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Alafair Burke

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Alafair Burke

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Member Since
February 2011


Alafair Burke is the New York Times, Edgar-nominated author of fourteen crime novels, including The Ex, The Wife, The Better Sister, and the forthcoming Find Me. She is also the co-author of several novels with Mary Higgins Clark. A graduate of Stanford Law School and a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, Alafair is now a Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure.

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Alafair Burke In THE WIFE, a character in law enforcement notes the pattern that when one woman comes forward with a complaint of sexual abuse, others often come fo…moreIn THE WIFE, a character in law enforcement notes the pattern that when one woman comes forward with a complaint of sexual abuse, others often come forward as well. First, readers are mistaken to attribute statements by fictional characters to an author. I've had characters utter beliefs that I abhor. In this instance, however, the character's statement is an assertion of fact. It is a fact that nineteen women have accused the current President of sexual misconduct. The character in question, an experienced sex offense investigator, views those claims as part of a larger cultural and legal phenomenon. The same conversation--indeed, the entire novel--explores the trickier question of whether to believe those claims. And, to be clear, the initial complaint they are discussing is not of rape. It is, in fact, something that the criminal law would consider less serious than some of the acts alleged against the President.

One can choose not to believe the President's accusers, but to deny that the claims exist is, in my view, indefensible. If I lose readers by situating my fictional work in the actual, fact-based world, I can live with that.(less)
Alafair Burke Yes! THE EX, out on January 26, is a standalone, but I'm working on a Hatcher book right now. Well, not RIGHT now, because I'm writing the answer to t…moreYes! THE EX, out on January 26, is a standalone, but I'm working on a Hatcher book right now. Well, not RIGHT now, because I'm writing the answer to this question instead. But you know what I mean! Thanks for following the Hatcher books.(less)
Average rating: 3.86 · 365,746 ratings · 31,487 reviews · 62 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Wife

3.85 avg rating — 50,222 ratings — published 2018 — 53 editions
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The Better Sister

3.84 avg rating — 44,492 ratings — published 2019 — 34 editions
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The Ex

3.74 avg rating — 31,463 ratings — published 2016 — 42 editions
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Find Me (Ellie Hatcher, #6)

3.59 avg rating — 21,090 ratings — published 2022 — 26 editions
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The Note

3.43 avg rating — 20,544 ratings — published 2025
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Long Gone

3.69 avg rating — 9,869 ratings — published 2011 — 19 editions
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If You Were Here

3.55 avg rating — 9,033 ratings — published 2013
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Dead Connection (Ellie Hatc...

3.85 avg rating — 6,594 ratings — published 2007 — 38 editions
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Never Tell (Ellie Hatcher, #4)

3.80 avg rating — 6,537 ratings — published 2012 — 28 editions
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212 (Ellie Hatcher, #3)

3.82 avg rating — 5,926 ratings — published 2010 — 37 editions
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More books by Alafair Burke…

THE BETTER SISTER: Coming April 16

Alafair’s new novel, The Better Sister, will be released in the US on April 16th and in the UK on April 18th.  


The murder of a prominent Manhattan lawyer spurs the reunion of two estranged sisters—one the dead man’s widow, the other his ex. To save the teenage boy accused of murdering him, they must confront a history of long-buried secrets and betrayal. But can sisters ever escape the shadows of

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Published on February 18, 2019 15:09
Dead Connection Angel's Tip 212 Never Tell All Day and a Night
(5 books)
by
3.73 avg rating — 49,860 ratings

Judgment Calls Missing Justice Close Case
(3 books)
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3.81 avg rating — 7,901 ratings

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Alafair’s Recent Updates

Alafair Burke did not finish
Promise Me Never by Liv Constantine
Promise Me Never
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What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
Alafair Burke added a status update: Great news! THE NOTE is a finalist for #ClubCalvi, CBS NY’s book club. But I need YOUR VOTE to be the official pick for January. The winner is announced on the 14th—so exciting! So please share with everyone you know and some strangers too. Thanks for voting at this link: https://cbslocalcorp.wufoo.com/embed/...
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The Note by Alafair Burke
The Note
by Alafair Burke (Goodreads Author)
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The Note by Alafair Burke
The Note
by Alafair Burke (Goodreads Author)
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Alafair Burke answered Abigail Poole's question: Alafair Burke
Still to be determined! Glad to know there are readers who want to keep following Laurie and the crew.
More of Alafair's books…
Quotes by Alafair Burke  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“I get sad every time I hear a person say "I don't read." It's like saying "I don't learn," or "I don't laugh," or "I don't live.”
Alafair Burke

“A word of advice: if the sex is a pain in the ass, you’re doing it wrong.”
Alafair Burke, The Better Sister

“Cursing's for the uncreative. They say "Frack! on Battlestar Galactica, and everyone still knows what it means.”
Alafair Burke, Long Gone

Polls

Vote For One Book For June 2018

The Identicals The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand by Elin Hilderbrand
From New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, a summertime story about identical twins who couldn't be any less alike.

Nantucket is only two and a half hours away from Martha's Vineyard by ferry. But the two islands might as well be worlds apart for a set of identical twin sisters who have been at odds for years. When a family crisis forces them to band together — or at least appear to — the twins slowly come to realize that the special bond that they share is more important than the sibling rivalry that's driven them apart for the better part of their lives. A touching depiction of all the pleasures and annoyances of the sibling relationship, Elin Hilderbrand's next New York Times bestseller, THE IDENTICALS proves once and for all that just because twins look exactly the same doesn't mean they're anything alike.
 
  3 votes 33.3%

Digging In Digging In by Loretta Nyhan by Loretta Nyhan
In author Loretta Nyhan’s warm, witty, and wonderful novel, a widow discovers an unexpected chance to start over—right in her own backyard.

Paige Moresco found her true love in eighth grade—and lost him two years ago. Since his death, she’s been sleepwalking through life, barely holding on for the sake of her teenage son. Her house is a wreck, the grass is overrun with weeds, and she’s at risk of losing her job. As Paige stares at her neglected lawn, she knows she’s hit rock bottom. So she does something entirely unexpected: she begins to dig.
 
  2 votes 22.2%

The Secret Life of Violet Grant The Secret Life of Violet Grant (Schuyler Sisters #1) by Beatriz Williams by Beatriz Williams
Passion, redemption, and a battered suitcase full of secrets: the New York Times-bestselling author of A Hundred Summers returns with another engrossing tale.
 
  2 votes 22.2%

Love & Gelato Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch by Jenna Evans Welch

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.
 
  1 vote 11.1%

The Wife The Wife by Alafair Burke by Alafair Burke
His scandal. Her secret.

When Angela met Jason Powell while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling, like so many relationships between locals and summer visitors. To her surprise, Jason, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, had other plans, and they married the following summer. For Angela, the marriage turned out to be a chance to reboot her life. She and her son were finally able to move out of her mother’s home to Manhattan, where no one knew about her tragic past.
 
  1 vote 11.1%

The Perfect Couple The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand by Elin Hilderbrand
From New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, comes a novel about the many ways family can fill our lives with love...if they don't kill us first.

It's wedding season on Nantucket. The beautiful island is overrun with summer people--an annual source of aggravation for year-round residents. And that's not the only tension brewing offshore. When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin--with the bride-to-be discovered dead in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony--everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash digs into the best man, the maid of honor, the groom's famous mystery novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, the chief discovers that every wedding is a minefield--and no couple is perfect.
 
  0 votes 0.0%

9 total votes
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Seasonal Read...: By Blood or Marriage (25.2) 41 413 Aug 24, 2009 02:23PM  
Cozy Mysteries : Theme Read - August 2010 44 134 Sep 11, 2010 10:21AM  
The Mystery, Crim...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Winners Chosen: July/August 2011 Group Read 33 359 Jul 01, 2011 06:48PM  
The Next Best Boo...: Pepita - frequent flyer 109 412 Sep 11, 2011 04:07AM  
104509 Ask Alafair Burke - Tuesday, June 11th! — 73 members — last activity Jun 12, 2013 03:41AM
Join us on Tuesday, June 11th for a special discussion with author Alafair Burke! Alafair will be discussing her newest book If You Were Here. Be ...more
83510 Crime Detective Mystery Thriller Group — 2894 members — last activity Apr 19, 2026 06:08AM
This is a book club/group for ALL books about crime, mysteries, and thrillers. From romantic suspense, to pulp fiction, to cozy mysteries, british det ...more
Comments (showing 1-11)    post a comment »
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message 11: by Zoë

Zoë Sharp Hi Alafair. Lovely to catch up with you here. Hope life's treating you well and the writing's going splendidly :))


message 10: by Rick

Rick Reed Thanks for adding me Alafair. Congrats on Long Gone! Grand news.


message 9: by Linda

Linda Atnip Hi Alafair,

Thanks for accepting my friendship. I have really enjoyed reading your work, and would like to invite you to check out mine.

All best wishes,

Linda


Stuart Land Thank you for being my new friend, Alafair. Good timing too, as I'm on my second draft of my first crime thriller. Quite different than my other four paranormal books. I started in law at American University, but made the mistake of becoming a police officer, which, at that time, operated under two different codes of ethics. Since all my novels have strong female characters, I look forward to reading yours.


Lynette Barfield Hi Alafair. I just finished Long Gone and loved it. Keep up the good work. All I can say is ATTAGIRL!!!!!


Lynette Barfield Hi Alafair. Thanks for friending me. I have read almost everything your father has written, and when I discovered that you were a real person, not just a fictional daughter, and also an author, I began to read your books. I think your father is wonderfully gifted, and you seem to be following in his tradition. Keep up the good work.


Alafair Burke Hey everyone. I'm happy to be here. I just signed up today so am still figuring out how best to be in touch with readers through GoodReads. I'm always happy to find a spot dedicated to books!


message 4: by Rai

Rai Hi Alafair,

It's great to see you on Goodreads! I am honored to have you as a friend here.

Wishing you continued success... :)

~Rai


message 3: by Harry

Harry Shannon Howdy, good to see ya here. Does anyone still have free time to write?


message 2: by Beth

Beth Hi Alafair,
Thanks for befriending this fellow mystery author on Goodreads!


message 1: by Ed

Ed Thank you for the friend, add. I've enjoyed reading your books.

Best,

Ed


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