What do You think about Missing Justice (2005)?
I must be dyslexic for I'm reading Alafair Burke's "Samantha Kincaid" series in reverse order. In any order, though, I am enjoying her work. In no way does her writing emulate her father's work; she works from within her character in an illuminating style that keeps the reader focused on events from behind Samantha's eyes.This works well and I enjoy the sensation - reminds me in some ways of the Robert Montgomery film, "Lady in the Lake" where the camera shots are all taken from the protagonist's view. Burke is not this restrictive in her story-telling, but I like the way she writes.Ask her out sometime.
—Allan
4.3 stars. Mostly a five-star reading experience, with great snarky banter humor among the various pros and pitch-perfect takedowns of the ever-present sexism. I learned about Portland without it becoming a boring Portland lesson, I was amused, I enjoyed the story, I really enjoyed the big pictures (about women, about race, about the system), and I freely admit that I enjoy the criminal procedure peppered throughout Samantha Kincaid's days, too. This was, I do believe, the most enjoyable of Alafair's books that I have read. (I haven't read them all--this was my sixth, my second Kincaid.) (I can read an author's books out of order, but I canNOT read a particular series out of order; how can anyone purposely do that? How?!?!) My tiny disappointment came in the SPOILER ON THE WAY who-dunnit?-oh-s/he-dunnit wrap-up. My general experience when reading mysteries is absolutely not about trying to figure it out before the end. I'm not trying to one-up any authors or other readers. SO when I get to the big Revelatory Scene That Explains It All, I for the most part just go with the flow, like "OK, OK, that happened, OK," but sometimes they throw so much at you, wrapping up all the loose ends ever (which is better than the alternative of not wrapping them, I realize), that you might be like, "wait, what now?" when some piece of the puzzle flies by. If that happens, I usually just ignore it. But here, and this is a MAJOR SPOILER(view spoiler)[ I found myself definitely trying to make sure I kept up with the Gunderson and MTK connections and what Ms Thang had done. Then, however, there was that part about how our victim could have been killed on Saturday as long as they had somewhere to keep the body cold, and aren't you supposed to think that means the particular airtight spot where Samantha almost met her demise? If not, then I missed something. (i.e., where?) But if that's where, then why the comment about the killer hiring construction workers to cover up the crime? If the wine cellar was built to cover up, then how was it used for the body? I'm obviously missing something here. One might wonder how someone can be a literary snob (as they say) in love with the complexities of Tolstoy and Zola and Woolf but just be like, "Sorry, I don't get it!" when I read a mystery. Who knows? This happens to me with the occasional movie, too, and I have to have someone explain to me a part that everyone else understood. Additionally, why was the doc's alibi of being in surgery all day verified throughout the book and then all of a sudden at the end it's like, Oh, BUT he did have time to sneak a quick lunch into the trash? If he had time to do that, why wouldn't he have time to kill someone? THESE THINGS HURT MY BRAIN. (hide spoiler)]
—Linda
Follow up to this case is her first case after returning to work and being assigned to the Major case squad. A judge is missing and it reads like a typical case from the missing person to arrest of a suspect. Only problem book is just about 150 pages in and there is a lot left to read. There are hints that this could be a cover for other things going on in Portland and she just won't let it go. MY PROBLEM with this book it took forever to get to the end, I knew what was going on just to get the end. I knew the real ending to the story, just needed to know who the killer was and when exposed I didnt care.
—Teresa in Ohio
