Mystery/Suspense Review - Never Tell by Alafair Burke

Release Date - May 2013

Alafair Burke
HarperCollins

Book Review by Bob Walch

When the daughter of a legendary punk rock producer is found dead in the bathtub, her mother suspects foul play. NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher and her partner, J.J. Rogan, are more than willing to accept the teenager’s suicide note which was found in her bedroom.

As the girl’s parents exert pressure, Hatcher begrudgingly agrees to do a cursory investigation of the situation, which means talking to the deceased youngster’s school friends. The elite Manhattan prep school and its students suggest there may, indeed, be a little more to Ellie’s death. And checking out the teen’s computer exposes a rather nasty secret about the girl: she was involved in cyberbullying.

The more they dig, the more nastiness they uncover, which means Hatcher and Rogan will have to reconsider the cause of Ellie Hatcher’s death. This thriller raises some important and troubling questions about how well parents know their adolescent children and what they are really involved in.

The Ellie Hatcher series has been quite successful from its inception and this latest adventure illustrates there’s still plenty of growth left in this character as she continues to develop. Ellie has the ability to still surprise the reader and that’s a good thing, a very good thing!