Dead Connection

Ellie Hatcher, Book 1

By: Alafair Burke

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

When two young women are murdered on the streets of New York, exactly one year apart, Detective Ellie Hatcher is called up for a special assignment on the homicide task force. The killer has left behind a clue connecting the two cases to FirstDate.com, a popular online dating service.

Flann McIlroy, an eccentric, publicity-seeking homicide detective, is convinced that only Ellie can help him pursue his terrifying theory: someone is using the lure of the internet and the promise of love to launch a killing spree against the women of New York City.

To catch the killer, Ellie must enter a high-tech world of stolen identities where no one is who they appear to be. And for her, the investigation quickly becomes personal. She fits the profile of the victims, and she knows firsthand what pursuing a sociopath can do to a cop - back home in Wichita, Kansas, her own father lost his life trying to catch a notorious serial murderer.

When the FirstDate killer begins to mimic the monster who destroyed her father, Ellie knows the game has become personal for him, too. Both hunter and prey, she knows her only choice is to find the killer before he claims his next victim - who could very well be Ellie herself.

©2008 Alafair Burke (P)2007 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Burke, the daughter of Cajun thriller maestro James Lee [Burke], is a terrific web spinner. She knows when and how to drop clues to keep readers at her mercy." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"An intriguing plot line, a terrific new female detective, and an accomplished reading by Christopher Lane make Alafair Burkes latest crime novel a gem." ( AudioFile)

Not good for me, but mystery fans might like it.

This is a police procedural. We accompany Ellie (a homicide detective) as she investigates murders by a serial killer. Michael Connolly does the same thing with his character Harry Bosch. But with Bosch I am intrigued and fascinated. I did not feel that way with this book. It was dry, almost plodding. Both authors use twists and surprises, but for some reason Connolly does it better. I don’t know how to explain why.

If you look at the plot and what happens in outline form, it sounds good.

Toward the end I was disappointed with Ellie’s mistakes/stupidity which caused bad things to happen. She is sneaking up on someone but doesn’t turn her cell phone off so it rings and gives her away. She knows who the killer is and goes there alone. She enters a dangerous room and doesn’t check behind the door.

I was also disappointed with the ending. If two cops and another told the truth about why they did something or their investigation process, the killer might go free. So they agreed to lie to make sure the killer would not get off. I did not understand that. I wish the author spelled that out better. I thought what they did seemed legit. It wasn’t like planting evidence.

There are no sex scenes other than briefly mentioning a couple had sex while spending the night together.

THE SERIES:
This is book #1 in the Ellie Hatcher series. So far there are five in the series.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Christopher Lane was good. But I was not pleased with his voice for Ellie. It was odd, maybe too rushed.

Genre: crime mystery.

Dead Connection

Christopher Lane did an excellent job narrating the book. This is my first Alafair Burke book. Chose it because her father is James Lee Burke and I have enjoyed his books. The story moved right along and enjoyed the bits about NYC entwined into the story. I am a bit tired of serial killers and would like another topic in a murder mystery. Looking forward to the next book.

a great twisty tale

This is a great beginning to a series. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, along came another twist. Family drama, serial killers, and online dating makes for a great story.
First time reading this author, but I will check out other stories.

Fantastic!

Alafair Burke is a great writer! Once you start "Dead Connection," the mystery and intrigue make you want to listen until you get to the end!

Still a fresh book in 2019!

Solid story with excellent characters. it was very hard to turn this audiobook off. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Alafair Burke is masterful in her writing<br />

Never bored while listening to this book. I will be looking for another book written by this lady.

Solid 1st book in series

Not bad.... enjoyed main character and pretty fast pace story. planning to read the next book in series.

Good introduction to author and character

This was my first taste of Alafair Burke and I was not disappointed. The story moves along fast and there area a lot of moving pieces, that all come together. I smiled when Ellie made an inquiring phone call to Detective Dave R down in Louisiana, and again when she named an officer Connelly. The reader was exceptionally good and I'm looking forward to hearing more from him. I did get the sense that the book was "rushed" a little, which wasn't a problem because I was anxious to find out "who dunnit" ... somehow I wanted "more" .. can't say what or why. I highly recommend the book and will get other offerings from the author.

AB

Good novel, good narrative. liked. references to James Lee Burke, her father. Will download another.

Terrible reader!

Can’t stand the person reading this book. Just can’t listen!! Awful,painful to listen to