The Note

Alafair Burke

A STAY-OVER in the upmarket Hamptons at Long Island should have been a time for three friends to enjoy sun, fun and a relaxing catch-up but when a harmless prank turns into something much more sinister, the consequences prove to be deadly.

American thriller writer Alafair Burke (pictured below) – whose gripping novels have grown out of her experience as a former prosecutor and now professor of criminal law – dishes up a summer sizzler in this complex and multi-layered mystery loaded with the kind of dark secrets, tantalising clues and wickedly clever red herrings that have made her the queen of psychological page-turners.

With a twisting, turning and utterly addictive plotline, The Note sweeps readers into the lives of three women whose complicated friendship history unravels in spectacular fashion when one drunken move becomes the catalyst for dangerous outbursts of temper, blame games, and long-hidden resentments. As lies and betrayals are exposed, the temperature rises both in and out of the sun, and the women find themselves at the centre of a police investigation which will put their friendship – past and present – under the closest scrutiny.

Growing up, May Hanover was always the good girl. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower, May was raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations for her daughter. May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail, and her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing.

But even good girls have secrets... and regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren Berry, a Black professional classical musician, and Kelsey Ellis, the blue-eyed, blonde-haired daughter of a wealthy real estate boss, she’s had her fair share of both.

But their bond – forged when May was just twelve years old – has withstood a tragic accident, heartbreak, loss, and their own individual scandals which went viral on social media and led to all three of them being ‘cancelled.’

Now May – an assistant district attorney on the way to becoming a tenured law professor – and her friends have reunited for the first time in years at an expensive apartment (courtesy of Kelsey’s dad) in the Hamptons. For May, who is now engaged to Josh, she feels the same ‘excitement’ of being with Lauren and Kelsey but also the same ‘insecurities.’

When a drink-fuelled joke goes horribly wrong and the trio find themselves embroiled in a missing persons police investigation, the case takes a deadly turn, long buried secrets are uncovered, and the friends are suddenly unsure who they can trust... least of all each other.

Burke is on top form in this deliciously deep, dark and suspense-packed thriller which explores the many fascinating facets of a female friendship by focusing on three very different women from equally disparate backgrounds, each harbouring their own secrets and scandals, and each undergoing the lingering effects of trauma.

One reckless revenge act in the present raises questions about loyalty, trust and betrayal... questions that can only be answered by looking back down the years through a web of deceptions and shocking revelations which shine a light on the women’s early years, their families, and their corrosive experiences with social media.

Burke’s plotting is, as always, meticulous in its concept, complexity and delivery, while each character is fully explored and realised, and then perfectly portrayed through the author’s empathy and exquisite detail. Add on one final, satisfying twist and this is a master storyteller at her thriller writing best!
(Faber & Faber, paperback, £9.99)