-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Summary | Discuss | Reviews | More Information | Read-Alikes
A Novel of Suspense
If You Were Here is a thrilling novel of suspense from Alafair Burke, the author Dennis Lehane calls "one of the finest young crime writers working today."
Manhattan journalist McKenna Jordan is chasing the story of an unidentified woman who heroically pulled a teenaged boy from the subway tracks. When she locates a video that captures part of the incident, she thinks she has an edge on the competition scrambling to identify the mystery heroine, but is shocked to discover that the woman in the video bears a strong resemblance to Susan Hauptmann, a close friend who disappeared without a trace a decade earlier.
What would have been a short-lived metro story sends McKenna on a dangerous search for the missing woman - a search that will force her to unearth long-buried truths much closer to home.
What book or books are you reading this week? (01/09/2025)
Almost done with The Note by Alafair Burke
-Debra_F
"Starred Review. Burke's accuracy in legal and judicial technicalities is impressive although most readers will find simpler pleasures in her sharp writing, well-constructed plot, and dimensional characters" - Publishers Weekly
"A frustrating read with too many West Point facts and an ending that just won't end." - Kirkus
"Not Burke's best, but still a solid thriller that will engage her growing audience." - Booklist
" A break from Burke's Ellie Hatcher series (Never Tell; Angel's Tip), her new stand-alone delivers a cleverly nuanced plot that will keep the pages turning. Her smart writing is fast-paced and engaging, and this book should appeal to most mystery readers, especially those looking for compelling, intelligent story lines. Despite a somewhat drawn-out, complicated ending, the overall reading experience is a delight." - Library Journal
This information about If You Were Here was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
alafairburke.com
Alafair S. Burke is the Edgar-nominated, New York Times best-selling author of fourteen novels of suspense, including The Ex, The Wife, The Better Sister, and Find Me, and coauthor of the best-selling Under Suspicion series. A former prosecutor, she is now a professor of criminal law. She recently served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and was the first woman of color to be elected to that position. She lives in New York.
If you liked If You Were Here, try these:
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting
by Clare Pooley
Published 2023
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project comes an escapist read that will transport you, cheer you, and make you smile - and make you, too, wish you had Iona's gift for bringing out the best in everyone.
by Kristen Radtke
Published 2021
From the acclaimed author of Imagine Wanting Only This - a timely and moving meditation on isolation and longing, both as individuals and as a society.
by Sue Rainsford
Published 2021
A haunted, surreal debut novel about an otherworldly young woman, her father, and her lover that culminates in a shocking moment of betrayal - one that upends our understanding of power, predation, and agency.
When I get a little money I buy books...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
