Xe Sands navigates smoothly through shifting perceptions and twisted emotions in this smart legal thriller. Sharp, calculating defense attorney Olivia Randall has been asked to defend her former boyfriend, Jack Harris—a man she cruelly betrayed some years ago—against a triple homicide charge. Jack’s convoluted alibi and the disturbing circumstances that tie the characters together fuel the novel’s suspense. Olivia and Jack are but two of the many characters Sands must hold like prisms to the light, letting each angle cast a different hue to their actions. Sands plays each character straight and consistently, even as one character’s perception of another shifts. Her approach intensifies the questions of what is the truth and who is the killer right up until the final minutes. K.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
The Ex: A Novel
Narrated by Xe Sands
Alafair BurkeUnabridged — 7 hours, 44 minutes
The Ex: A Novel
Narrated by Xe Sands
Alafair BurkeUnabridged — 7 hours, 44 minutes
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Overview
In this breakout standalone novel of suspense in the vein of*Gone Girl*and*The*Girl on a Train, a woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder—but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated.
Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it.
Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago.*An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night's party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That's when Jack's world falls apart.
*Olivia Randall is one of New York City's best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide-and that one of the victims was connected to his wife's murder—there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him—and why?
*For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets, to absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this.*But what if she never really knew him?
A HarperAudio production.
Editorial Reviews
10/26/2015
Near the start of bestseller Burke’s gripping standalone, New York City DA Olivia Randall receives a desperate phone call from the school-age daughter of her ex-fiancé, Jack Harris, whose wife, Molly, was killed in a mass shooting three years earlier at Manhattan’s Penn Station. Jack has now been implicated in a triple murder—one of the victims was partly responsible for Molly’s death—and his only defense is his flimsy claim that at the time he had an assignation with a mysterious woman he first saw drinking champagne and reading a book on a Hudson River pier. As Olivia sets out to clear his name, she begins to wonder whether Jack is not the devoted, kind, and decent man she remembers. Internally conflicted but outwardly brash, Olivia makes an appealingly bold protagonist, and while the final twist may disappoint some readers, Burke (If I Were You) keeps the suspense high throughout, prying open mysteries of relationships and perception. Agent: Philip Spitzer, Philip Spitzer Literary Agency. (Jan.)
Superb.... Burke delivers a multi-layered plot that explores relationships and manipulation in a rich character study.... Anyone who has a former boyfriend—or girlfriend—will be able to relate to Olivia’s situation.... “The Ex” doesn’t let up until the final, believable twist.
Burke’s novels always deliver and constantly surprise. They’re both addictive and utterly rewarding.
A major talent.
Burke’s female characters are always very involving, with big, strong voices.
This thought-provoking novel is brilliantly crafted, with a compelling and complex plot.
A deeply wrought, emotional story that transcends the crime at its core. This is perhaps her best work to date.
Superb…. Equal measures superlative mystery and crack courtroom thriller reminiscent of the great John Lescroart or the William Diehl classic “Primal Fear.” We literally never know what’s coming next, putty in Burke’s devilishly adept hands as she shapes a wholly satisfying and brilliantly constructed whiz bang of a tale.
Briskly told and packed with plot, The Ex rocks. . . . A nifty bit of fine suspense.
Enjoyable.... There’s a great and satisfying surprise.... Worth the time.
With an all-too-real mass shooting in a richly-observed Manhattan as its springboard, The Ex is an expertly crafted, intricately woven novel that is as emotionally complex as it is riveting.
Riveting…. Burke’s protagonist, Olivia Randall, is a complicated woman with legal skills to match the Lincoln Lawyer…. Olivia proves she’s at the top of her game as a criminal defense attorney. And with her pacey plot and fascinating characters, Burke proves she’s at the top of hers.
Intriguing, suspenseful, compelling, insightful, surprising, and thoroughly satisfying — The Ex is a great read.
Burke tells a compelling legal thriller that will have readers baffled until the final reveal.... Burke knows how to write, and Olivia Randall is one of her most authentic characters. No one would object if this is the start of a new series.
Riveting.
Burke has a good eye for the many faces of New York….Burke’s story is complex, but her pace is fast, her prose is crisp and her duplicitous characters ring true in the Darwinian world she creates.
Captivating…. Burke excels in writing compelling character-driven stories mixed with baffling mysteries.
The strength of the novel is its complexity: The characters are variegated, textured, operating out of a range of motivations, personal and otherwise.
★ 01/01/2016
Twenty years ago, Olivia Randall broke up with fiancé Jack Harris, hurting him beyond measure. Now that Randall is a top New York City defense attorney, she has a chance to atone—by saving him when he's accused of murder. Most of the evidence against Jack seems circumstantial: he was, admittedly, in the area where the shootings occurred, with a fanciful alibi that he was to meet a woman he'd seen at a glance, then connected with online. But one of the victims, Malcolm Neely, is the father of a disturbed teenager, Todd Neely, who three years earlier killed 13 people, including Jack's wife. Malcolm had repeatedly refused to get his son the help he needed. Then there was the gunshot residue on Jack's shirt, plus the implied threat he made toward Malcolm. In her third stand-alone thriller (after Long Gone and If You Were Here), Burke details the pain of the Olivia-Jack breakup gradually, as the attorney loses trust slowly in her client. VERDICT Strong characters and a plot that's handled deftly, despite its complexities, show Burke at the top of her game here. This is a compelling legal thriller with a strong emotional component grounded in a solid rational base, with a final twist to boot. [See Prepub Alert, 7/27/15; see also a profile of Burke on p. 97.—Ed.]—Michele Leber, Arlington, VA
Xe Sands navigates smoothly through shifting perceptions and twisted emotions in this smart legal thriller. Sharp, calculating defense attorney Olivia Randall has been asked to defend her former boyfriend, Jack Harris—a man she cruelly betrayed some years ago—against a triple homicide charge. Jack’s convoluted alibi and the disturbing circumstances that tie the characters together fuel the novel’s suspense. Olivia and Jack are but two of the many characters Sands must hold like prisms to the light, letting each angle cast a different hue to their actions. Sands plays each character straight and consistently, even as one character’s perception of another shifts. Her approach intensifies the questions of what is the truth and who is the killer right up until the final minutes. K.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
2015-10-20
A sassy New York City attorney defends an old love who may—or may not—have killed the man responsible for his wife's death. Enter Olivia Randall, a mouthy liberal lawyer who doesn't take "no" for an answer. When her former fiance's teenage daughter, Buckley, begs Olivia to help get her dad out of the major-sized pickle in which he's landed, Olivia finds herself returning to a time when she was young, in love, and, ultimately, a heartbreaker. At least that's the way successful author Jack Harris remembers her. When Olivia and Jack broke up, he met and married Molly, who died in a mass shooting at Penn Station. Todd Neeley, the boy who killed her along with 12 other people, took his own life after the shooting. Now his father, Malcolm Neeley, has been killed along with two others, and police think Jack shot him out of vengeance. Jack admits he was near the area where his archnemesis was murdered but swears he was there to meet an intriguing woman he had noticed on an earlier trip and who'd come forward after a friend put out a call for her online. Olivia believes she can win this case, but soon police turn up evidence that makes Jack look bad: he'd filed suit against Neeley in connection to his wife's death. Also, testing revealed gunshot residue on his shirt. As the investigation progresses, the prosecution's case only grows more formidable, leading Olivia to question whether Jack could be the murderer after all. Burke has progressed a long way since her debut, which is fortunate for fans of crime thrillers. Her latest features smooth, engaging writing; a sharp, funny edge; and characters worth investing in. Burke has created some memorable female protagonists over the years, but Olivia might be the cream of the crop. If readers are lucky enough, snarky Olivia will snag another convoluted case and make additional appearances up the road.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940173631886 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 01/26/2016 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Sales rank: | 955,932 |
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