shopping cart
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Interviews | July 4, 2009

Jill Owens: IMG Powells.com Interview: Luis Alberto Urrea



luisalbertourreaLuis Alberto Urrea is a poet, novelist, journalist, and essayist who has been writing about the relationship between the United States and Mexico,... Continue »
  1. $17.49 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    Into the Beautiful North

    Luis Alberto Urrea

Ships free on qualified orders.
$8.95
List price: $23.00
HARDCOVER, USED
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Local Warehouse Mystery- A to Z


More copies of this ISBN:

Missing Justice: A Samantha Kincaid Mystery

by Alafair Burke

Missing Justice: A Samantha Kincaid Mystery Cover

ISBN13: 9780805073928
ISBN10: 0805073922
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $8.95!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In the second entry in this "sharp, new crime series," the search for a missing judge leads Samantha Kincaid into Portland politics and a labyrinth of crime, corruption, and cover-ups

(Publishers Weekly)

Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid is back at work after an attempt on her life and a promotion into the Major Crimes Unit. When the husband of Portland, Oregon, city judge Clarissa Easterbrook reports her missing and Samantha is called out on the case, she assumes her only job is to make the district attorney look good until the judge turns up. When the police discover evidence of foul play, however, Samantha finds herself unearthing secrets that Clarissa had wanted to stay hidden, the lingering personal tolls of a crime that occurred decades ago. And when those secrets lead to the discovery of corruption at the highest levels of the city's power structure, Samantha realizes that her quest for justice could cost her not only her job but her life.

In the skillfully plotted, highly suspenseful follow-up to her acclaimed debut, Judgment Calls, Alafair Burke once again demonstrates that "she's got what it takes" (Michael Connelly). With its irreverent heroine and seamless blend of squad rooms, street scenes, and courtroom drama, Missing Justice confirms Burke's place among the genre's most talented and exciting newcomers.

Review:

"In Burke's lively second Samantha Kincaid mystery (after 2003's Judgment Calls), the Deputy District Attorney has just joined the Major Crimes Unit in Portland, Ore., when a local judge, Clarissa Easterbrook, goes missing and is then found murdered. As Kincaid sifts through possible suspects, she also adjusts to the personalities in her new office, including her surprisingly friendly supervisor. Evidence of the judge's affair with a politician and an increasingly confusing crush of contracts, judgments and financial papers make it difficult to believe that Kincaid would seriously consider Melvin Jackson, a poor black man, as the likely murderer. A former drug addict, Jackson was in danger of losing custody of his kids in a case Easterbrook was considering just before her death. Eventually, Kincaid turns to a more obvious source of trouble. Kincaid is an appealing if perhaps too familiar a type — a slightly seasoned, feisty woman who runs impressive distances and confides her endearing foibles to the reader. Burke does a good job of integrating the political and personal lives of her characters, with the detectives of the Major Crimes Unit being particularly well drawn. Witty and concise dialogue helps redeem the somewhat stiff plotting. Agent, Philip Spitzer. (June 2) Forecast: Blurbs from such big names as Sue Grafton, Lee Child, Michael Connelly and Linda Fairstein, plus Burke's being the daughter of James Lee Burke, should help ensure a successful national author tour." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[A] very clever whodunit long on red herrings, shadowy motives, and sly humor. The author's background as a former deputy DA in Portland lends gritty ambience to this modern parable of greed and ambition." Wes Lukowsky, Booklist

Review:

"A deftly extended episode of Law & Order, whose structure it mimics without adding anything compelling or new. Burke's neatest surprise is why Samantha, tossed off her first big case, ends up happy anyway." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"With excellent pacing, Burke strikes a nice balance between the cops and the lawyers. She doesn't force the drama, and the dialog is better here than in her first effort." Library Journal

Synopsis:

The second entry in this skillfully plotted mystery series finds Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid back at work after an attempt on her life and a promotion into Major Crimes. Soon the search for a missing judge leads her into Portland politics and a labyrinth of crime, corruption, and coverups.

About the Author

A former deputy district attorney in Portland, Oregon, Alafair Burke now teaches criminal law at Hofstra School of Law and lives in Long Island, New York. She is the daughter of acclaimed crime writer James Lee Burke.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
shubeteach, November 14, 2008 (view all comments by shubeteach)
Ms Burke needs to get with her dad and polish her style a bit. Sorry, but he's a much better writer who thinks it's important to get both character AND setting "right".

Also, if you're going to write a novel using a real setting, please make sure you know the geography. In both books set in Portland, Ms Burke gets too many details wrong.

Story line and character growth are both weak. Her novel set in NY is better on both counts. I do not live in NY and therefore cannot comment on setting.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9780805073928
Author:
Burke, Alafair
Publisher:
Henry Holt and Co.
Location:
New York
Subject:
General
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Series
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths
Subject:
Mystery fiction
Subject:
Suspense
Subject:
Women lawyers
Subject:
Missing persons
Subject:
Women judges
Subject:
Legal stories
Subject:
Public prosecutors
Subject:
Portland
Subject:
General Fiction
Copyright:
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Series:
Samantha Kincaid Mysteries
Series Volume:
02
Publication Date:
June 2, 2004
Binding:
HC
Language:
English
Pages:
368
Dimensions:
9.28x6.52x1.21 in. 1.45 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $8.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list
  2. $3.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    The Last Precinct

    Patricia Cornwell
  3. $14.00 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Englishman's Wife

    Louis Sanders
  4. $2.00 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    The Da Vinci Code

    Dan Brown
  5. $4.50 Used Mass Market add to wish list
  6. $1.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.