Burke is not her father’s writer – she’s her own.  The stories are legal crime (my favorite genre) and there’s no attempt at literary value which James Lee has in abundance.

*******
The Ex-
by Alafair Burke
2016 / 304 pages
read by Xe Sands
rating: B+ / crime (legal)
*******

Olivia Randall is surprised to hear from Buckley Harris,  the daughter of a long ago ex-fiance telling her that her father,  Jack Harris, is missing.   Buckley  is the daughter of Jack and his wife Molly who was killed in a mass shooting.

After Olivia checks it out she finds Jack is being interrogated about a recent killing –  of the father of the young man who, three years prior,  killed Molly in a mass shooting.   It looks very bad for Jack.   But there are many other people who probably wanted the shooter’s irresponsible father dead –  including his other son and other victims. Besides, there were two other victims along with that father.   And how about if Jack really is guilty – or Charlotte,  a good and very helpful longterm friend,  or Buckley herself?

Jack wants Olivia to represent him because Olivia is certain he could never have done that – it’s just her gut feeling.  Besides,  she still feels guilty about the way they broke up.

The characters are well developed,  the plot has good twists and turns,  Burke writes nicely.  The thing which I didn’t really care for in this one was the narrator and I think it affected my view of the whole.   If I read another one it won’t be narrated by Sands.