The Ex

Oh gosh do I love a good Alafair Burke thriller. Interesting premise/mystery. Nice understanding of the legal/police system. Short concise chapters that keep the action flowing. Great characters backstories that make things twisty and interesting. In this one, we have a man accused of a terrible crime. The victim is hardly sympathetic, and he had every reason to kill him, even though he proclaims innocence. The trouble is… can you believe his story, or is he just a really convincing liar? This had WONDERFUL pacing and some great twists and turns throughout. Really kept me guessing!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

The EX by Alafair Burke is a 2016 Harper publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

The legal thriller has gone through many adjustments, especially over the last five or six years. Courtroom dramas appear to be dead in the water as fewer attorneys actually step foot into a courtroom anymore.

Now, so called legal thrillers have lawyers doing all the crime solving, making them more like amateur sleuths than attorneys. No one ever sits on the stand, there are no judges or juries and the nuances of criminal court trials have disappeared entirely.

But, that is not the case with this book and for that reason alone, I intended to give the book a solid rating, but as it show more turns out this was a very compelling read that went beyond the legal wrangling.

Olivia had a five- year relationship with Jack, but the two were incompatible and she wound up hurting Jack very badly by making some very bad decisions. She hasn’t seen Jack in many years, but she knows he eventually married and has a daughter. However, his happiness was short lived due to the tragic shooting death of his wife.

Now the man Jack holds responsible for the shooting has been shot and killed and of course Jack is suspect number one. Olivia agrees to take his case, despite the obvious conflict of interest, mainly due to her feelings of guilt about how things ended between her and Jack.
Olivia is positive Jack could never do what he is accused of, but the more evidence that pours in, the more people who come forward with tales of Jack’s dark side, the more Olivia begins to suspect her client is guilty.

I was riveted to this story from the get go. The plotting and planning is very rich in details, with several breathtaking twists and turns along the way. I have read many legal thrillers in my day, and I have to admit I had suspected what the outcome would be, but I was never over confident about that, always having a reasonable doubt about what really happened.

Olivia is a character I couldn’t help but like, despite some things she did in her past that were really terrible. She still has some morally questionable traits when it comes to relationship choices and she drinks a lot, beats herself up over how she treated Jack, something I suspect has left her unsettled for many years, but she does her job exceptionally well. She grows as a person throughout this case, and I think maybe she was able to put some lingering demons to rest at last.

This case is perhaps a little bit of a cautionary tale, proving cause and effect. One person’s actions can cause a chain reaction that not only affects their lives but many others. Despite what one might think, at the end of the day, the outcome really gave me something to think about. Of course, I can’t expound on that here without giving anything away, but I think this story has some deeper messages beyond what appears on the surface.

The atmosphere was heavy and tense from the beginning and the conclusion is creepy, and left me feeling as though Olivia will have to deal with the fallout of this case for a long time to come and that someday another shoe will drop and when it does, it won’t be pretty. But, until then, I think Olivia came out of the situation a much more balanced person with a more settled life and at long last has put the past in its proper perspective and place.

I wouldn’t mind seeing her in action again someday.

Overall this one gets 4.5 stars. show less

The Ex is an intriguing legal thriller that is full of twists and turns. Alafair Burke masterfully keeps readers (and defense attorney Olivia Randall) guessing whether or not accused killer Jack Harris is guilty or innocent of the murders he is accused of committing.

Olivia and Jack share a complicated and painful past but when his daughter, Buckley, asks Olivia to help her father, she immediately agrees to defend him. While Olivia's guilt over her role in the heartbreaking demise of their relationship twenty years earlier still haunts her, Jack has clearly moved on. He met and married Molly but, tragically, three year prior, she was one of twelve victims who were killed by teenager Todd Neely during a mass shooting in Penn Station. show more Unfortunately for Jack, one of the three people he stands accused of killing is none other than Todd's father, hedge fund financier Malcolm Neely. The other two victims, twenty-year old Tracy Frankel and forty-one year old Clifton Hunter, seemingly have no connection to Jack so the police only give them a cursory look. Olivia is convinced the Jack she once knew would not murder anyone, but the deeper she looks into his case, the less certain she is of his innocence.

Olivia is a dedicated attorney who does not hesitate to use any means necessary to help her client. She is not exactly pure as the driven snow in her personal life, but despite her less than appealing traits, she is a surprisingly likable character. She continues to feel guilty over her behavior during her engagement to Jack and this is a major factor in her decision to take his case. Olivia initially believes wholeheartedly in his innocence but she quickly discovers he has been less than truthful with her as she prepares his case for trail. For a good portion of the novel, she remains uncertain whether or not he is guilty but Olivia remains committed to providing him the best defense possible.

By all appearances, Jack is a grieving widower who is dedicated to his daughter. He brushes off Olivia's attempts to discuss their past and he certainly seems to have moved on with his life. However, the deeper Olivia digs into his life, information begins to emerge that reveals his darker side. While he eventually concedes he is not a paragon of virtue, Jack maintains his innocence despite the growing evidence to the contrary.

The Ex is written in first person from Olivia's point of view and as she delves into Jack's case, she is forced to re-examine their shared past. Flashbacks provide valuable insight into her previous relationship with Jack and Olivia does not sugarcoat her missteps and misdeeds. While definitely older and wiser, she takes full responsibility for her actions (both good and bad) and her life experiences give her a better understanding of her behavior back then.

The Ex is a well-written and perplexing mystery that is quite suspenseful. The characters are complex and multi-layered with realistic flaws and human frailties. The storyline is engaging and there are enough plot twists to keep the story moving at a brisk pace. As Olivia wavers back and forth between Jack's guilt and innocence, the reader experiences the same doubts and misgivings which makes it impossible to know how the novel will end. All in all, a superb legal thriller by Alafair Burke that old and new fans will enjoy. show less

I don't even look at the flyleaf when I see Alafair Burke's name on the cover - I just know I'm going to enjoy it. Burke's latest is The Ex.

The first few chapters of a book are always important to me - is my interest piqued? Do I want to know what happens next? Burke absolutely had me curious. The first few pages are the transcript of a police interview. Jack Harris believes he's helping the police with their investigation - he was in the vicinity when a shooter killed three people. Instead, it turns out they think Jack did it......

Olivia Randall is a powerhouse criminal defense lawyer - tough, brash and dedicated to her clients. She's also the woman who broke Jack's heart twenty years ago when she walked out on him. When Jack's show more daughter approaches her to defend Jack, she immediately says yes. After all, the Jack she knows couldn't kill anyone...........could he?

I liked the character of Olivia - flaws and all - she's someone you would want in your corner. The flaws and doubts made her believable. Jack was a tricky one - he comes across as likable, but there was just something about him. And that niggling doubt kept me reading another chapter...and another. Burke drops hints, teasers and memories as the book progresses. I did have my suspicions as the end neared, but Burke's gotcha at the end was well played.

Burke herself is a lawyer - the legal and courtroom scenes in the book benefit from her expertise. I would love to see another book with Olivia - perhaps she'll get her own series?

Burke has done it again - an excellent premise, great plotting and an entertaining, addictive, satisfying read. show less

NY attorney Olivia Randall defends her ex-fiancée, Jack Harris, accused of killing 3 people in a public park. The highest profile victim and apparent target was the father of the kid who killed Jack's wife in a mass shooting. Jack's story is that he was drawn to that location through an online dating contact who asked him to meet her there.

I'm a fan of Alafair Burke's novels. This one is a quick, easy read with a good plot and good characters. The story progresses through the initial steadfast denial of guilt by defendant Harris, the discovery of evidence by both prosecution and defense, the period of wavering conviction by Olivia that her client is innocent, and finally the 'whodunnit' revelation. There are plenty of clues along the show more way, and a sharp mystery reader should be able to figure this one out. A fair portion of the story is also given to details of the past relationship between Randall and Harris. If there was a surprise at the end, it was more in the 'romance' aspect of the story than the murder plot. show less

When the daughter of Jack Harris begs lawyer Olivia Randall to defend him on a murder charge, Olivia is conflicted. On the one hand, although he has motive, Jack is her ex and she is positive he is innocent; on the other hand he is her ex and he has motive. But, partly out of guilt about how she treated him in the past, she agrees to take the case. However, the further she digs, the higher the evidence against Jack piles up. She begins to suspect that everything she thought she knew about her ex may be a lie, that, maybe, if you’ll pardon the pun, she really doesn’t know jack about Jack.

The Ex is a legal thriller by author Alafair Burke and the first book I’ve read by her. Fortunately, this works as a standalone. The novel feels show more realistic as Olivia and her team wade through the evidence and as she deals with an uncooperative client who she has personal issues with as well as the prosecution’s tricks. My biggest problem with the novel was Olivia herself; she definitely seems like a lawyer, in fact almost stereotypically so, but she just isn’t particularly likeable at least for most of the novel. On the other hand, it is a sign of Burke’s talent as a writer that, as Olivia begins to have doubts about Jack, she develops insights about herself. That aside though, I quite enjoyed The Ex. It is a compelling and suspenseful thriller and, if it isn’t edge-of-your seat nail biting action, it is intelligent with complex characters. This may be the first book I have read by Burke but it definitely won’t be the last. show less

A real page turner. Attorney Olivia Randall is contacted by the daughter of the writer Jack Harris, whom she loved and wronged many years prior. Jack was near the scene of a murder and is being questioned aggressively by police. One of the victims was the father of the crazed teen who shot Jack's wife years ago. Jack is arrested and charged with three counts of murder. Motivated by guilt, Olivia agrees to represent Jack. We learn about their history gradually; the information is nicely paced throughout the story of the ongoing investigation.

The book can be read as a meditation on how parents treat and affect their children, on how the poisonous fruit of old sins can be brought to life, on how the secrets we keep come to light, and how show more all three of these things interact to create a compelling story. The characters are well drawn: I enjoyed getting to know Olivia, Jack, and their friends and colleagues. My primary complaint is that the flap copy makes such a big deal of the twist that's coming at the end that I knew to expect one more shift, and in fact had guessed it rather easily. But Burke does a great job of keeping us guessing about Jack's innocence and what Olivia will do. It might be fun to see Olivia again. show less