If You Were Here: A Novel of Suspense Paperback – May 13, 2014

The book started off great and I was very intrigued by the story of a missing-or dead? woman. I really liked the main character. Lots of twists and turns kept me guessing about who might be the “bad guy”. Once I got toward the end though, the plot became over complicated with a LOT of assumptions and leaping to conclusions. . Then it ended, but wait - not yet, then another conclusion, but wait - there’s more. I felt like it drug out. Reminded me of some of the Harlan Coben books where it seems the author just can’t end it. I’ve tried to like Alafair Burke but this is the second book of hers I’ve read, and couldn’t give either a great rating.

I like to read the reviews of the book I've just read, but this time, I'm totally confused. Most of the top reviews are not about the book I just read. I had to go back and check to see if I had the right title since I've read another book by Alafair Burke. This is not the story of a female detective and her partner, but a lawyer-turned-journalist who thinks she sees her lost lost friend in a video of a woman saving a young man's life in the subway.So, I'll give my review of the book I just finished, which was pretty good, but had some slow points and some confusing points, and but all in all, it kept my attention. Mckenna Jordan has taken up life as a journalist after she messed up big time as a prosecutor and accused a cop of planting a gun on a young black man, he'd just shot, who the cop claimed, had pulled a gun on him. McKenna starts the search for the woman she believes is the friend and roommate who fixed Mckenna up with her husband. Unfortunately, the video disappears, and McKenna's story of the corrupt judge is going sideways, so her life starts falling apart in spades.Good plot and unexpected villain, though I did feel like I wasn't given enough backstory to guess the villain, but a well-written mystery anyway and I'd read another of Burke's books.

This is my first standalone book by Burke. I’ve been reading the Ellie Hatcher series, but series burnout was setting in. I wanted a one and done story so picked up this one. Not disappointed! The story was fast and kept me engaged & intrigued by what would happen next.

Alafair Burke wowed me!!! Several times throughout this book; I thought I knew how all the pieces fell into place, only to find out that I didn't. This was a book that was filled with rich wonderful characters that tore at your heart strings, caused you to hold your breath and run with the character in a hurry. I loved this book, esp. because it wasn't all pat and dry. I loved the fact that there was more than one main character. All the characters were fully developed into people you felt you knew. Most writers have two or maybe three characters that the reader gets to know, love and or hate; this one bonds you to the majority of the characters.This book was more than a "who done it" and "why"; but a story of several lives and how they all mingled together to form the relationships. There was laughter, tears, uncertainty and puzzlement and finally the ending which was just as it should have been; even though I didn't figure it out before hand. I applaud this writer! I bought this book via Amazon.com

Must be true: the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. Ms. Burke is a terrific writer, just like her father, James Lee Burke. Can't wait to read more of her work. I must point out that she does not copy her father's style, etc. She is every bit her own writer. The story was well constructed and the characters well drawn. I read it in two days because I was intrigued and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I didn't give it 5 stars only because the next book I picked up (by Carlos Ruiz Zafon) became one of my favorite books; and I have to have a way to distinguish between it and other books. Anyway, "If You Were Here" is definitely worth a read. I highly reccommend it.

This story gets a little hard to follow in the middle and you almost find yourself at the end not really caring who did it or why, you don't really like anyone in the story. Some of the characters you get a feeling Alafair regretted putting them in the story so she just put an end to them in a weird way, like Dana. Also, I wish Alafair would write like she does when she collaborates with Mary Higgins Clark. Learn from the master of suspense, you DON'T have to cuss and have sex to have a mystery.

I could not put down this fast-paced and non-stop action drama that quickly became a page turner. The characters, the dialogue, the suspense, the revelations all had me glued to the page as we moved to a conclusion that I was eager to reach and boy did I enjoy this novel when it was all over. Alafair is a proficient writer who knows how to tell a story and make you believe that you are there right in the thick of things. This was a good read and I look forward to more stories from Ms. Burke.

I wish I could give this a 5 star ; I like her books.But this is not her best book. I do believe others will enjoy it, however.I found the MANY plot twists a few too many. There is NO character that is not at one timeSeen as the master criminal, therefore by the time he /she is identified I found I didn't care. Friends /enemies change back and forth.It was as the author kept changing her mind.Burke can, and has, done better.

Another five star read for me from this author. This is my second by her and another I greatly enjoyed. It kept me entertained the whole way through. There were a lot of twists 'n' turns and just when you figured it out it headed off into a whole other direction !I liked the Tears For Fears quotation at the beginning-that made me smile. Also the reference to Sean at the end made me teary-very nice. THAT list of readers she mentions at the end of her books certainly take up more than a few pages, too....though I think it's nice she takes the trouble.I was confused by one line that clearly has an Americanism in-"Anyone dumb enough to buy jack the day it came out".....I also needed to Google noodnik and bupkes. I've never heard rent-boys described as rent-a-boys before either ! The only mistake I spotted was the word but where it wasn't needed and the omission of speechmarks at the beginning of paragraphs for some reason. They looked to be done on purpose, though, but I don't know why.I also wondered at one juncture how McKenna knew who Susan's doctor was as I'd not seen prior mention of this.Other than these little niggles I flew through this and look forward to reading more by her. Plus her books are always a meaty length which I also like.

The novel follows the story of two sisters, one who's been missing for years, filled with suspenseful twists and turns that kept me on edge until the very end. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for an exciting mystery with well-developed characters.

As several other people have said, the book starts really well and I was intrigued. Was the "train rescuer" really her missing friend, had something been going on between her husband and the missing friend?The first 70% of the book was a well written, crime novel and then suddenly it went downhill. Too many twists jammed into the last 30% which seemed pointlessly convoluted. Then the story pretty well ends 10% before the end of the book and the last bit is just "wrapping up."I loved her previous book and passed it on to friends so will give her another go.

I was recommended this book as a follow-up to Gone Girl but it's not really in the same league. It's a decent stab at a missing person/thriller with a few twists and turns but the characters are never fleshed out enough to make you care. In the end, I sort of kept reading it only to see how it ended rather than because I invested in the story as a whole. I also think the author perhaps introduced a few too many stories and the ending didn't satisfactorily tie them all together into the conclusion. It's worth a read but don't expect anything too amazing.

When disgraced lawyer turned journalist McKenna Jordan thinks she sees a friend who disappeared 10 years ago she sets off on a hunt to find the truth. It's all linked to her partner and her past, but despite knowing it can ny cause disruption and strife she is determined to find her lost friend.She may not be the most loveable character but you have to admire her dedication and determination, even if it is going to ruin her reputation and career for a second time.