Book Review: THE EX by Alafair Burke

Olivia Randall is a top New York defense attorney who is drawn to defend a man accused of a triple homicide. But this is no ordinary case. The accused, Jack Harris, is considered a hero, whose wife was one of a number of people gunned down in a seemingly random act of violence. The killer escaped justice, despite Jack’s best efforts to have him put away. And now the killer’s father is among the three dead in what the prosecutors believe to be an act of revenge. To add another twist, Jack and Olivia were engaged twenty years previously, and both parties have unresolved issues. Can Olivia provide an objective defense, or are her feelings clouding her judgment? And is mild-mannered Jack a murderer, or the victim of an elaborate set-up?

Note: This review is of an Advanced Reader’s Edition I received at Bouchercon. I met the author and she signed my book, but I wasn’t asked to review it–indeed, there were no conditions attached to my receipt of this book.

This is the first Alafair Burke novel I have read, despite the fact Janet Reid has been promoting her books for years, and I usually enjoy the books Janet pushes. It was certainly a change of pace from the books I’ve been reading lately. The blurb on the back calls it a “novel of suspense,” and I suppose it is in that Alafair keeps you guessing all along as to the innocence or guilt of Jack Harris. But it is very much a legal suspense novel, along the line of some of the John Grisham I’ve read, only better. Especially the last Grisham novel I tried–way too much of a social/political agenda. Alafair avoids all that and simply buckles down and tells the story. And she tells it well.

Alafair’s characters have depth, and are not easily put into “good guy” or “bad guy” categories. Olivia is haunted by feelings of guilt over the way she treated Jack when they were together, and is not above using less-than-ethical methods to get what she needs for her case. Jack seems like the humble hero, the quiet victim, but along the way we get hints of a darker side to his character that gives even his most loyal friends pause. There are prostitutes, drug addicts, and others riding the hard edges of life that play into the story, all of whom have their own stories. I appreciated Alafair’s eye (and ear) for people, treating them more than just pawns in her narrative, but as characters with lives.

The story itself was engrossing. There are large sections devoted to backstory, which is normally not a good thing. However, a lot of what goes on in THE EX is predicated on that backstory, so it needs to come out somehow. Alafair manages to make it part of the narrative without losing the reader’s attention, and without making the story drag. While there are no fight scenes, car chases, gun battles, or violent struggles to the death, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

There are no sex scenes, some profanity, and not really any violence aside from the murders, and even there Alafair doesn’t go into any graphic descriptions. I would comfortably rate it a PG-15, and give it four Goodreads stars. To sum up, if you’re looking for a good detective story–especially one with a strong legal angle–then THE EX is for you.

THE EX is scheduled for release in January, 2016.