Just Jennifer

All Day and a Night by Alafair Burke (Harper, June 2014)

Anthony Amaro is serving life in prison, convicted of killing one woman in upstate New York, but a suspect in the gruesome murders of several other women including Donna Blank.  After a Brooklyn psychologist is murdered in a similar way and an anonymous letter refuting Amaro’s conviction is recieved, the New York DA’s office decides to take another look at Amaro’s conviction.  Amaro’s defense attorney is a media celebrity who hires Donna Blank’s sister Carrie to assist in Amaro’s defense.  NYPD partners Ellie Hatcher and JJ Rogan are tapped for the fresh look team, headed by Ellie’s live-in partner ADA Max Donovan.  Is it possible that Amaro is only responsible for one of the murders and there is still a serial killer on the loose?  As Ellie and JJ navigate the politics of the NYPD reinvestigating crimes committed in Utica, they find themselves working on one of the most complex and baffling mysteries of their careers.  At the same time, Carrie Blank is desperate to solve her sister’s murder and realizes she may be in over her head with the big-gun attorney she is now working for.  Readers who have followed the series have enjoyed watching Ellie mature into a top-notch detective, as well as someone who is ready to share her life with Max.  An enjoyable, fast-paced mystery with a few too many coincidences, but a surprise ending nonetheless.