LONG GONE by Alafair Burke

        Well, I finished LONG GONE today. So the dog didn't get walked and I actually used a crock pot to make meals, a first for me. As I had written in a previous post about this novel I was only a few pages in and already loving it. Ms. Burke did not fail to impress; the book continued without a misstep in a tightly plotted tale of suspense. Some authors start out with a bang and draw you in only to leave you feeling letdown in the middle or the end. Alafair Burke kept her writing flowing and there were no valleys of what I call lazy writing. The characters continued to evolve and develop nicely with no cookie cutter characterizations or stock players. As the novel progressed the various plotlines and stories began to tie up together to create tension and cohesiveness. Ms. Burke did not tie all the threads into a nice little bow but rather an amazing Gordian knot that was truly a feat of literary acumen. I, who reads so, so many mysteries and can usually figure out whodunit long before the denouement was still chasing red herrings until the end. That is a sure sign the author has written an excellent book. This is Alafair Burke's most well crafted novel to date and I am looking forward to many more by this very talented author.