whitneydaniell

by: Alafair Burke
published: January 7, 2025
genre: Thriller, Mystery
431 Pages, E-Book
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis

May Hanover is looking forward to a low‑key reunion weekend with her old camp friends, Lauren and Kelsey—women she hasn’t seen in nearly a decade. Good‑natured May isn’t chasing a booze‑soaked binge of debauchery; she just wants to catch up, savor good food, and soak up some sun at their luxe rental overlooking Gardiners Bay.

Kelsey, however, arrives ready to party, and after an afternoon of cocktails rolls into a night on the town, the trio keeps the momentum going. But when Lauren returns with a missing‑person flyer for a man they think they spotted a few days earlier, the women start weaving a story meant to shield them—and their many secrets.

What begins as a carefree girls’ trip is derailed when they find themselves at the center of an eerily familiar investigation. Each woman has something to protect and something to hide, and the real question becomes: how far is too far when self‑preservation is on the line?

Character Summary

May Hanover has curated a picture‑perfect life for public consumption, but only she feels the crushing weight of trying to be everything to everyone. A Harvard and Columbia Law grad, she left a prestigious New York firm for the District Attorney’s office, then ultimately becoming a law professor. When an online video goes viral, dubbing her as “Asian DA Karen”, May is wondering if her pristine facade has some cracks in it.

Kelsey Ellis—gorgeous, privileged, and heir to the Ellis real‑estate fortune—bonded with May at summer camp. Years later, after a short‑lived marriage to a restaurateur and a life‑changing medical diagnosis, she’s facing even tougher choices in the wake of her ex‑husband’s sudden death. Kelsey knows what it’s like to be thrusted into the news cycle and have you name attached to a crime and, she doesn’t want to go through that again. She wants nothing more than to just be, Kelsey Ellis, again.

Lauren Berry, nine years their senior, met the other two when she was their counselor at the arts camp they attended. Now an acclaimed conductor and director of the Houston Symphony, Lauren’s history with camp Wildwood is dredged back up after having to resign years ago after a counselor drowned and rumors of an inappropriate relationship swirled. Lauren has a melody of secrets and with one mention of her name in the media, everything might come tumbling down.

When a man vanishes from Sag Harbor, Detective Carter Decker turns over every stone to find out what happened and who’s involved.

My Thoughts

Whew—this book was doing the most, and I mean that in both a good and chaotic way. There’s so much happening: backstory, timelines, secrets, shifting loyalties. And somehow, it all threads together without becoming a total mess. It’s layered in a way that feels intentional, but also slightly dizzying. You really have to keep track of who did what and when—but it’s not so confusing that it loses you. The balance works, but it’s just on the edge.

Now, May. Let’s talk about her because whew, she was exhausting. She is the definition of a performative good person. On the surface, she’s got the job, the education, the polished image—but behind all that, she’s a deeply insecure, self-righteous woman who operates with a superiority complex. She wants to be seen as better than other women, but also desperately craves their approval. The whole “Asian DA Karen” thing? She never really takes accountability for the incident that caused the nickname, which speaks volumes. She spends the entire book trying to control the narrative, control the people around her, and control how she’s perceived. And spoiler: she fails miserably on all fronts. Honestly, it was hard to root for her.

Kelsey and Lauren weren’t much better. Kelsey is giving spoiled-rich-girl energy, and while she does have some sympathetic moments—especially regarding her health—I couldn’t shake the sense that everything she did was still somehow self-serving. Lauren was the biggest mystery for me. I didn’t understand why she was even in this friendship triangle. She’s older and seemingly emotionally intelligent. It didn’t make sense, and I kept waiting for a deeper reveal that never quite landed.

The group dynamic was off. Their conversations felt stilted, like they were performing closeness rather than actually having it. It made me question why they were even friends in the first place. Was it shared trauma from camp? Guilt? Nostalgia? It never felt genuine, which, in a way, added to the tension—but also made it hard to invest emotionally in them.

That said, the pacing is solid. The mystery unfolds with enough twists to keep the pages turning. I flew through it in about six hours and didn’t want to put it down. Even when the characters annoyed me, the plot kept me engaged. I figured out the “who” around 70% in, but had a hunch about the “why” much earlier. That didn’t ruin the experience for me, but it did make the final reveal a little less satisfying.

Detective Carter Decker? Eh. He was fine. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he did his job. Honestly, May did most of the heavy lifting for him.

Final Verdict

I wanted more, but I wasn’t mad at the ending. For me, a 4‑plus‑star thriller has to shatter my theory; this one didn’t. It was a bit too easy. Still, I didn’t hate it, and now that I’ve met Alafair Burke, I’ll probably pick up another of hers to see what else she has in store.