Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing Legal Thriller
Review: A hard-to-put down legal thriller by a debut mystery writer with a great new voice. The protagonist, Portland ADA Samantha Kincaid, is witty, gritty, and wise, a likable fighter for justice. The plot has already be told and retold, so I won't go there, and just will say I was hooked from the first few pages. I'm now getting ready to read the second book in the series, "Missing Justice." As others have mentioned, she is a talent in development, demonstrating the literary genes of her legendary author father, James Lee Burke.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing Legal Thriller
Review: As a law teacher and former deputy district attorney, Alafair Burke certainly knows her legal stuff - there's just too much of it. Yes, this is a legal thriller. But, it's all legal and no thrill. Every legal term, document, division, and procedure is explained in dry, tedious detail, all the way down to the nine-digit case number.A rape case is going to be kicked to the general felony unit for prosecution, a dumping ground for cases not deemed serious enough for real lawyer work. The lead detectives convince Samantha Kincaid to prosecute instead, telling her, "...The suspects are bad, bad guys, Sammie." Well, aren't they all. THE CHARACTER SETUP IS TRANSPARENT AND UNREALISTIC. After a phone conversation with a lecherous superior, it's no surprise who the bad guy turns out to be. Then there's the two page, unrelated description of a closed case. So unrelated to what's going on at the moment that you know it will be related later on. DIALOG IS DRY AND UNINSPIRED. When speaking to a group of panhandling kids:
"Why don't you guys hightail it out of here before [the mounted patrol] give you a hard time." The one I was pretty sure was Haley piped up. "What do you care?" "Honestly? I don't care whether you go to juvie or not. But the officers doing the rounds today are coming up on reporting time, and I got a bet with a buddy at the precinct that their unit's not going to meet their enforcement quotas this month. Listen to me or not. It's up to you." When speaking with a potential witness:
Hands still on her hips, she rolled her eyes and laughed to let us know that the notion of cooperating with the police amused her. She nodded in my direction. "Yeah, and what's she here for, fit me for my Girl Scout uniform?" I had some damn good tacos going soggy on my desk. The last thing I needed was for some twit to patronize me, but I did my best to keep the anger out of my voice. ATMOSPHERE IS NONEXISTENT. When told that the victim might again be in danger from her attacker: "I tried to calm down. ...Despite all the logical reasons not to worry, it was hard to concentrate, so I distracted myself by checking my bottomless voice mailbox." After detailing (for two pages) the dating history and break up with a co-worker: "I set the table, blinking away tears before any could roll down." Yawn. I gave it 100 pages but couldn't see my way through another 235. I kept hoping it would start to live up to all the rave reviews from the likes of Lee Child, Sue Grafton, and the Washington Post. But I don't understand what all the hype is about, other than friends of her father giving glowing reviews just to be nice. Bad judgment calls on their part.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Judgment
Review: As a law teacher and former deputy district attorney, Alafair Burke certainly knows her legal stuff - there's just too much of it. Yes, this is a legal thriller. But, it's all legal and no thrill. Every legal term, document, division, and procedure is explained in dry, tedious detail, all the way down to the nine-digit case number. A rape case is going to be kicked to the general felony unit for prosecution, a dumping ground for cases not deemed serious enough for real lawyer work. The lead detectives convince Samantha Kincaid to prosecute instead, telling her, "...The suspects are bad, bad guys, Sammie." Well, aren't they all. THE CHARACTER SETUP IS TRANSPARENT AND UNREALISTIC. After a phone conversation with a lecherous superior, it's no surprise who the bad guy turns out to be. Then there's the two page, unrelated description of a closed case. So unrelated to what's going on at the moment that you know it will be related later on. DIALOG IS DRY AND UNINSPIRED. When speaking to a group of panhandling kids:
"Why don't you guys hightail it out of here before [the mounted patrol] give you a hard time." The one I was pretty sure was Haley piped up. "What do you care?" "Honestly? I don't care whether you go to juvie or not. But the officers doing the rounds today are coming up on reporting time, and I got a bet with a buddy at the precinct that their unit's not going to meet their enforcement quotas this month. Listen to me or not. It's up to you." When speaking with a potential witness:
Hands still on her hips, she rolled her eyes and laughed to let us know that the notion of cooperating with the police amused her. She nodded in my direction. "Yeah, and what's she here for, fit me for my Girl Scout uniform?" I had some damn good tacos going soggy on my desk. The last thing I needed was for some twit to patronize me, but I did my best to keep the anger out of my voice. ATMOSPHERE IS NONEXISTENT. When told that the victim might again be in danger from her attacker: "I tried to calm down. ...Despite all the logical reasons not to worry, it was hard to concentrate, so I distracted myself by checking my bottomless voice mailbox." After detailing (for two pages) the dating history and break up with a co-worker: "I set the table, blinking away tears before any could roll down." Yawn. I gave it 100 pages but couldn't see my way through another 235. I kept hoping it would start to live up to all the rave reviews from the likes of Lee Child, Sue Grafton, and the Washington Post. But I don't understand what all the hype is about, other than friends of her father giving glowing reviews just to be nice. Bad judgment calls on their part.
Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Burke Would Agree
Review: As a loyal James Lee Burke fan, I couldn't pass on the temptation to read his daughter's debut. I knew it would be different from her father's, but I found myself comparing for the first twenty pages or so. While the prose is lean and gritty--a family writing trait--the inner turmoils are less pronounced and the settings less colorful. Soon, though, I found myself intrigued by this story of an underage prostitute discovered almost dead in the woods outside of Portland, Oregon. I began to care for the female deputy DA as she unraveled the case, as she struggled with her own relational hangups. I turned the pages...and forgot about comparisons. "Judgment Calls" starts a little rough, reading more like a manual on legal procedures at times, but Alafair Burke knows her stuff and begins to smooth out the ride as the novel progresses. She tells a good mystery, and I look forward to the sequel. Why live in her father's shadow when she can stand admirably on her own! And I'm sure Mr. Burke would agree.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended with mild reservations
Review: Deputy DA Samantha Kincaid of Portland Oregon is faced with a particularly disturbing case. A thirteen year old girl is found raped, sodomized and left for dead in the woods outside of town. The girl, Kendra Martin, identifies her attacker as Frank Derringer. With that evidence the case is brought to trial. However, with flimsy evidence, Samantha sees pitfalls ahead as she goes against an idealistic and aggressive public defender. As the complexity of the case reveals itself, Samantha actually finds herself in imminent danger.
Alafair Burke, daughter of MWA Grand master James Lee Burke, has written a very different book than the lyrically beautiful writing of her father. I don't mean this in a negative sense. Alafair Burke is a law professor and, like Samantha, a former DA in Portland. The book is character driven. With much influence from Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Nevada Barr and Laura Lippmann to name a few, the character of Samantha is the key to everything. We must, of course, know everything about her including her preferences in food and love. She must have the obligatory pet, live alone, have a lover etc. In spite of the fact that this book is not of my personal taste, there is much promising about this debut writer. She delves into the personality of Samantha Kincaid with vigor in first person narrative. The character is dead on. I wonder if it is the author herself we are getting to know. The conclusion is complex with the obligatory exposition scene of the villain holding the gun over the hero while divulging all. Yet, it is deftly handled. Overall, recommended with mild reservation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent first effort
Review: Having been a James Lee Burke fan for quite some time, I fully expected to find an intriguing tale, but with JLB overtones. Not at all. Judgement Calls is fast-paced, immediately engaging and definitely the author's own. The dialog is realistic, sharp and often very funny. Burke's Samantha Kincaid is well drawn, an imperfect, thoroughly likable, bright Assistant District Attorney with minor emotional baggage (no angst) and an attitude to which any woman can relate. The other characters are better than adequate; not as detailed as one might like, but their motivations are clearly understood. The story is a gut-wrencher for anyone with teens (and Burke gets the teen attitude down to the rolling-eye sighs!). The story is a little convoluted, perhaps because of the legal details, but it pulls you in and by the end you've got it. I'm glad I started this book on Friday evening, because I was up all night finishing it!
Rating:
Summary: Beware the plot holes!
Review: I picked this up because I have read all the works of her father - and of course "Alafair" is the name of his character's daughter too. The book was just "OK" - I guess not bad for a first effort, but maybe her father should have helped her out a little more. My pet peeve is plot holes - read "Angels and Demons" for a whopper of a hole. This book is not that bad, but there are several flaws in logic that just bug me. A character has his car repainted and an all new interior put in the day after the rape/possible attempted murder. At the trial the defense produces a witness that states the arrangements were made for this BEFORE the incident - thus claiming the defendant was not covering up his party to the crime. And the DA just says nothing? Well gee - I am the bad guy and I know my car goes in the shop the next morning for a paint job (totally different color) and an all-new interior. Then I KNOW I can do whatever I want in the car since any evidence will be GONE the next morning. Even worse, there is a 2nd unknown assailant - but the trial proceeds on the guy they arrested. Then when letters appear in the paper from someone claiming to be the REAL perp - with details known ONLY to someone who did it - they decide to let the guy go. Now wait a minute - they KNOW that there were TWO people that raped the girl, one they caught and one they can't ID. So MAYBE the guy writing the letters IS the 2nd guy, if so WHY would you let the other guy off? Nothing in the letters would exclude the guy on trial from still being the one. It is also a stretch that the victim never runs into the 2nd guy, as it turns out. I will probably pick up the 2nd book in this "series", but this is for sure in the "get it from the library" class of book - maybe a discounted paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Beware the plot holes!
Review: I picked this up because I have read all the works of her father - and of course "Alafair" is the name of his character's daughter too. The book was just "OK" - I guess not bad for a first effort, but maybe her father should have helped her out a little more. My pet peeve is plot holes - read "Angels and Demons" for a whopper of a hole. This book is not that bad, but there are several flaws in logic that just bug me. A character has his car repainted and an all new interior put in the day after the rape/possible attempted murder. At the trial the defense produces a witness that states the arrangements were made for this BEFORE the incident - thus claiming the defendant was not covering up his party to the crime. And the DA just says nothing? Well gee - I am the bad guy and I know my car goes in the shop the next morning for a paint job (totally different color) and an all-new interior. Then I KNOW I can do whatever I want in the car since any evidence will be GONE the next morning. Even worse, there is a 2nd unknown assailant - but the trial proceeds on the guy they arrested. Then when letters appear in the paper from someone claiming to be the REAL perp - with details known ONLY to someone who did it - they decide to let the guy go. Now wait a minute - they KNOW that there were TWO people that raped the girl, one they caught and one they can't ID. So MAYBE the guy writing the letters IS the 2nd guy, if so WHY would you let the other guy off? Nothing in the letters would exclude the guy on trial from still being the one. It is also a stretch that the victim never runs into the 2nd guy, as it turns out. I will probably pick up the 2nd book in this "series", but this is for sure in the "get it from the library" class of book - maybe a discounted paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Judgment Calls: A Mystery by Alafair Burke
Review: I was impressed by Ms Burke's first mystery. The characters that will probably become regulars in her future mysteries all have a "real" feel to them from the beginning. Unlike most mystery writers of today's top seller lists,, Burke doesn't resort to escalating violence or grotesgue brutality.
Being the child of a man almost of current poet laureate status of popular mystery, Ms Burke holds her own with the quality of her work. Judgment Calls isn't deserving of some of the shallow criticism thrown at it. If you expect Grisham BUY Grisham. If you expect James Lee Burke BUY James Lee Burke.
If you're expecting a well written mystery with developed characterizations and plot READ Judgment Calls. If you want an entertaining read the Alafair Burke series looks to be off to a good start. I'm looking forward to future Samantha Kincaid adventures! I'm also looking forward to more Dave Robicheaux. They should both be easy to locate in the "B" section of the bookstore or library. I'm happy with this purchase.
John Row
Rating:
Summary: reads like the real thing
Review: If you've spent any time inside a DA's office you know Alafair Burke delivers the goods. The story is believable and accurate in tone and detail. The characters seem real and the plot is not some far-fetched Grisham-like fantasy that could never happen in a million years. I enjoyed this book a great deal and have recommended it to several friends. Just because her dad is a legendary writer himself doesn't mean A. Burke doesn't earn her kudos. I am eagerly awaiting her next one.
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