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Samantha Kincaid #3
Close Case
“Absorbing…Burke confidently lays out the procedural details.” —Publishers Weekly on Close Case Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid likes to be where the action at the scene of a crime, at the arrest of a suspect, with the cops on the Major Crimes Team. But when street smart, plugged-in reporter Percy Crenshaw is brutally murdered in the midst of pursuing a major story, she knows the stakes are high…Within days, cops have a suspect; then a confession. Yet Samantha suspects that something is very wrong, and her concerns keep coming back to the police. The cop who got the confession used tough tactics. The murdered reporter was romantically linked to a cop's wife. And all of the cops she's concerned about are close to her live-in boyfriend, Detective Chuck Forbes.Forced to prosecute a case in which the defendant may be an innocent man, Samantha must tread carefully to uncover the truth about Percy's murder -- without tearing her career, her home life, and the city apart. But just when she thinks her job can't get any more difficult, another more shocking crime comes to light...
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2005
248 people are currently reading
1376 people want to read
About the author
Alafair Burke
60 books5,646 followersAlafair 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
January 30, 2016
Another good entry in this series.
Burke again played fair, revealing the clues her MC uncovered, so readers could put them together in an effort to solve the crime themselves. I had most of it figured out before the end but had the players wrong.
This novel ended on something of an incomplete note, as if there are more Samantha Kincaid stories to come.
I hope that’s true.
Burke again played fair, revealing the clues her MC uncovered, so readers could put them together in an effort to solve the crime themselves. I had most of it figured out before the end but had the players wrong.
This novel ended on something of an incomplete note, as if there are more Samantha Kincaid stories to come.
I hope that’s true.
December 10, 2014
Fun to read, cute characters, but again an ending that doesn't quite tie all the loose ends together sufficiently. I will read more, I like Alafair Burke's prose style but I look forward to a more substantial piece.
March 9, 2022
Another good one!
July 29, 2025
Close Case by Alafair Burke is the third book of the Samantha Kincaid mystery/legal thriller series set in contemporary Portland, Oregon.
Samantha Kincaid is a Deputy District Attorney for Major Crimes Unit (MCU). She works closely with the Portland PD detectives on the Major Crimes Team (MCT). So closely, in fact, she lives with detective Chuck Forbes. He recently moved in, making their romantic relationship a candidate for permanency.
Still, the District Attorney's office goals are not perfectly aligned with the Police goals. DAs need trials to win, or to be "headed off at the pass" and plea-bargained prior to trial. Until the Percy case, this dichotomy hasn't been a problem in Sam's relationship with Chuck; but with this case, it is devastating.
He couldn’t help but wonder whether sources were mum because they had nothing to say or because they were nervous.
He’d given so much attention to the approach of other cars that he didn’t notice the feet step from the parking lot into the darkness of his carport.
Doing someone else’s work is bad enough, but this was mundane stupid busywork.
Lockworks, a hair salon owned by my very best friend, Grace Hannigan. Grace and I say we’re like the sisters we never had, even though she in fact has a screwed-up half sister who turns up occasionally for money. The day I pass up a call from Grace for run-of-the-mill work talk will be the day I officially deserve a smack upside my Lockworks-coiffed head.
One of the advantages of a best friendship is the license to be rude when necessary.
Percy kept personal mementos on his desk—as we all keep near us as tiny glimpses into the lives we are living.
Heidi stared at the first charts, for the month of January: There was definitely a pattern. In the numbers rows, S’s always outnumbered A’s. In the columns, the TOTALS were always the sum of the figures under B, L, W, and A, indicating that those letters marked a breakdown of the larger whole of whatever Percy was tracking. And the NEP charts always had more B’s and fewer L’s, W’s, and A’s than the EP charts. Now, if only she knew what the letters stood for.
And forget the model good looks; I run a minimum of twenty-five miles a week to remain only mildly dissatisfied with my body, and, for me, dressing up means wearing pantyhose and brushing my hair.
“See this red button here?” Chuck pointed to a button on the computerized terminal that was mounted to the dash. “If anything goes wrong, you push that button and you drive away, OK?” He began walking with the other detectives. “Wait,” I said. “What is it?” “It’s for an officer down.”
bend me over the sink for an X-rated interruption of my morning primp, then laugh when I surprised him with a wet willy
I snapped into serious skell-confronting mode. “Who am I? I, Mr. Hanks, am the prosecutor who’s going to make sure you just lived your last day of freedom.”
How could I tell him that—as much as I admired him for being a cop, and as much as I had almost refused to date him, precisely because he was a cop—I had never truly understood all that his job entailed? Did it make any sense at all that it took an empty police car, twenty minutes, and a little red button for me to understand the instinctual terror that he had to overcome on a daily basis? And if it did, could he possibly understand that for a second—just a second during those twenty minutes—I had selfishly regretted letting him move in with me?
You know you’ve become a trial attorney when you don’t think twice about a star witness who beats his wife. According to the rules of evidence, a witness’s prior convictions were admissible to impeach his credibility only if they were felonies or involved crimes of dishonesty.
Fredericks was a transplant from the Las Vegas Police Department and a rabid golf addict, despite the rain. We were on the same team for last year’s Guns, Gavels, and Gurneys tournament, the annual golf gala for cops, prosecutors, and medical examiners. I chalked up the win to John’s long drives and my wicked short game, but the sore losers accused us of cheating. Our unfair advantage? We played sober.
The arraignment deputy, Ben Bodie, was already at the prosecution’s table. Poor Ben. Rumor had it, he was smart as a whip and fearless in trial. He worked hard, but did so modestly and quietly. Not the way to get ahead in this office. So, instead of being fast-tracked into a felony trial unit, here he stood in the JC2 court. A talking monkey could handle JC2. Call the case, hand the clerk the charging instruments, read another lawyer’s log notes about the bail recommendation, and you’re done. OK, so maybe the arraignment monkey would need to read, too.
There’s only three possible sentences once a defendant’s convicted of aggravated murder: death, true life—which I’d already offered—and a life sentence with the possibility of parole after thirty years.
I had learned that there was only so much I could do as a prosecutor. Even a maximum sentence for the most serious charge does not bring back a murder victim or undo the indescribable damage of a sex offense, and many times I had to settle for far less. Sometimes it was because a jury convicted a defendant on a lesser charge. Other times, it was a result of plea negotiations brought on by doubts about the case. Lord knows I had to hold my nose during some of the deals I had brokered in MCU.
“Listen to us. You want to have sex, and I keep asking you if something’s wrong because you seem emotionally distant. Lord,” he said, looking up at the ceiling, “I am unworthy of the penis you so kindly granted me.”
What elected judge wants to be on the front page for suppressing a confession in the Percy Crenshaw case?
I’ve never known what exactly it is about running that cures my blues—the outside air, the elevated pulse, the rhythm of my stride, the feel of my feet hitting the pavement. Whatever it is, it works. By the end of a third mile, I can send any problem that was eating at me back into the bigger picture. I can visualize solutions. I can realize that even the worst-case scenario isn’t so bad. Sometimes, when the endorphins are pumping extra well, I can even find an upside.
Apparently, when you’re ninety years old, a fifteen-year gap is like a momentary time-out.
Could I really share my life with Chuck and still be good at my job? Could I be with him and still be me? I thanked my father for the visit
Percy was keeping track of the number of drug searches and arrests in each precinct, broken down by the race of the suspect.
"It’s important, you know, that the site of our first date still be open years from now.” He clinked his water glass against hers and smiled. Heidi didn’t know whether that was the best first-date opening line she’d ever heard or a reason to be wary. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt but to keep one eye open. Heidi was torn between believing she’d found the man she was going to marry or the cheesiest chick magnet on the planet.
I didn’t have the energy for the debate they were having over who was worse: the organized criminals or the cops who turned a blind eye.
Samantha Kincaid is a Deputy District Attorney for Major Crimes Unit (MCU). She works closely with the Portland PD detectives on the Major Crimes Team (MCT). So closely, in fact, she lives with detective Chuck Forbes. He recently moved in, making their romantic relationship a candidate for permanency.
Still, the District Attorney's office goals are not perfectly aligned with the Police goals. DAs need trials to win, or to be "headed off at the pass" and plea-bargained prior to trial. Until the Percy case, this dichotomy hasn't been a problem in Sam's relationship with Chuck; but with this case, it is devastating.
He couldn’t help but wonder whether sources were mum because they had nothing to say or because they were nervous.
He’d given so much attention to the approach of other cars that he didn’t notice the feet step from the parking lot into the darkness of his carport.
Doing someone else’s work is bad enough, but this was mundane stupid busywork.
Lockworks, a hair salon owned by my very best friend, Grace Hannigan. Grace and I say we’re like the sisters we never had, even though she in fact has a screwed-up half sister who turns up occasionally for money. The day I pass up a call from Grace for run-of-the-mill work talk will be the day I officially deserve a smack upside my Lockworks-coiffed head.
One of the advantages of a best friendship is the license to be rude when necessary.
Percy kept personal mementos on his desk—as we all keep near us as tiny glimpses into the lives we are living.
Heidi stared at the first charts, for the month of January: There was definitely a pattern. In the numbers rows, S’s always outnumbered A’s. In the columns, the TOTALS were always the sum of the figures under B, L, W, and A, indicating that those letters marked a breakdown of the larger whole of whatever Percy was tracking. And the NEP charts always had more B’s and fewer L’s, W’s, and A’s than the EP charts. Now, if only she knew what the letters stood for.
And forget the model good looks; I run a minimum of twenty-five miles a week to remain only mildly dissatisfied with my body, and, for me, dressing up means wearing pantyhose and brushing my hair.
“See this red button here?” Chuck pointed to a button on the computerized terminal that was mounted to the dash. “If anything goes wrong, you push that button and you drive away, OK?” He began walking with the other detectives. “Wait,” I said. “What is it?” “It’s for an officer down.”
bend me over the sink for an X-rated interruption of my morning primp, then laugh when I surprised him with a wet willy
I snapped into serious skell-confronting mode. “Who am I? I, Mr. Hanks, am the prosecutor who’s going to make sure you just lived your last day of freedom.”
How could I tell him that—as much as I admired him for being a cop, and as much as I had almost refused to date him, precisely because he was a cop—I had never truly understood all that his job entailed? Did it make any sense at all that it took an empty police car, twenty minutes, and a little red button for me to understand the instinctual terror that he had to overcome on a daily basis? And if it did, could he possibly understand that for a second—just a second during those twenty minutes—I had selfishly regretted letting him move in with me?
You know you’ve become a trial attorney when you don’t think twice about a star witness who beats his wife. According to the rules of evidence, a witness’s prior convictions were admissible to impeach his credibility only if they were felonies or involved crimes of dishonesty.
Fredericks was a transplant from the Las Vegas Police Department and a rabid golf addict, despite the rain. We were on the same team for last year’s Guns, Gavels, and Gurneys tournament, the annual golf gala for cops, prosecutors, and medical examiners. I chalked up the win to John’s long drives and my wicked short game, but the sore losers accused us of cheating. Our unfair advantage? We played sober.
The arraignment deputy, Ben Bodie, was already at the prosecution’s table. Poor Ben. Rumor had it, he was smart as a whip and fearless in trial. He worked hard, but did so modestly and quietly. Not the way to get ahead in this office. So, instead of being fast-tracked into a felony trial unit, here he stood in the JC2 court. A talking monkey could handle JC2. Call the case, hand the clerk the charging instruments, read another lawyer’s log notes about the bail recommendation, and you’re done. OK, so maybe the arraignment monkey would need to read, too.
There’s only three possible sentences once a defendant’s convicted of aggravated murder: death, true life—which I’d already offered—and a life sentence with the possibility of parole after thirty years.
I had learned that there was only so much I could do as a prosecutor. Even a maximum sentence for the most serious charge does not bring back a murder victim or undo the indescribable damage of a sex offense, and many times I had to settle for far less. Sometimes it was because a jury convicted a defendant on a lesser charge. Other times, it was a result of plea negotiations brought on by doubts about the case. Lord knows I had to hold my nose during some of the deals I had brokered in MCU.
“Listen to us. You want to have sex, and I keep asking you if something’s wrong because you seem emotionally distant. Lord,” he said, looking up at the ceiling, “I am unworthy of the penis you so kindly granted me.”
What elected judge wants to be on the front page for suppressing a confession in the Percy Crenshaw case?
I’ve never known what exactly it is about running that cures my blues—the outside air, the elevated pulse, the rhythm of my stride, the feel of my feet hitting the pavement. Whatever it is, it works. By the end of a third mile, I can send any problem that was eating at me back into the bigger picture. I can visualize solutions. I can realize that even the worst-case scenario isn’t so bad. Sometimes, when the endorphins are pumping extra well, I can even find an upside.
Apparently, when you’re ninety years old, a fifteen-year gap is like a momentary time-out.
Could I really share my life with Chuck and still be good at my job? Could I be with him and still be me? I thanked my father for the visit
Percy was keeping track of the number of drug searches and arrests in each precinct, broken down by the race of the suspect.
"It’s important, you know, that the site of our first date still be open years from now.” He clinked his water glass against hers and smiled. Heidi didn’t know whether that was the best first-date opening line she’d ever heard or a reason to be wary. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt but to keep one eye open. Heidi was torn between believing she’d found the man she was going to marry or the cheesiest chick magnet on the planet.
I didn’t have the energy for the debate they were having over who was worse: the organized criminals or the cops who turned a blind eye.
Read
July 25, 2009Close Case, by Alafair Burke, B-plus, narrated by Betty Bobbitt, produced by Bolinda Publishing, downloaded from audible.com.
This is a Samantha (Sam) Kincaid mystery. Kincaid has move back to Portland, Oregon from New York City and is working for the prosecutor’s office. She has moved in with chuck, her highschool sweetheart and newly rekindled romance. But they have conflicts right away, Chuck is a homicide detective and not always on the same page as the prosecutors, and his partner, Mike is kind of a hothead who doesn’t always follow the rules. An African-American activist had been shot by a White policeman who claimed she drew a gun, which the community did not believe. She died, and there was much conflict and many protests. The policeman was being investigated and the prosecutor’s office was bringing him before a grand jury. This became Sam’s case and did not endear her to her police cohorts. Then a very activist African-American reporter was bludgeoned to death in the car port of his apartment building. Two boys were arrested who initially confessed, but the confession became suspect. This is a case involving Sam’s emotional connections to Chuck and other policemen, and the cases she must win. A very good book, if you’re a lawyer or like legal thrillers, which I do.
This is a Samantha (Sam) Kincaid mystery. Kincaid has move back to Portland, Oregon from New York City and is working for the prosecutor’s office. She has moved in with chuck, her highschool sweetheart and newly rekindled romance. But they have conflicts right away, Chuck is a homicide detective and not always on the same page as the prosecutors, and his partner, Mike is kind of a hothead who doesn’t always follow the rules. An African-American activist had been shot by a White policeman who claimed she drew a gun, which the community did not believe. She died, and there was much conflict and many protests. The policeman was being investigated and the prosecutor’s office was bringing him before a grand jury. This became Sam’s case and did not endear her to her police cohorts. Then a very activist African-American reporter was bludgeoned to death in the car port of his apartment building. Two boys were arrested who initially confessed, but the confession became suspect. This is a case involving Sam’s emotional connections to Chuck and other policemen, and the cases she must win. A very good book, if you’re a lawyer or like legal thrillers, which I do.
July 10, 2013
REALLY liked this one, but wish I hadn't started with the third in the Samantha Kincaid series, but whatever...just requested 3 more of hers from the library, and have one at home, so I am in the midst of that lovely delight that happens when you find a new author and realize there are a BUNCH of books you haven't read by an author you enjoy, YAY!!
Protagonist good, mystery itself good, plot strong, characterizations good, nothing really that was anything but good!
Protagonist good, mystery itself good, plot strong, characterizations good, nothing really that was anything but good!
July 23, 2015
#3 in the Samantha Kincaid series - Samantha is a Portland ADA.
Samantha Kincaid is assigned to the homicide of investigative reporter Percy Crenshaw. Leads point to racism and dirty cops. Samantha also has to take over a case for a disabled ADA, a police officer shot a black woman at a traffic stop. The two cases cause friction between her and her Major Crimes Team officers. Chuck Forbes moves in, and out.
Samantha Kincaid is assigned to the homicide of investigative reporter Percy Crenshaw. Leads point to racism and dirty cops. Samantha also has to take over a case for a disabled ADA, a police officer shot a black woman at a traffic stop. The two cases cause friction between her and her Major Crimes Team officers. Chuck Forbes moves in, and out.
August 31, 2013
I really enjoyed the first two Samantha Kincaid books but unlike some other reviewers, I felt this one fell short. The ending was rushed and I had to go back over it to try to see what had really happened. Perhaps it was a sorry statement on the relationship between the police department and the district attorney's office but in this novel we are rather left hanging.
October 12, 2016
Enjoyable is probably not the usual word to describe a legal murder mystery. Samantha Kincaid is a gutsy heroine with grown-up problems--her boyfriend as a police officer with his job demands does not always mesh with her district DA job demands. They're supposed to be on the same side. If their are rotten cops, what happens?
March 23, 2015
First read of this character after reading Alafair NY detective series. Here the roles are reversed as the boy friend is now a cop and she is the attorney. For me the ending falls apart has too many bad guys get involved.
September 1, 2007
This wasn't my favorite, although I enjoyed the other two Samantha Kincaid.
December 7, 2016
too much going on, and nothing that exciting.
February 15, 2017
Longwinded
December 30, 2017
The last of the Samantha Kinkaid trilogy though with an open-ended finale there is always the possibility that Sam may some day reappear in the Burke collection. This is certainly the best of the three books--the author improved with each one. In this several seemingly unrelated crimes fall into Samantha's lap. The first is the brutal beating to death of the chief crime reporter for The Oregonian. Seems to be a random meth induced attack by a couple of teen hoodlums wanting to take guys Mercedes for a spin. In very quick time, the kids are arrested and, with a little extra pressure from a NYPD transplant, a confession is obtained. An eyewitness has made a statement and a bloody baseball bat is recovered from a dumpster close to one of the perps homes. A slam dunk for sure. Not so fast, guys!
The other is the strange case of a cop shooting an unarmed black woman whom he claims tried to run him over after a routine traffic stop. A political hot cake in these days but, once more, on the surface though some questions arise, it would appear the cop acted responsibly in self defense. Another slam dunk--right?
Well, if things were so easily solved there would be no story to fill over 300 enjoyable pages, filled with inconsistencies, second guesses, new evidence, and a young reporter hoping to make her chops by following up on cryptic notes left behind by the murdered investigative reporter. Through it all, Sam and her now live in boyfriend, the cop and childhood sweetheart, try to keep love alive as they find themselves on opposite sides when it comes to the investigation of his partner, Mike and his best friend, another cop whose wife had been having an affair with the reporter. Complications all around. But, as with all good stories, everything falls into place in the end even if not all the results are satisfactory.
The other is the strange case of a cop shooting an unarmed black woman whom he claims tried to run him over after a routine traffic stop. A political hot cake in these days but, once more, on the surface though some questions arise, it would appear the cop acted responsibly in self defense. Another slam dunk--right?
Well, if things were so easily solved there would be no story to fill over 300 enjoyable pages, filled with inconsistencies, second guesses, new evidence, and a young reporter hoping to make her chops by following up on cryptic notes left behind by the murdered investigative reporter. Through it all, Sam and her now live in boyfriend, the cop and childhood sweetheart, try to keep love alive as they find themselves on opposite sides when it comes to the investigation of his partner, Mike and his best friend, another cop whose wife had been having an affair with the reporter. Complications all around. But, as with all good stories, everything falls into place in the end even if not all the results are satisfactory.
October 13, 2018
This is not the first Alafair Burke novel that I have read, but I would say not the best effort that I have read from the author.
On the plus side, there is good attention to detail on the technical aspects of the legal and law enforcement cultures. The protagonists are generally likeable characters....human beings with real, believable flaws who are generally trying to do the right things. The storyline is reasonably inventive and well-developed.
Now, a few negatives. The overall story line has a few spots where it is formulaic and a bit contrived. Some of the secondary character development was stodgy, thin and prosaic. Conclusion was a bit predictable. Although there were enough twists and turns to be led on a bit of a chase as the reader, it still was a bit too thinly layered to warrant a higher review from me.
Will I stop reading Alafair Burke? No. Was I a bit underwhelmed by this effort? Yes.
On the plus side, there is good attention to detail on the technical aspects of the legal and law enforcement cultures. The protagonists are generally likeable characters....human beings with real, believable flaws who are generally trying to do the right things. The storyline is reasonably inventive and well-developed.
Now, a few negatives. The overall story line has a few spots where it is formulaic and a bit contrived. Some of the secondary character development was stodgy, thin and prosaic. Conclusion was a bit predictable. Although there were enough twists and turns to be led on a bit of a chase as the reader, it still was a bit too thinly layered to warrant a higher review from me.
Will I stop reading Alafair Burke? No. Was I a bit underwhelmed by this effort? Yes.
October 24, 2025
This earns two stars from me.
The novel left me cold, favoring relationship drama over the courtroom intensity I craved. In Portland, Oregon, a white cop shoots a black woman, igniting a firestorm of racial tension. Protests flare, and the stakes soar when an unknown assailant crushes a black reporter’s skull while he probes drug dealer arrest disparities across precincts. Heidi Hatmaker, a new journalist at the paper, deciphers the reporter’s code and races to complete his story.
The police extract a confession for the reporter’s murder, but their dubious tactics raise questions about its validity.
A slew of characters, sometimes confusing, bogged me down. Samantha’s constant bickering with her cop boyfriend wore me out quickly.
Still, Burke’s crisp, polished writing saves the day, earning this book its second star. Her prose flows smoothly, never clunky or amateurish. Even if the plot falls flat, her skill ensures your time feels well spent.
The novel left me cold, favoring relationship drama over the courtroom intensity I craved. In Portland, Oregon, a white cop shoots a black woman, igniting a firestorm of racial tension. Protests flare, and the stakes soar when an unknown assailant crushes a black reporter’s skull while he probes drug dealer arrest disparities across precincts. Heidi Hatmaker, a new journalist at the paper, deciphers the reporter’s code and races to complete his story.
The police extract a confession for the reporter’s murder, but their dubious tactics raise questions about its validity.
A slew of characters, sometimes confusing, bogged me down. Samantha’s constant bickering with her cop boyfriend wore me out quickly.
Still, Burke’s crisp, polished writing saves the day, earning this book its second star. Her prose flows smoothly, never clunky or amateurish. Even if the plot falls flat, her skill ensures your time feels well spent.
August 16, 2020
Close Case got off to what seemed a good start. Even though the book was written in 2005, it could have been written right now (2020). A murder takes place in Portland Oregon while the city is occupied with demonstrations against a white cop killing a black woman at a traffic stop.
I've read a number of Alafair Burke's mysteries and really enjoyed some of them. Why was this one just a two star "it was ok" for me? Maybe it was too edgy with flawed central characters. I guess it boils down to being a pretty good mystery, but too much of the story centered around the rocky relationship between District Attorney Samantha Kincaid and her cop boyfriend. Perhaps if I had read the earlier books in the series, I might have understood and liked these two main characters better.
I've read a number of Alafair Burke's mysteries and really enjoyed some of them. Why was this one just a two star "it was ok" for me? Maybe it was too edgy with flawed central characters. I guess it boils down to being a pretty good mystery, but too much of the story centered around the rocky relationship between District Attorney Samantha Kincaid and her cop boyfriend. Perhaps if I had read the earlier books in the series, I might have understood and liked these two main characters better.
May 24, 2020
Tensions are high and loyalties are tested as Deputy DA Sam Kincaid gets embroiled in the murder of an investigative journalist a week after a policeman shoots an unarmed woman. This story was reminiscent of The Wire, weaving drugs, corruption, threats and shootings as those conspiring seek to massage the situation and stop the truth from being exposed. It feels like Alafair Burke has really hit her stride with this third book in the series - the main and recurring characters have settled nicely and the legal chess games are a fresh as ever. 🎧 Another great performance by Betty Bobbitt!
June 29, 2022
Samantha Kincaid finds herself at odds with the police force plus her police officer lover. The story line is timely with the shooting of a black woman motorist by an officer. Then an African American reporter is murdered by ( according to the police ) two young men after a violent protest. A young reporter believes Percy was killed because of a story he was writing. Unfortunately he put most of his notes in a personal code. Slowly the two women find the truth. I always enjoy Alafair Burke's writing ( also her father's ). Kristi & Abby Tabby
July 4, 2022
As someone with some knowledge of the world Samantha Kincaid tries to navigate, the authenticity of this spoke to me. Especially the end- I've read some reviews that call the ending incomplete but I think I get it. There's hope for the romantics. But for those of us who know just how difficult the relationship is between cops and lawyers who favor justice, there's perhaps a breath of hope that Sam will find someone with whom she can do the right thing without worrying about the impact on her partner. And his friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2019
I read the Samantha Kincaid books in order and they steadily improved, although I enjoyed all of them. I live in Oregon, so I especially enjoyed the local references.
Burke is good at weaving together several apparently unrelated stories and she's good at capturing what it's like to work as an attorney in public service, particularly in the criminal justice arena. I know, I've been practicing since 1983.
Burke is good at weaving together several apparently unrelated stories and she's good at capturing what it's like to work as an attorney in public service, particularly in the criminal justice arena. I know, I've been practicing since 1983.
June 28, 2017
I really love this series but I think this is the last one in the series...which is a huge bummer! I really appreciate how the author informs her readers about both law enforcement and the legal processes behind the scenes. I found myself a little choked up by the end and I need her to write another book in the series because Samantha and Chuck should be together!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2017
An excellent Samantha Kincaid story as she investigates the murder of a reporter. The mystery is a good one, but I disliked all the twaddle about her boyfriend's and her feelings. Just kick the bum out and do your usual good job. She did the good job but the jerk boyfriend removed himself. Recommended.
March 3, 2018
Another great mystery by Alafair Burke. I love this "Samantha " series. There's a murder of a reporter, a drive by shooting, and a woman in a car is killed. Drugs, cover ups, bad cops. There's alot of false moves, alot of suspects. It all comes together perfectly with several twists and turns. A very interesting read.
January 4, 2019
Book 3 in the series might be the best. You'll learn a lot about how the legal system works (worked, but probably still does) in Portland, Oregon. I like Alafair Burke's writing more than her father's (James Lee Burke) because it's a bit more down-to-earth (less poetic and gets to the point faster), but always, you have to pay attention to the detail. It's not quite "light" reading.
April 17, 2022
Published in 2005, this Samantha Kincaid thriller isn't the most polished as the author's later books, but it was good. The plot involves the murder of a well-known reporter and district attorney Kincaid works on the investigation. She becomes aware of what he had been researching that may have caused the murder. I'm from the Portland, Oregon area and loved all the local references.
January 9, 2018
I was a little disappointed in this book, and I normally love Alafair's books. There were too many characters and made it hard to keep up with the ones who weren't the major players. I was also disappointed in the ending! I will still anxiously await Alafair's new books to come.
November 29, 2018
The mystery novel is a bit of a mess. It's hard to follow and the ending is a total wreck. The author doesn't seem to care much for beginnings and endings, or whether the read can follow. It's not a satisfying read.
May 31, 2019
I was a little disappointed in this story, I found it hard to follow because everyone's names were so similar. It was hard to keep track of who was doing what to who. I had to keep going back to follow.
August 3, 2019
The book was great till the end. The end was confusing and it didn't tie everything together. Left you unfulfilled.
I am a fan of Alasdair Burke and have read a lot of her book. Sometimes her endings are head scratchers.
I am a fan of Alasdair Burke and have read a lot of her book. Sometimes her endings are head scratchers.
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