TLC Book Tour: Never Tell by Alafair Burke

Never Tell by Alafair Burke

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Julia Whitmire appeared to have everything: a famous father, a luxurious Manhattan townhouse, a coveted spot at the elite Casden prep school. When she is found dead in her bathtub, a handwritten suicide note left on her bed, her parents insists that their daughter would never take her own life.

But Julia's enviable world was more complicated than it seemed. The pressure to excel at Casden was enormous. Abuse of prescription anti-depressants and ADHD medication ran rampant among students; an unlabeled bottle of pills in Julia's purse suggests she had succumbed to the trend. And a search of Julia's computer reveals that in the days leading up to her death, she was engaged in a dangerous game of cyberbullying against an unlikely victim.

NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher is convinced the case is a suicide, but she knows from personal experience that a loving family can be the last to accept the truth. When the Whitmires use their power to force a criminal investigation, Ellie's resistance causes trouble for her both at work and in her personal life.

As she is pressured to pursue a case she doesn't believe in, she is pulled into Julia's inner circle-an eclectic mix of overly precocious teenagers from Manhattan's most privileged families as well as street kids she met in Greenwich Village. But when the target of Julia's harassment continues to receive death threats, Ellie is forced to acknowledge that Julia may have learned the hard way that some secrets should never be told.

I was first introduced to Alafair Burke through my favorite mystery writers blog Murderati and was totally blown away when I read Long Gone.  (check out the tlc tour)  So when the opportunity to review Never Tell and Angel's Tip in her Ellie Hatcher series came along, I was thrilled.   I don't usually read series out of order but they do stand alone.  The order of the series is Dead Connection, Angel's Tip, 212 and Never Tell.    I'll be reviewing Angel's Tip on 6/27 and have since downloaded the other two books to read on my nook. 212 is available for your e-reader for only $.99 for a short period of time,

Never Tell is one of those books that even though you may have something that needs doing, you just have to read one more chapter, then another until you forgot what you needed to do.  Burke did an excellent job of elevating the suspense and keeping you wondering who the culprit really is.  The characters will get under your skin and some of them you want to shake some sense into.  I highly recommend it. 

Check out what everyone else thought of it here. 

Alafair is also hosting the 2nd annual Duffer Awards and each day will be posting a poll featuring two novel characters. Vote and post a comment and be automatically entered for weekly prizes. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for asking me to be part of the tour, Harper Collins for providing me with a courtesy copy of the book and Alafair Burke for creating such an interesting, intriguing story.