The Ex: A Novel by Alafair Burke (Epub)

Description

Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when Jack’s world falls apart.

Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide—and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder—there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him—and why?

For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets, to absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him?

User’s Reviews

Review “Riveting.” — Entertainment Weekly“Burke tells a compelling legal thriller that will have readers baffled until the final reveal…. Burke knows how to write, and Olivia Randall is one of her most authentic characters. No one would object if this is the start of a new series.” — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers“Intriguing, suspenseful, compelling, insightful, surprising, and thoroughly satisfying ― The Ex is a great read.” — Chris Pavone, The Accident and The Expats“Strong characters and a plot that’s handled deftly, despite its complexities, show Burke at the top of her game here. This is a compelling legal thriller with a strong emotional component grounded in a solid rational base, with a final twist to boot.” — Library Journal, starred review“Riveting…. Burke’s protagonist, Olivia Randall, is a complicated woman with legal skills to match the Lincoln Lawyer…. Olivia proves she’s at the top of her game as a criminal defense attorney. And with her pacey plot and fascinating characters, Burke proves she’s at the top of hers.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel“With an all-too-real mass shooting in a richly-observed Manhattan as its springboard, The Ex is an expertly crafted, intricately woven novel that is as emotionally complex as it is riveting.” — Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her“Enjoyable…. There’s a great and satisfying surprise…. Worth the time.” — USA Today, three stars“Features smooth, engaging writing; a sharp, funny edge; and characters worth investing in. Burke has created some memorable female protagonists over the years, but Olivia might be the cream of the crop.” — Kirkus“Gripping…. Olivia makes an appealingly bold protagonist…. Burke keeps the suspense high throughout, prying open mysteries of relationships and perception.” — Publishers Weekly“Briskly told and packed with plot, The Ex rocks. . . . A nifty bit of fine suspense.” — New York Journal of Books“Superb…. Equal measures superlative mystery and crack courtroom thriller reminiscent of the great John Lescroart or the William Diehl classic “Primal Fear.” We literally never know what’s coming next, putty in Burke’s devilishly adept hands as she shapes a wholly satisfying and brilliantly constructed whiz bang of a tale.” — Providence Journal“A deeply wrought, emotional story that transcends the crime at its core. This is perhaps her best work to date.” — Strand“This thought-provoking novel is brilliantly crafted, with a compelling and complex plot.” — Bookreporter.com“Burke’s female characters are always very involving, with big, strong voices.” — Gillian Flynn“A major talent.” — Harlan Coben“Burke’s novels always deliver and constantly surprise. They’re both addictive and utterly rewarding.” — Megan Abbott“Superb…. Burke delivers a multi-layered plot that explores relationships and manipulation in a rich character study…. Anyone who has a former boyfriend―or girlfriend―will be able to relate to Olivia’s situation…. “The Ex” doesn’t let up until the final, believable twist.” — Florida Sun-Sentinel –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap Twenty years ago she ruined his life.Now she has the chance to save it.Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide–and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder three years earlier–there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is, who would go to such great lengths to frame him–and why?For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets and absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him?–Chris Pavone, The Accident and The Expats –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ I like this author, and have enjoyed her other books. She’s a good writer, her characters are realistic, and I like her twists and takes on things.This book started out compelling and interesting to me. But about halfway through, I started getting weary of the legalese and other aspects of the case. I mean, I get it, that’s the main story, but it got tedious to me. I figured out “whodunnit” very early on; maybe that’s the reason I got tired of all the legalities and “did he do it … no … yes … maybe …” circles that went round and round. It was hard for me to believe that the two very intelligent and insightful women, and investigators, didn’t think of it. I ended up skipping to the end just to see if I was right. I was.It’s not a terrible book, just not one I wanted to continue reading. I guess I wasn’t invested in the characters enough to keep caring, once I knew where it was heading.On a sidenote, and this is not the author’s fault, nor did it affect my rating … for the love of all things holy, can we please stop with every book being the next Gone Girl or Girl On A Train? PLEASE. It’s run its course, ok, whomever writes book blurbs? Enough.

⭐ To me this is what a mystery/suspense novel should be. The characters are recognizable, if not always likeable – just like real people. I especially enjoyed the evolution of Olivia, the main character in the book. This story is somewhat complicated and yet what makes it so wonderful is that it is not so complicated that you lose track of what is going on. Some books have so much extraneous information that it only confuses the reader. This is perfectly balanced with the past history of these characters meshing seamlessly with the current situation. The information that is given propels the story, doesn’t confuse it. There are twists and turns but not in at all in a gimmicky way and the ending is laid out very logically and well paced. There are several “now I get it” moments that are especially gratifying. The solution of the mystery becomes obvious to the reader just about the same time Olivia figures it out. I enjoy the suspense of not knowing – in some books it is obvious early on and that is disappointing. I always enjoy Alafair’s books but this one is outstanding. I highly recommend it.

⭐ This is the second Alafair Burke book that I have read (first that I read was “The Wife,” although “The Ex” was written first) and she is becoming one of my favorite authors! The Ex is a mystery. Like Tana French, Burke has carried forward a character from one book into her next book. The books are not directly connected, however. In this book, Olivia Randall is the common thread character. I love this technique. It is a link but not a story direct link. The reader gets attached to a character and then gets to take a peak at their life later.Olivia, lawyer extradonair, gets a phone call from an ex’s daughter, Buckley. Buckley calls for help for her Dad, Jack Harris. It seems Jack is under arrest in a shooting. Throughout the book, Olivia is torn because she is not sure she can believe Jack’s innocence. Pieces of their former relationship are revealed and the reader gets the feeling that Jack may not be what he seems. At the same time, Olivia’s point of view may not be not be rock solid either. Olivia’s humor is particularly fun. The police and lawyer procedural side of the book is interesting as well contrasting legal wrangling with the investigation side of the equation. The writing is well-paced and extrmely entertaining. I loved the ending and look forward to her next novel.

⭐ When Olivia Randall discovers that her ex-fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for murder, the old guilt that has plagued her since their break-up twenty years before is driving her when she agrees to represent him.Sad and tragic events have followed Jack around ever since they were together. His father’s death, his brother Owen’s death…and then his wife Molly, who was a victim of the shooter at Penn Station a few years earlier. The boy who killed her and other victims was the son of a man named Malcolm Neeley, a man who failed to get help for his obviously disturbed son.When a lawsuit against Malcolm Neeley failed, did Jack find another way to punish him? Did he kill the man indirectly responsible for Molly’s death? How did the deaths of two other victims figure into it all?Olivia initially believed that someone tried to frame Jack, and the story he tells about why he was near the scene seemed perfectly credible, but was there more to the story? Were there unexpected connections between Jack and the victims?How does Olivia change from someone advocating for the man she had once loved to someone finding it hard to believe anything he says? What does she discover after digging through the evidence? The Ex: A Novel was a page-turner that had me guessing, and then guessing again, just as Olivia herself seemed to be doing throughout the story. The characters were intriguing, and I liked that Jack’s teenage daughter Buckley was not the usual snarky teen, but smart and articulate. But was she wise beyond her years?Olivia was convincing as a tough attorney who had strong feelings about her own behavior in the past, strong enough to lead her to push hard for her client.Charlotte, a wealthy young woman who had been Jack’s friend since their youth was helpful in mounting a defense.Would all of those fighting for Jack have to change their position in the end? Or were there mitigating circumstances that could alter everything? Then, in a stunning reveal at the end, everything I thought was true had been upended. Secrets and unexpected sacrifices were the author’s parting gift to the reader. 5 stars.

⭐ Olivia answers her phone and hears the voice of a young girl. Buckely is the daughter of her boyfriend from 20 years ago. Jack was her fiance and they were to wed after law school. In her heart, Olivia felt that they were not right for each other and broke up but the things that happened between them have left her riddled with guilt for the past 20 years. Now Buckley tells her that her father has been arrested and she needs to save him. Buckley adds that after all, she owes him.Jack is arrested for the murder of three people and one of the people has connections to him. Knowing Jack so well, Olivia believes that there is no way that he could have done this. The evidence is overwhelmingly against him and as she works to track down what really happened she wonders who would make up such an elaborate web to frame him? As the evidence continues to roll in, Olivia finally starts to wonder if she really did know the man that she was about to marry.I have read books by Burke that she has written with Mary Higgins Clark and they were very engaging and well developed storyllines. I assumed that she had really done the writing of the story and Clark read it and offered advice. We know that having Clark’s name on the book would guarentee that Burke would be read and become better known. This novel written by her alone proves that she doesn’t need to be co-writing and that we will read it because it has her name on it as author.

⭐ What I like best about this author is her facility for writing natural, realistic dialogue. I really dislike being jerked out of a story by stilted or otherwise poorly contrived conversations, and that never happens with Ms. Burke’s characters. I also appreciate that her knowledge of the courtroom and the practice of law inform her writing, so I don’t find myself thinking, “Well, that wouldn’t happen.” I really enjoyed the imaginative plot, especially as underlying twisty truths were revealed. Unfortunately, I did have the ‘big one’ figured out before the end. Although it’s unreasonable and unfair, I keep looking for something of her father, one of my very favorite writers, in her work, and Ms. Burke inevitably comes up feeling a bit light, for want of a better word, especially when it comes to depth of characterization.

⭐ In her eleventh novel Ms Burke takes us on a whirlwind trip through NYC as a defense lawyer tries to defend her ex fiance from a triple homicide. As the case unfolds Olivia Randall has been called by the daughter of the accused and asked to defend her father. As Olivia begins her investigation she starts remembering the five years she was engaged to Jack Harris when they were both students in college and how she broke his heart. The book delves into the past and present day affairs of both her and her former lover. As the evidence continues to unfold she begins to suspect Jack is guilty of the murders and wonders if she should continue defending him.This book kept me going until I finished it in one long afternoon. The many different twists and turns makes it an interesting read.With this stand alone novel Ms Burke proves to the world that she has what it takes to be one of the best crime writers of today.Her knowledge of the criminal justice system as an assistant DA and Professor of Criminal Law at Hofstra Law School has helped her write one of her best stories yet.

⭐ NY attorney Olivia Randall defends her ex-fiancée, Jack Harris, accused of killing 3 people in a public park. The highest profile victim and apparent target was the father of the kid who killed Jack’s wife in a mass shooting. Jack’s story is that he was drawn to that location through an online dating contact who asked him to meet her there.I’m a fan of Alafair Burke’s novels. This one is a quick, easy read with a good plot and good characters. The story progresses through the initial steadfast denial of guilt by defendant Harris, the discovery of evidence by both prosecution and defense, the period of wavering conviction by Olivia that her client is innocent, and finally the ‘whodunnit’ revelation. There are plenty of clues along the way, and a sharp mystery reader should be able to figure this one out. A fair portion of the story is also given to details of the past relationship between Randall and Harris. If there was a surprise at the end, it was more in the ‘romance’ aspect of the story than the murder plot.I liked this book, but not as much as her other novels.

⭐ I’m a huge fan of thrillers, mysteries, etc and I’ve never read Alafair Burke? Wow, where have I been? I was hesitant because books that get a lot of press sometimes disappoint, but I started with the sample and was hooked. I just spent over eleven bucks for a book. I never do that. Well sometimes…. But not usually. This was a fast read for me, I read it even on break at my work. It’s suspense driven for sure. I wasn’t in love with Olivia, but i didn’t dislike her either. I didn’t really love anyone in this book now that I’m thinking about it, but still liked the book. Plot driven, good suspense, a good who dunnit. I figured it out but not at the expense of my enjoyment. The ending was a bit lackluster, but that’s only because I wanted to keep going. I’ll read another by Burke for sure!

⭐ I started this book this morning, and have just finished it. I couldn’t put it down. From the beginning of the book, (page 1) until the very end, this novel had my undivided attention. I loved the way the author paid attention to the details of the laws of the court that the EX had to deal with her client. The story begins with the EX and her guilt about how she treated her client, (her EX.) As the story goes on, little by little the author does a great job of leading up to the twist in the end. To be honest, I figured it out 3/4 through, though I enjoyed his writing so I completed it anyway. I gave it 5***** because of the plot and his writing.

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