Source: TLC Book Tours
If You Were Here by Alafair Burke
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 384 (paperback)
Author's Website | Twitter | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo
Description:
Magazine journalist McKenna Wright is chasing the latest urban folktale-the story of an unidentified woman who heroically pulled a teenaged boy from the subway tracks, seconds before an oncoming train. When McKenna locates a short video snippet that purportedly captures part of the incident, she thinks she has an edge on the competition scrambling to identify the mystery heroine.My Rating:
She is shocked to discover that the woman in the video bears a strong resemblance to Susan Hauptmann, a close friend who disappeared without a trace a decade earlier. Investigating her disappearance, the NYPD concluded that the nomadic Susan-forced by her father into an early military life, floundering as an adult for a fixed identity-simply left town to start over again somewhere else.
But McKenna has always believed the truth went deeper than the police investigation ever reached, and sees Susan's resurfacing as a sign that she wants to be found. Yet when she shares the image with her husband, Patrick, who was Susan's classmate at West Point, he isn't convinced.
What would have been a short-lived metro story sends McKenna on a dangerous search for the missing woman, a twisting journey through New York City that will force her to unearth long-buried truths much closer to home-to her own husband, who seems to know much more about Susan than McKenna could have ever imagined...
My Review: Just as journalist McKenna Wright's life settles down after the scandal that cost her a career as a lawyer and her job as a prosecutor, she sees a picture of a woman she recognizes. The thriller begins as McKenna first sets out to prove that the mysterious woman is indeed her missing friend. But her friend has gone missing and someone wants her to stay that way. Soon the strings start to unravel and McKenna finds that things are connected in strange and interesting ways. McKenna continues her search for answers but doesn't know where to turn or who to trust. Even those who love her the most try to keep her in the dark. McKenna knows things aren't as they seem but this age-old mystery is one she can't walk away from again.
I've definitely become a life-long fan of Ms. Alafair Burke. This is my second read by this author and I simply love her style. I love how everything is connected and the twists and turns kept me interested. Ms. Burke's experience within the legal world is obvious and I her writing is so authentic. I didn't love McKenna and I felt the mystery and connecting threads were a bit of a stretch. Though I enjoyed where the story went more than the original premise of the missing best friend. I wanted to see more of the relationship between McKenna and her husband. I didn't want to simply hear about the relationship through her memories and personal feelings. I wanted to see them interact with each other more. I wanted to feel the chemistry.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I previously read Never Tell and enjoyed it a bit more, but I am in love with Ms. Burke's writing. I'll likely give anything she writes a try.
