This is the second in the Ellie Hatcher series by Alafair Burke. Burke does a wonderful job in developing Ellie's character, those around her (her brother, her partner, her friends) and the case she is working on. There is also a great balance of the case and Ellie's personal life - where the second does not intrude on the first, thankfully. It was lacking a bit on the police procedural part - but it was so smooth I hardly noticed.

Looking forward to reading the third in the series, 212. ( )

En una ciudad llena de víctimas. . . es difícil elegir sólo una. La joven universitaria Chelsea Hart está muy emocionada de pasar las últimas horas de sus vacaciones de primavera en la sala VIP de un club de élite de Nueva York, tanto es así que se separa de su grupo de amigas cuando éstas deciden regresar al hotel. A la mañana siguiente, mientras sus amigas esperan preocupadas en el vestíbulo del hotel, unos corredores encuentran el cuerpo de Chelsea en el East River Park, con el pelo, rubio y ondulado, brutalmente cortado. La detective Ellie Hatcher se hace cargo del caso y sus principales sospechosos son el grupo de hombres que fue visto por última vez en compañía de la joven bebiendo alcohol. Pero antes de que ella pueda reunir las pruebas preliminares del macabro asesinato, éste llama la atención de los medios de comunicación y aparece en titulares, algo que no gusta al departamento de policía. Cuando Ellie construye el caso, precipitadamente, contra Jake Myer, un joven gerente de fondos de cobertura, los altos mandos del departamento y la oficina del fiscal de distrito están eufóricos: el caso pronto se disipa, los medios de comunicación promocionan el trabajo rápido del departamento, y Ellie será testigo en el juicio contra Myers. Pero Ellie tiene sus dudas. El asesinato de Chelsea es inquietantemente similar a otras tres muertes que ocurrieron hace casi una década: las víctimas eran jóvenes, mujeres y, en cada caso , el asesino había cortado el pelo como recuerdo. La investigación de Ellie la arrastra a un mundo nocturno de los clubes exclusivos, el lujo, y el consumo hedonista. Y su búsqueda de la verdad no sólo la enfrenta a sus compañeros policías, también la coloca bajo la atenta mirada de un psicópata deseoso de añadir a la joven detective a su lista.

This was a good book. Quick read, well-drawn characters, interesting story. If I hadn't read it immediately after reading Cody McFadden's Abandoned, I probably would rate it more highly. ( )

This one had me completely guessing until the end and I'm not even sure I got all the ultimate twists and turns to reach the conclusion.
It was a slightly confusing end as I knew of the precinct's leadership change from reading this out of order, but wasn't sure on the how. Another good Ellie read ( )

The backstory: Angel's Tip is the second mystery in Alafair Burke's Ellie Hatcher series, after Dead Connection.

The basics: When Ellie Hatcher discovers the murdered body of Chelsea Hart, an Indiana college student who was visiting New York City with her friends, during her morning run, she takes the case as her own.

My thoughts: After liking but not loving Dead Connection, I was curious what Angel's Tip would bring. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic mystery as well as an impressive amount of character development for Ellie Hatcher. As the novel opens, some time has passed since the end of Dead Connection. Immediately, this time allows for Ellie to step out of some of the lingering shadows from the last novel and embrace her new promotion to a homicide detective. The reader jumps right into her new normal, and readers who didn't read Dead Connection could still enjoy this mystery.

What often seems to be a contrived plot: a case impacting a detective personally and professionally, is original here. As the more and more gruesome details about a serial killer emerge, the intensity of this mystery also ramps up. The glimpses inside the mind of the killer have a Criminal Minds level of intensity. A sense of foreboding takes over this mystery, but it's conclusion is an adrenaline rush.

Favorite passage: "Ellie’s father used to say that was the worst part of the job—the knowledge that good people would forever remember your voice, your words, that one phone call, as the moment that changed everything."

The verdict: Angel's Tip is an intense, gritty, police procedural. The mystery is twisting and intriguing, and Burke develops the character of Ellie personally and professionally. This fast-paced, surprising mystery wowed me, and I'm already eagerly awaiting 212, the next Ellie Hatcher mystery. ( )