Long Gone

May 16, 2011
Near the outset of this impressive novel of suspense from Burke (212), her first stand-alone, 37-year-old Alice Humphrey, the daughter of controversial film director Frank Humphrey, meets charming Drew Campbell at a sparsely attended Manhattan art opening; he asks if she would like to manage the fledgling Highline Gallery. While the job appears too good to be true, Alice, who's been unemployed for eight months, accepts the offer. All goes well until Alice finds Drew dead in the gallery a few weeks later. The police regard Alice as the prime suspect in the murder of "Drew Campbell," who was not the man he claimed to be. Evidence against her includes paperwork supposedly showing that she leased the gallery space. Feeling trapped, Alice wonders if she's being set up and if it has anything to do with her famous father. Alice must dig deep into her family's checkered history if she's to prove her innocence. Burke skillfully orchestrates the mounting tension and claustrophobia of Alice's world collapsing in on itself.

May 1, 2011
Burke, known for two series featuring detective Ellie Hatcher and prosecutor Samantha Kincaid, respectively, introduces a new protagonist in this stand-alone thriller. Alice Humphrey, recently laid off from New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, is handed the opportunity of a lifetime when Drew Campbell, a man she meets by chance, offers her a job managing a new art gallery. It seems like the beginning of a wonderful career, until one morning Alice discovers that the gallery has been gutted, everything gone as though it was never there. All that remains is Drews lifeless body. As if that isnt traumatic enough, it turns out Drew wasnt really Drew, the gallerys featured artist doesnt exist, and Alice is under police scrutiny. Burke delivers a tightly plotted, suspenseful account of Alices desperate scramble to find out whats happening to her and why. Its very much in the Lisa Gardner veinstrong female protagonist, shadowy villains, intricate and suspenseful storyand fans of Gardner (and, of course, Burke) should find it very much to their liking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

Starred review from May 1, 2011

Alice Humphrey's life is looking up since she landed a job as an art gallery manager. She arrives at the gallery one morning to meet her boss, Drew Campbell, only to find the place cleaned out, save for Drew's corpse. She's bewildered when Drew's ID doesn't check out, nor does the background of the gallery or the primary artist it represents. But when the police show up with a photograph of her doppelganger that suggests she and Drew had more than a business relationship, Alice realizes she's been placed at the center of a nefarious plan. But whose? And why? Beginning to dig, Alice finds herself circling ever closer to home, her discoveries threatening everything she's ever known about family and identity. Burke's (212) first stand-alone novel is a fast-paced, plot-driven nail-biter. Ripped-from-the-headlines hooks from the world of celebrity and culture are twisted into a knot of seemingly unconnected story lines dramatically resolved to a surprising, out-of-nowhere ending. VERDICT Highly recommended for Burke's Ellie Hatcher fans as well as general suspense and mystery readers. [See Prepub Alert, 1/3/11.]--Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2011

Alice Humphrey has finally landed a job--she's been hired by corporate type Drew Campbell to manage an art gallery in Manhattan's style-setting meatpacking district for an anonymous owner. One day she arrives at work to find the gallery stripped to the walls and Drew lying dead on the floor. Only his name isn't Drew, and Alice suddenly has lots to explain to the police. After six novels in the Ellie Hatcher and Samantha Kincaid series, Burke offers an intriguing stand-alone; she's popular if not hot-hot and especially well liked by LJ reviewers. With a 40,000-copy first printing; for most thriller readers.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.