The girl she was...or was she?

I've read a few books by Alafair Burke, a law professor and daughter of crime writer, James Lee Burke. I find the legal stuff in the books interesting, knowing that the writer properly understands the subject matter.

The girl she was | Published January 2022 | Read March 2022

There's always an element of justification for the harmful actions taken by one of the characters in the novels by Alafair Burke. This intrigues me given her legal background. I don't want to say too much about the plot in The girl she was, as it's hard to discuss it without giving things away. Let's just say it involves amnesia and the circumstances that led to Hope, the main character, finding herself in that situation.

Hope was involved in a car accident 14 years go and never regained her memory and now she is missing. Her friend, Lindsay, calls NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher to help. There is a series of Ellie Hatcher novels but you don't need to have read them to enjoy The girl she was as it stands on its own, although Ellie's backstory is fleshed out in the novel.

Getting to know a particular author is comforting, but often that means discerning the formula they use, which can take away the element of surprise. I figured out what was going on in The girl she was, but that didn't detract from the pleasure of my reading journey. Alafair Burke writes complex stories with interwoven characters and plots and clever endings that tie everything together. The girl she was isn't the best of Burke's novels I've read, but still an enjoyable journey. Check out The ex (2016), The wife (2018), and The better sister (2019) for more of Burke's novels. These ones are all better than The girl she was.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐