Alafair Burke books

Alafair Burke is a New York Times bestselling crime novelist, former prosecutor, and law professor known for the Ellie Hatcher and Samantha Kincaid series, as well as standalone legal thrillers.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Blue Religion 2008 Buy
The Best American Mystery Stories 2009 2009 Buy
Vengeance 2012 Buy
Inherit the Dead 2013 Buy
Suspense Magazine June 2013 2013 Buy
When a Stranger Comes to Town 2021 Buy

Ellie Hatcher Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Dead Connection 2007 Buy
Angel’s Tip 2008 Buy
212 2010 Buy
Never Tell 2012 Buy
All Day and a Night 2014 Buy
Find Me / The Girl She Was 2022 Buy
Se mi troverai 2022 N/A

Samantha Kincaid Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Judgment Calls 2003 Buy
Missing Justice 2004 Buy
Close Case 2005 Buy

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Winning 2010 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Long Gone 2011 Buy
If You Were Here 2013 Buy
The Ex 2016 Buy
Waking Kylie 2017 Buy
The Wife 2018 Buy
The Better Sister 2019 Buy
The Note 2025 Buy

Under Suspicion Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
I’ve Got You Under My Skin 2014 Buy
La notte ritorna 2014 N/A
L’Affaire Cendrillon 2014 N/A
The Cinderella Murder 2014 Buy
All Dressed in White 2015 Buy
De schone slaapster 2016 N/A
The Sleeping Beauty Killer 2016 Buy
Every Breath You Take 2017 Buy
You Don’t Own Me 2018 Buy
Piece of My Heart 2020 Buy
It Had to Be You 2024 Buy

Where Are The Children Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
La Maison du guet 1975 N/A
Where are the Children? 1975 Buy
Where Are the Children Now? 2023 Buy

Alafair Burke is a New York Times bestselling crime novelist whose books draw heavily on her background in law. She graduated from Stanford Law School and worked as a deputy district attorney in Portland, Oregon, before joining the faculty at Hofstra Law School. She has been nominated for an Edgar Award and has served as president of the Mystery Writers of America, the first woman of color elected to that position.

Burke writes two main mystery series. The Samantha Kincaid series follows a Portland prosecutor and is based on the same district attorney’s office where Burke once worked. The Ellie Hatcher series features an NYPD detective investigating cases in New York City. She also co-wrote the Under Suspicion series with Mary Higgins Clark, and her standalone thrillers like The Ex and The Wife have earned wide readership. Her father is fellow crime novelist James Lee Burke.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Alafair Burke written?

Alafair Burke has written 38 books across seven series.

What was Alafair Burke's first book?

Alafair Burke’s first book is La Maison du guet, published in 1975.

What is Alafair Burke's professional background outside of writing?

Burke is a former deputy district attorney who prosecuted cases in Portland, Oregon. She later became a professor at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure. Her legal experience informs the realistic courtroom and police procedural details in her novels.

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