having been together with my wife for 30 years now, I've never personally experienced internet dating - but of course get an earful about it quite often from our single friends. And this book really paints a great picture of that whole scene, what to expect and what to watch out for, all while watching a great detective practice her craft.

Buy this book - You'll love it!

Alafair Burke's Dead connection scored big on my pleasure meter. A whodunnit written with craft and lots of smarts by grandmaster James Lee Burke's naturally litterary lawyer daughter. Alafair Burke has a star character with unassuming Ellie Hatcher, an obsessive compulsive NYPD detective in hot pursuit of a serial killer who is stalking female members of a computer dating service.