ALAFAIR BURKE
NY Times Bestselling Author
In this breakout standalone novel of suspense in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train, a woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder—but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated.
Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it.
THE EX “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
THE EX
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 fiance, 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?
PRAISE FOR THE EX
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
THE EX is “intriguing, suspenseful, compelling, insightful, surprising, and thoroughly satisfying. A great read.”
–Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats and The Accident
THE EX is “gripping” with “an appealingly bold protagonist…Burke keeps the suspense high throughout, prying open mysteries of relationships and perception.”
–Publishers Weekly
THE EX is an “enjoyable legal thriller” with “a great and satisfying surprise.”
–USA Today
THE EX “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
“Alafair Burke’s complex characters and mysterious plot line in THE EX will keep you at the edge of your seat and wanting to know more after each page. If you’re a fan of Gone Girl, you’ll love THE EX.”
–Redbook Magazine
“…brilliantly crafted, with a compelling and complex plot.” –Book Reporter
THE EX is “a terrifically gripping and thoroughly modern crime story of love and revenge.”
–Los Angeles Review of Books