All Day And A Night by Alafair Burke

Generally speaking, character likability isn’t all that  high on my list of priorities in enjoying, or even choosing a book to read. Numerous factors are considered ahead of that (setting, tone, atmosphere, subject matter, whether I think it’ll be a compelling read). However, there are some natural exceptions to those rules—romance for one. Have you ever read a romance novel where you didn’t like either of the lead characters? Doesn’t happen very often.

I would also hazard a guess that murder mysteries, detective stories and suspense novels, where the tensions and stakes are high, are another place where it doesn’t hurt to have a character with whom you are comfortable, understand, and can root for. Ellie Burke is one such character, and with her, readers can comfortably navigate the world of violence and criminality.

In All Day and A Night  (a.k.a. prison slang for life without parole) Ellie Hatcher and her partner JJ Rogan are tapped to head  up a “fresh look” team on a serial murder case which was believed to have been solved years ago. The duo isn’t happy about the assignment which is one that is usually reviled within department because investigating officers are principally tasked with questioning the police work of their colleagues. It’s one step away from participating in an internal affairs investigation. It’s not by accident that Ellie and her partner have been assigned this task; it comes at the  request of Ellie’s now live in boyfriend, Max Donovan, who is an ambitious lawyer working for an even more ambitious DA in an election year. The heat is on, and though  no one wants to question the former police work, it’s clear that some things were missed.

Burke writes intriguing mysteries and this one is no exception. I had my ideas about how it would all end but I wasn’t sure, and that is saying quite a bit in her favor. The character interactions and back-stories, strong female roles and complex mystery made for a clever and engaging read. I’ve read one of Burke’s stand-alones, but this was my first novel featuring Ellie Hatcher and I would love to catch up with the other four novels in the series. Barring that, I’ll definitely be picking up and following where the next Hatcher mystery leads.

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