"Burke (Long Gone, 2011, etc.) resurrects Ellie Hatcher, an NYPD homicide detective who followed in her father’s footsteps.

Ellie’s father’s death, which police claimed was at his own hand, makes the callout to a young girl’s suicide even more difficult for Ellie. The girl’s grieving mom is a socialite and the wife of a mover and shaker in the music industry, and she’s pulled strings to get the homicide division on her daughter’s case. Teenager Julia Whitmire, privileged and spoiled but left on her own by her self-involved parents, was found dead of a combination of drugs, alcohol and wrist-slashing in the tub of her bathroom. Everyone, from the EMTs on the scene to the medical examiner who responds to Ellie, writes it off as a clear-cut suicide. Julia even left a note that is undisputedly in her own hand. However, pressure from the bigwigs send the increasingly impatient Ellie and her partner, Rogan, back to the crime scene to work the case as a murder. In the course of their investigation, Ellie and Rogan meet a motley group of street kids, the family of Julia’s best friend, Ramona, and stumble onto a blog written by Ramona’s mom, Adrienne, that centers around her own sexual abuse while she was a child. Burke keeps it real by having Ellie unconvinced that Julia’s death was anything but a suicide, but her stubborn refusal to envision that the girl was murdered hinders, rather than helps, the probe. Ellie also suffers personal issues in that her boyfriend, an assistant district attorney, wants a little more out of the relationship, and Ellie remains afraid to take that step. In Ellie, Burke has built a likable, flawed heroine trying to leave the things that have haunted her behind and not succeeding very well. Burke’s prose falls into an easy, natural rhythm when she enters Ellie Hatcher’s world, and her plotting rarely disappoints.

A smooth, compelling read that is proof positive that Burke continues to mature as a writer; this entry in the Ellie Hatcher series sings."

"Sixteen-year-old Julia Whitmire commits suicide, but her wealthy, politically connected parents force an investigation. NYPD Det. Ellie Hatcher lands the case and isn’t too sympathetic. The private school Julia attended is full of privileged children under enormous pressure, many of whom are abusing prescription drugs. Julia’s computer reveals she was cyberbullying someone, and her best friend doesn’t even know whom she was dating, just that Julia was on the wild side. Meanwhile, Hatcher’s relationship with her district attorney boyfriend reaches a critical juncture when the subject of children comes up, adding more personal suspense to this story. As the investigation continues, Hatcher realizes that Julia’s death may indeed be a murder, and the list of suspects is narrowing.
Verdict: What initially appears to be a simple story quickly becomes more intricate and compelling, making the pages fly. Highly recommended, especially for Lisa Gardner or Laura Lippman fans."

Nope, the math part of my brain has not imploded.  212 is the third novel in the Ellie Hatcher series, and you can now download the e-book at the low, low price of 99 cents.  This special edition includes not only 212, but also the first  30 pages of NEVER TELL.

Download 212 from your favorite e-retailer:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple
Google
Kobo

Read more about 212 here.
Learn about the "Basket Full of Burke" Promotion for NEVER TELL here.

“With her usual tenacity, Ellie pursues leads that put both her career and her life at risk. Burke expertly weaves real-life headlines into her plot—particularly the Craig's List Killer and the slew of recent political scandals—without ever sacrificing originality.” – Publisher’s Weekly (on 212)

I rarely talk business here, because talking about books and dogs and TV and shoes is way more fun.  But I’ll let you in on a secret.  A lot of readers missed 212.  That’s a nice way of saying it didn’t sell so hot.  Which is a nice way of saying that if you own a copy, I really, really love you.

At the time, I wrung my hands, trying to figure out the problem.  The March publication date?  The quirky title?  (212 is the Manhattan area code, by the way, and the book is in many ways a tribute to the city I now call home.)  Or maybe I wore the wrong socks or something.  I saw the end of a career.  Or starting over under a pseudonym (I had a name picked out and everything).

Two years later, all that fretting feels silly, and yet…212 is one of my best books, in my humble opinion, and I wish more people had read it.

So the 99 cent thing is a sort of a present to me from my publisher, a chance for one of my favorite Ellie books to help find my girl a new audience.   If you missed it, I hope you enjoy it.  If you read it, I hope you’ll tell a friend or two or three, or download it just for the early read of the first 30 pages of NEVER TELL.

In any event, there are worse ways to spend a buck, as evidenced by this hilarious blog post: "The Ten Dumbest Things to Buy at a Dollar Store."  (Seriously, it's worth the click-through.)

The lovely folks at Publishers Weekly featured NEVER TELL in a boxed, starred review:  "Near the start of Burke’s excellent fourth novel of suspense featuring NYPD Det. Ellie Hatcher (after 2010’s 212), 16-year-old Julia Whitmire, the daughter of legendary music producer Bill Whitmire, is found dead in the bathtub on the top floor of her family’s West Village townhouse with her wrists slashed. Ellie assumes that the Whitmire parents’ social clout is the reason why she and her partner, J.J. Rogan, must investigate an apparent suicide as a potential murder. At Casden, Julia’s elite prep school, they discover a rampant subculture of prescription drug abuse and intense academic pressure. Julia’s friend, Ramona Langston, also points them in the direction of several homeless youths she and Julia befriended over the past year, particularly Casey Heinz, who has a crush on Ramona and keys to the Whitmires’ residence. Ellie becomes less convinced that Julia killed herself as details emerge of a rape survivor blog linked to the case and threats against its anonymous author. The meticulous plotting, coupled with Ellie’s complicated evolution as a heroine, make this Burke’s strongest work to date."

Can I get a woot?!

Booklist agrees about all that meticulous plotting stuff, saying, "One of Burke’s trademarks is connecting disparate plotlines, which she does here in spades….Skillfully structured."

And I always appreciate the support of independent booksellers.  Hot off the presses from Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA: "Alafair Burke just gleams in the new Never Tell featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher on a case of suicide that gets very complicated. If I gave stars to a book it would be all of them to this masterpiece... Parenting, private school stresses, drug testing, family and many late twists and turns mean you should start this one only if you have time to finish it in one sitting. Masterful!

All this good news -- plus the noise coming into my apartment from the protests going on right now in Union Square Park -- persuade me that the husband and I should go out to dinner tonight to celebrate.  I hope you're doing something that makes you equally happy.

I also hope that you'll roll the dice on me by placing an order for your copy of NEVER TELL before it is published on June 19.  Your pre-order helps build buzz by telling retailers, book reviewers, and bestsellers lists that NEVER TELL has enthusiastic support from readers. And I know that I have the most supportive readers on the planet.

Although I can't send a personal gift to every person who pre-orders the novel, I will be giving away a complete, signed set of all of my novels (eight titles) to three lucky readers. To enter, just pre-order a copy of NEVER TELL from your favorite retailer by June 17, and then either e-mail your receipt to offer@alafairburke.com OR fill out this handy-dandy pre-order form by June 19.

Have a great day, and thanks, as every, for reading!

This year, three lucky readers who pre-order NEVER TELL will receive signed copies of all of my works - eight novels! To enter, just pre-order a copy of NEVER TELL from your favorite retailer by June 17, and then either e-mail your receipt to offer@alafairburke.com OR fill out this handy-dandy pre-order form by June 19.

If I draw your name, you'll win a basket full of Burke novels, signed by me (either signature only or inscribed to your preference). Okay, I might not actually find a basket strong enough to hold all those books. But you'll have the books. Signed. In a box. They'll look pretty on your shelf.

But I’d already looked into the piercing eyes beneath that furrowed brow and knew he and I were connected. My husband wasn’t my husband yet. We lived together. We knew we’d get married, but hadn’t bothered to set a date. Then we had this puppy, and somehow we were a family. We got married two months later on New Year's Eve.

I wanted to name the boy Stacy Keach. There was an obvious resemblance, and the idea of a dog named Stacy Keach (not Stacy, not Keach. Stacy Keach.) made me laugh. The soon to be husband didn’t get it. Fine, I said. Come up with something better.

Duffer. Like a bad golfer. Like Duff Man from the Simpsons. And it kind of sounded like Puppy, which is what we’d been calling Puppy for nearly a week.

But not Duffer. THE Duffer. He was special, after all.

The hardest part of loving The Duffer was knowing that, despite my crazy, unprecendented connection to him, he wasn’t really human. Absent some tragedy on my end, he’d have to go first.

This week, the day I’ve feared at some level since Halloween of 2005 came. Sooner than I expected, but as late as we could hope under the circumstances. The Duffer had a brain tumor. He got radiation last fall. He lived five extra, happy (extra-happy) months. We found out this week there were no more good days to be had.

As a good friend just wrote to me, “They live on in our hearts. He was a lovely little guy and he had a great life, and he was loved and cared for at the end. We should be so lucky.”

I will miss the Duffer, but find comfort in knowing that he never missed a thing. Thank you for letting me share him with you.

The Duffer: Breaking hearts until the very end

I don't actually have physical hats to mark these two roles, mind you.  But if I did, is there any doubt that the writer hat would look something like these:

The writer hat would involve great panache:

It really is amazing what one finds when one searches for "cats in hats" in Google images, a task that doesn't really seem to fall to either of my two metaphorical hats.

Anyway, I'm still around and hope you are too.  The site images will be updated soon,but the EVENTS page has been updated with the preliminary tour schedule here.

And here's the jacket for NEVER TELL.  What do you think?

This was the year when I published my first standalone thriller, LONG GONE.

With LONG GONE, my work earned its first appearances on the Today Show (“the one book you can't put down,”) NBC (“a page turner from a major talent,” courtesy of Harlan Coben), and the NY Times Art Section (“The strands are many, the plot stays brisk”).

This was also the first year when my work appeared in trade paperback, or was read by more readers as e-books than in hardback.  It's a whole new world out there.  (And doesn't 212 look all pretty and schnazzy with this trade paperback cover?)

2011 was also the year we launched the first (and hopefully annual) Duffer Awards.  We joked that Duffer had gone full-on Hollywood as he handed out statues in his own image.

If you missed the 2011 Duffer Awards, you can view the full list here.  Trust me.  It's worth the click.  It's worth a hundred and ten times the click.

In 2011, I also got to know a whole bunch of you better, thanks to Facebook and Twitter.

I'm looking forward to 2012, when the next Ellie Hatcher novel, called NEVER TELL, will be out in June.

In short, it has been a wonderful year, and I know that spectacular readers like you make it all happen.  I never know how to thank you, but Duffer volunteered for this utterly ridiculous holiday portrait.  I hope it makes you smile.

Happy Holidays!

It's enough to make a gal say Bah Hum Bug.

But as you may know by now, I avoid the crowds and take to the internet for my holiday shopping.  I thought it would be fun this year to ponder potential purchases (alliteration!) for Ellie Hatcher, Samantha Kincaid, and their respective crews.

The Ellie Hatcher Series	The Samantha Kincaid Series
To Jess, from your sister Ellie (not that this Brooklyn Blanket Chest is a hint that you should move your butt off my sofa and into Williamburg or anything.  No, not at all):Brooklyn Blanket Chest	To Chuck, from Samantha (with a strong hope that you will cook more often, and because I went to the mall at the very last minute and wound up with a sucky present.  Sorry.):Baby Carlos Apron
To Hatcher, from Rogan (Just my luck to draw your name in the squad's Secret Santa exchange. Try not to slop that nasty stuff you call food on this fine tee shirt.):Nutella Tee Shirt	To Samantha, Love Vinnie (Because I don't really understand the point of clothing but think everything should involve me.  And because I love you, Mommy.  Now feed me.  Snort.)
To Ellie, from your loving brother Jess, because you’re a little “psycho” but a lot of fun:Ducky Shower Curtain	To Vinnie, Love Chuck (Look, little man, I told you we'd be on like Donkey Kong if you wizzed on my Van Halen shirt) :

In my wildest dreams, I'd like to buy two of these cupcake cars for Ellie and Sam, just to see who would win in a race.  Hey, an author can dream.

More realistically, you might know someone who needs "Real Men Read Women" gear (31 different tee shirt colors, yo!).  Or how about "I Like Boys Who Read Books By Girls"?  All profits from this campaign benefit First Book, a non-profit dedicated to youth literacy.

And speaking of literacy, book stores need customer support these days, and just about anyone worth knowing loves to read.  Books also have tidy little corners, so they're much easier to wrap than, say, a cat:

Should you happen to need specific title suggestions, I heard that LONG GONE and 212 (in paperback) aren't bad.

I'll check in later for a proper holiday greeting.  For now, try not to get bloodied or bruised at the mall.