‘If You Were Here’ by Alafair Burke

Published by Faber & Faber,

3 April 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-571-30229-1

I  have read and much enjoyed all the works of James Lee Burke, but this is the first one I've read of his daughter's. 

It starts with an intriguing premise: ten years ago, Susan Hauptmann disappeared.  Now, examining some video footage in order to write an article for a New York based magazine, journalist McKenna Jordan is convinced that the woman she can see rescuing a boy who has fallen onto  the subway tracks is the very same missing woman, who was once her very closest friend.  She sets out to discover how this can possibly be, and where Susan has been all these years – and more importantly, why she disappeared in the first place – and finds herself thwarted at every turn, even by the man she trusts most of all: her husband, Patrick, who was once closely linked to Susan.

The book is heavily populated, and some of the twists are a little unlikely, but I can only say I put aside all my other concerns in order to read this in one big gulp.
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Reviewer: Susan Moody

Alafair Burke is a graduate of Stanford Law School and a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, she is now a Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure.  She is the author of “two power house series” (Sun-Sentinel) that have earned her a reputation for creating strong, believable, and eminently likable female characters, such as NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. Alafair’s novels grow out of her experience as a prosecutor in America’s police precincts and criminal courtrooms, and have been featured by The Today Show, People Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Chicago Sun-Times.

http://alafairburke.com

 

Susan Moody was born in Oxford is the principal nom de plume  of Susan Elizabeth Donaldson, née Horwood, a British novelist best known for her suspense novels. She is a former Chairman of the Crime Writer's Association, served as World President of the International Association of Crime Writers, and was elected to the prestigious Detection Club. Susan Moody has given numerous courses on writing crime fiction and continues to teach creative writing in England, France, Australia, the USA and Denmark.  In addition to her many stand alone books, Susan has written two series, on featuring PI Penny Wanawake (seven books) and a series of six books featuring bridge player Cassie Swan.