If You Were Here

Starred review from April 1, 2013
Burke’s outstanding stand-alone suspense novel, her second after 2011’s Long Gone, stars appealing (if impulsive) McKenna Jordan, a New York City journalist whose stint covering the DA’s office ended in a maelstrom of media indignation when she falsely accused a cop of planting a gun. McKenna’s investigation into the story of an unidentified woman who singlehandedly pulled a teenager from the subway tracks takes an unexpected turn. Grainy video footage of the incident reveals that the heroic woman uncannily resembles McKenna’s old friend Susan Hauptmann, a gregarious West Point grad whose mysterious disappearance 10 years earlier has haunted McKenna. The stakes rise as McKenna moves from chasing the story du jour to chasing a long-buried truth—revisiting the character of the woman she thought she knew as well as the controversial case that discredited her. Burke succeeds in making Susan plausible as a woman who is charming and complex enough to warrant McKenna hurling herself into an inquiry that threatens her journalistic credibility, her relationship with her husband, and possibly her life. Burke’s accuracy in legal and judicial technicalities is impressive although most readers will find simpler pleasures in her sharp writing, well-constructed plot, and dimensional characters. Agent: Philip Spitzer, the Philip Spitzer Literary Agency.

May 15, 2013

A woman single-handedly saves the life of a young baseball star after he falls onto a subway track, and all of New York City is talking. When journalist McKenna Jordan discovers cell phone footage of the rescue, she is shocked to see that the heroic mystery woman bears a striking resemblance to a friend who disappeared a decade earlier. McKenna's obsession with finding the subway hero uncovers memories and unanswered questions from a time in her life she'd rather forget. A string of bad luck and accusations are not enough to dissuade McKenna from finding the truth. Alone and discredited, she continues to seek answers and piece together a story that will ultimately change the past. VERDICT A break from Burke's Ellie Hatcher series (Never Tell; Angel's Tip), her new stand-alone delivers a cleverly nuanced plot that will keep the pages turning. Her smart writing is fast-paced and engaging, and this book should appeal to most mystery readers, especially those looking for compelling, intelligent story lines. Despite a somewhat drawn-out, complicated ending, the overall reading experience is a delight. [See Prepub Alert, 12/14/12.]--Vicki Briner, City Coll. Lib., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Burke opts for a different spin on the thrillers she usually produces, featuring a new heroine, former assistant district attorney turned journalist McKenna Jordan. McKenna is in a pretty nice place these days: She has a handsome former West Pointer for a husband, a great job as a feature writer for a New York-based magazine and hints of a book deal based on a story she wrote. All she has to do is decide what story to write for the magazine's next issue, which she soon accomplishes by tapping out a complicated 4,000-word investigative piece in a mere two hours. But McKenna has baggage, and every once in a while, it comes back to haunt her. A few years ago, as a former assistant district attorney, she prosecuted a case in which a police officer killed a kid who was armed. After researching the weapon, she uncovered evidence that it should have been destroyed years prior; her revelations set off a controversy that torpedoed her legal career and led to her new one as a journalist. Now, it looks like she's embarking on another story that could also have life-changing effects. That story involves a woman that both McKenna and her husband, Patrick, have known for years. Susan Hauptmann, a West Pointer herself, mysteriously disappeared a decade ago, but when McKenna spots a woman who closely resembles Susan in a shaky video taken in a subway, she jumps on the trail. Soon she is up to her neck in subterfuge and lies, and she starts wondering if even the people to whom she's closest are telling her the truth. While the first half of the book builds reader anticipation, the second half bogs down in a hopelessly complicated plot that harbors false ending after false ending. A frustrating read with too many West Point facts and an ending that just won't end.

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May 1, 2013
Burke seems less confident in this book than she was in Long Gone (2011), her previous stand-alone thriller. Where Alice Humphreys came off as strong and directed in the earlier novel, New Yorker McKenna Wright seems insecure, much less comfortable in her skin. Plotting, too, is a little less focused than usual for Burke, whose Detective Ellie Hatcher series has earned accolades for character development and tightly controlled plotting. Even so, Burke manages to deliver some exciting moments here, as lawyer-turned-journalist McKenna finds her life turned upside down when she recognizes a friend from her college years who disappeared without a trace a decade before on a video of a near-tragedy on the subway. At the same time, McKenna's career takes a devastating hit when evidence turns up that compromising e-mails she used in an article about a judge originated not from the public but from her own computer. Stubborn curiosity about her friend and anger about unjust accusations propel McKenna forward into what others assert is ridiculously wild speculation. Not Burke's best, but still a solid thriller that will engage her growing audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)