Crime novels: Books by the Burkes are some of the best
It seems if one of your par- ents was a famous writer it could become easier to become one yourself. Stephen King’s son with the pen name of Joe Hill is doing rather well. Clive Cussler co-authored popular books with his son Dirk and after Cussler’s death the son has continued that work.
While the children of well known authors might have advantages in knowing how the publishing game operates and by having observed how their parents approached their jobs they still face obstacles. First off, they must be able to write. Secondly, they have to do the work.
Alafair Burke has done the work. Burke’s dad is James Lee Burke, one of our greatest living novelists. She just published “Find Me.” Over
the course of numerous novels Burke has established herself as a fiendishly ingenious plotter. Her thrillers are addictive. Her dad is probably her biggest fan.
Burke has a series featuring NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher. The most recent book in that series came out eight years ago. Hatcher makes an appearance in “Find Me” and while her role is not insignif- icant she isn’t the one who drives most of the action.
“Find Me” is the story of Hope Miller, a woman who survived an auto accident that has left her with amnesia. She has no memory of who she used to be. She has been living like this for 15 years while claiming she cannot remember who she was before the wreck.
As the book opens she has recently moved from New Jersey to the Hamptons. Her best friend, a Manhat- tan defense attorney named Lindsay Kelly, is concerned about Hope. Lindsay had been the first person on site at Hope’s accident. They have grown close.
Hope works for a real- tor. One day she vanishes. Her friend Lindsay freaks out. A local police officer gets involved then makes a mess of things. The story builds while Ellie Hatcher gets drawn into the case.
Hope’s amnesia lays a foundation for the story line. Who is she? Where did she come from? Where has she gone now? How does her previous life intersect with what has happened to her now?
Lindsay the lawyer and Ellie the cop eventually team up to solve this mystery. It links up to Ellie’s hometown of Wichita, Kansas. Readers of the Ellie Hatcher series will recall that Ellie’s father was a homicide detective in Wichita who died mysteriously. His true fate is finally revealed here.
The author grew up in Wichita, Her mom was a librarian. Her dad wrote novels and taught at the university. When Burke was young a serial killer they called BTK had the Wichita community living in a state of terror. Her early exposure to this criminal menace inspired her to become a prosecutor and later on, a best-selling crime novelist like her dad. In his best-selling Dave Robicheaux series, James Lee Burke has a character who bears more than a passing resemblance to his own daughter; her name is Alafair Robicheaux.