“Long Gone is a tremendous novel, and Alafair Burke is one of the finest young crime writers working today.”
--Dennis Lehane, author of Moonlight Mile

Echoing the intensity of Harlan Coben’s Tell No One and the psychological depth of Laura Lippman’s What the Dead Know, Alafair Burke’s first stand-alone novel catapults her into the top ranks of modern suspense. In New York City’s cut-throat world of art, appearances can be deceiving—especially when art world newcomer Alice Humphrey becomes a suspect in a gruesome murder at a Chelsea gallery, and is thrown into a treacherous labyrinth of intrigue, crime, and conspiracy. Now, Alice must discover the truth behind the murder before the unsolved mystery claims her as its next victim.

According to Drew Campbell, the well-suited corporate representative who hires her, the gallery is a passion project for its anonymous, wealthy, and eccentric owner. Drew assures Alice that the owner will be hands off, allowing her to run the gallery on her own. Her friends think it sounds too good to be true, but Alice sees a perfect opportunity to make a name for herself beyond the shadow of her famous father, an award-winning and controversial film maker.

Everything is perfect until the morning Alice arrives at work to find the gallery goneâ??the space stripped bare as if it had never existedâ??and Drew Campbellâ??s dead body on the floor. Overnight, Aliceâ??s dream job has vanished, and she finds herself at the center of police attention with nothing to prove her innocence. The phone number Drew gave her links back to a disposable phone.

The artist whose work she displayed doesnâ??t seem to exist. And the dead man she claims is Drew has been identified as someone else.

When police discover ties between the gallery and a missing girl, Alice knows sheâ??s been set up. Now she has to prove itâ??a dangerous search for answers that will entangle her in a dark, high-tech criminal conspiracy and force her to unearth long-hidden secrets involving her own familyâ?¦ secrets that could cost Alice her life.

You know how the song goes--â??If I can make it here, Iâ??ll make it anywhere.â?? The anthem for a city and a state of mind, powered by the voice of its own son, Frank Sinatra, even if technically he came from across the river. New York, New York. It is truly the first song on the soundtrack of the city. And it points up the risk and reward of living in the greatest city in the world.

Well, what about the risks and rewards in writing a novel about the greatest city in the world? To me the challenge would be intimidating, even daunting, before I got the first word down on the first page. But not to Alafair Burke. With Long Gone she makes the city her own. She takes New York with a knowing and confident hand, folding its teeming streets into character and plot in a story that is never less than gripping.

At center you have Alice Humphrey. She is the daughter of privilege in a city that doesnâ??t pay much mind to that privilege. Sheâ??s on her own and that is the beating heart of this book. Alice on her own. Burke constructs this book with the precision of a watchmaker. It is a contraption piece that closes tightly around Alice and then we are with her as she investigates the set up and finds her way to safety.

I am familiar with most of Burkeâ??s work and I think Alice is her best heroine yet. She connects with us on so many levels. She is an everywoman cornered by forces she doesnâ??t recognize or understand in a city with too many back alleys and secrets to ever know. She is from a family that holds secrets from her as well as the world. But no matter. She is relentless in her pursuit of the truth, whichever way it is finally told. And in that we connect to her, admire her, like her. We feel for Alice Humphrey and want to be there when she sees it all through.

That is the writerâ??s most difficult task, building the bridge of empathy between reader and protagonist. Burke does it here with a character who is persistent in simply refusing to be a victim. Donâ??t we all wish we were the same.

Though any writer will flat out tell you that the easier it looks the harder it is to get on the page, Alafair Burke makes this one look like a walk in the park. Frank Sinatra would certainly be proud. Start spreading the news.

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.