Never Tell

A Novel of Suspense (Ellie Hatcher, Book 4)

By: Alafair Burke

Narrated by: Eliza Foss

Sixteen-year-old Julia Whitmire appeared to have everything: a famous father, a luxurious Manhattan town house, 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 insist 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 antidepressants 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 from 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.

©2012 Alafair Burke (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

No 4 Detective Ellie Hatcher series

This is the fourth in the police Detective Ellie Hatcher series. Ellie and her partner are called to an apartment in New York City’s exclusive area. A 16-year-old girl, Julia, is found dead in the bathtub, her wrist slashed. Everyone, the paramedics, the patrol officers, and the detectives, all believe that it is a suicide. Julia’s parents insist it isn’t suicide and must be murder and continue to be in the way of the police, but they are successful in keeping the investigation going. Ellie is introduced to a world of precocious and privileged teens, as well as a world involving homeless teens from the West Village. Connected in some way to Julia’s suicide or possible murder is a blog being written by an anonymous blogger who is telling all about the rape and molestation she suffered 20 years previously as a child. But someone starts leaving comments on her web site including real threats of danger. It’s a good book, well written as usual.

Did The Truth Come Out?

As always, wonder author Alafair Burke has you drawn in from the beginning, continuous twist and turns throughout the book and totally surprised when the truth comes out; but did ALL the truth came out? In the last chapter more information comes to light and has me wondering who really killed one of the characters. I don’t want to stay too much to spoil any parts of the book but I promise you won’t be disappointed. It has taken me 15 years to find an author whose books I’m obsessed with and have read/listened to multiple times. Alafair Burke has a talent that makes all her books wonderfully unique (this book was part of a series so there was some similarities but compared to her other books, outside of them being the best book you ever read, you would have no idea the same author is being all of these books).

Good story.

Great build up. Interesting end. Unexpected turns. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a murder mystery.

Enough twists to keep my attention.

Ellie Hatcher is new to me, but now I have to find out if there more. The story was good and there are several interesting and well developed characters involved. I'll remember this cast of characters for a long time. The narrator was excellent, although I did play most of the book at a slightly faster speed. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Complex, maybe too complicated

Very complex…thematically and structurally. Excellent character development. Will definitely read more of her work.

Didn't keep my interest

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I wasn't inclined to continue listening to this story. I eventually did while on a long car ride, but it didn't improve.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something for my young teenagers

Have you listened to any of Eliza Foss’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Long ....

So very long and never quite kept me interested. I stuck with it because the narration was very good but it just didn't get any better.

Is it suicide or murder?

The writing ability of Alafair Burke shine through in this book. Ellie Hatcher appears to be off her game in this story. She fails to call what looks like a suicide a murder and also most allows innocent people be convicted but in the end she is back on her game and solves the problems. This story shows the big gulf between rich teenager and poor teenagers lives and ethics. The story has three stories running at the same time but Burke manages to balance them all without making the reader feel disjointed. If you enjoy a good murder mystery you will enjoy this book. Eliza Foss does a good job narrating the story.

Performance took away from the story

First, I have to say I am a huge fan of Alafair Burke. I’ve enjoyed all of her books with Mary Higgins Clark. Now I’m making my way through all of her other novels. This is the first review I’ve written and it’s mainly in reference to the narrator. I’m not sure why the voice used for Ellie’s partner made him sound like he recently was released from a southern plantation. Just wasn’t clear what the narrator wanted to convey. Quite a disappointing distraction. I expect a better representation for this talented author.

Somewhat confusing at times.

The twists & turns in the story were confusing at times making it hard to follow.
The narrator was not consistent in characters’ voices. This sometimes made it difficult to understand who was saying what. I had to repeatedly back up & listen again to understand who was saying a particular line.