The Ex

A Novel

By: Alafair Burke

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In this breakout standalone novel of suspense in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train, a woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder—but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated.

And look for Alafair Burke's latest heart-racing novel of psychological suspense, The Wife, coming in January 2018.

Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it.

Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a fifteen-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That's when Jack's world falls apart.

Olivia Randall is one of New York City's best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide—and that one of the victims was connected to his wife's murder—there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him—and why?

For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets, to absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him?

©2016 Alafair Burke (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent Narration/Good Book

The best thing about this book was Xe Sands...
amazing as always! The story itself was entertaining. I figured out the ending, but that was ok. It had enough twists and turns to the story to keep my interest without making me dizzy! I will read/ listen to the author again and always look for more books narrated by Xe Sands. This was a credit well spent.

Good Read but Flat ending

The performance was wonderful. The speakers voice took on all the character’s various personalities and I loved it. The book however, kept building until the end where it flatlined, which was disappointing.

Love it

Awesome read!!!! I couldn’t stop listening, finished in 1 day!l - highly recommended suspenseful and sucks you in

Surprisingly good!

When I saw this on a BOGO, I was a little iffy. I'm so glad I got it now! Great story and plot!

Keeps you guessing.

I am a lover of mysteries but I have 3 things I need in any book if I am going to enjoy it. 1. Interesting characters who are real so that I believe that I could know them in real life. Not caricatures. 2. A storyline that contains surprises. If I can predict what will happen next and/or how it will end then it is too simplistic or formulaic for me. 3. A setting that intrigues me... perhaps a culture I don't know such as the Kate Shaguk series or the Decker/Lazarus series.

This book succeeds at presenting characters who are both likable and unlikable -- but always imperfect and real. Sometimes I cheered for them and sometimes I wanted to slap them. Overall they provoking and so I consider this a win. The plot is unique in the way it is told and does have twists that surprised me. I didn't always know what was just ahead and so I give that element positive marks as well. However, there is no cultural intrigue, no opportunity to learn anything new or different. That element would be necessary for me to consider anything above 4 stars. Overall, ranked as a mystery and so against books in its genre I would give it maybe 3.8 stars.

Good Listen! Amazing Narrator!

I truly enjoyed listening to this book. The characters were so well developed and relatable. The narrator was amazing, she made it seem like they're were at least 2 different people narrating. I definitely recommend this book but the reason I only gave the story 4 stars is because the ending felt a bit rushed. The whole story had a really nice pace and was very intriguing but the ending came within a few minutes and if you weren't paying attention over a 2 minute period, you would miss it.

I felt like there could have been a more dramatic or drawn out ending for how good the rest of the book was.

I do really like the writing style of this author and I will read more from her in hopes that the next book will be better as they can be in an authors journey.

Somewhat Predicable but Still Good

I had a hunch early on in The Ex as to who the real killer was, but it took the story long enough to get there that I doubted myself at points and the story thus kept me interested. And the ending for Olivia's personal life isn't what I expected for her... but good for her.

I loved it

I loved this book and loved the story. The only thing that irritated me is when she read the 'guy parts' her voice was extremely obnoxious. Still worth the read!

Twist and turns

I loved the twist. The author brought a lot of feeling to the story. Thanks

Suspenseful page-turner

This story about a lawyer playing detective made me want to keep listening to find out what happened next. Even though you can predict the "twist" at the end of the book already by the mid-point, there were still many interesting surprises and reveals. The characters were flawed, but sympathetic. Excellent narration makes this a good listen while driving.