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THE BETTER SISTER

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THE BETTER SISTER

by Burke, Alafair

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
  • first
Condition
Fine/Near Fine
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Canandaigua, New York, United States
Item Price
$30.00
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About This Item

New York: HarperCollins, 2019. Hardcover. Fine/Near Fine. The Better Sister" is the 14th novel -- the sixth stand-alone -- by the bestselling Burke, the daughter of mystery-thriller master craftsman, James Lee Burke. This is the story of the two Taylor sisters --Nicky, married to promising Cleveland attorney, Adam MacIntosh, with a son, Ethan, and Chloe, an Ivy League grad with a high-paying job with a NYC publisher. But time and fortune and mental illness intervene and 15 years later, it is Chloe who's married to Adam and is raising Ethan. Then Adam is murdered in their East Hampton beach house and Chloe must reluctantly allow her sister, Ethan's biological mother, back into her life. When the police make son, Ethan, prime person of interest, the two sisters are forced to end their estrangement and confront their past and their son's future. First edition, first printing (as stated, with complete numberline). Signed by Burke on the title page. About 6 x 9 1/4 inches, 311 pages plus author's note, acknowledgments, brief bio note and note on typeface. Bound in dark-blue paper-covered boards with gold lettering on spine. Dustjacket's front panel features decorative wedding ornament (young woman in white gown holding bouqet) sinking into the dark blue waters of a tilled swimming pool. Author's name in white, title in yellow, susperimposed on deaign. Back panel contains praise for the novel and for previous novel, "The Wife." Boards and text are clean, complete, unmarked and unread. No noticeable or significant flaws of any kind. The front flap of the dustjacket shows a crease in upper corner running through the original price. O/w dustjacket is also clear of damage or flaws. A collectable copy of this work by James Lee Burke's daughter, a former prosecutor who now teachs criminal law in New York City.

Reviews

On May 12 2019, a reader said:
4.5★s

The Better Sister is a stand-alone novel by best-selling American author, Alafair Burke. When e-zine executive, Chloe Taylor comes home from a dinner party to find her husband, corporate lawyer Adam Macintosh, fatally stabbed, the police initially suspect it's a robbery gone wrong. But closer examination has them arresting Adam's sixteen-year-old son, Ethan. And despite being virtually estranged from Ethan's mother, her sister Nicky, they now join forces to scramble to his defence.

Detective Jennifer Guidry is convinced that Ethan Macintosh killed his father and, despite lacking some vital evidence like the murder weapon, the prosecution has dug up a fairly credible motive, and a time line that fits the defendant's whereabouts. But Ethan's stepmother is insisting the police investigate Adam's movements in the 48 hours before his murder. Guidry dismisses this until a newspaper article rings a bell.

At first, readers may wonder just how reliable a narrator Chloe is; she certainly has some secrets she's not revealing, but the reason for any discrepancies becomes apparent later on. And if the story starts out fairly straight-forward, with perhaps a few little kinks in the plot, then with each chapter, another wrinkle, another layer, another twist, another turn is added to the story, so that the reader is kept guessing until the final chapters, and even the most astute reader is unlikely to easily deduce the murderer's identity.

Burke gives the reader some great characters and the banter between the sisters is particularly delightful. There are plenty of clues and red herrings dropped throughout the story, and readers of Burke's earlier novels The Ex and The Wife will recognise Olivia Randall in her role as lawyer for the defence with some excellent courtroom drama. A gripping page turner.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin.

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Details

Bookseller
H.W. Gumaer, Bookseller US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
006040
Title
THE BETTER SISTER
Author
Burke, Alafair
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used - Fine
Jacket Condition
Near Fine
Quantity Available
1
Publisher
HarperCollins
Place of Publication
New York
Date Published
2019
Keywords
MYSTERY, SIGNED, FIRST EDITION, NEW YORK, CRIME, MURDER, MOTHERHOOD, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, THRILLER,
Bookseller catalogs
Mystery; New York; Crime;

Terms of Sale

H.W. Gumaer, Bookseller

All books subject to prior sale. All books returnable within two weeks for any reason. Please return by USPS (media mail rate) and note the reason for return. All sales subject to applicable taxes.

About the Seller

H.W. Gumaer, Bookseller

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2005
Canandaigua, New York

About H.W. Gumaer, Bookseller

H.W. Gumaer, Bookseller, has been serving customers on the internet since 2003. We specialize in modern American and English fiction and in mystery and detective thrillers, as well as art and art history. We also have a growing selection of mid-to-late 19th century history and literature. Nearly all our modern and contemporary books are first editions or otherwise collectable.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Title Page
A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Spine
The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
O/W
An abbreviation for otherwise
First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...

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