Angel's Tip by Alafair Burke

The last time I was out browsing at the library, I ran across Ms. Burke's latest novel in her Ellie Hatcher series. I read the first one last year some time, and remembering enjoying it but not loving it. Angel's Tip sounded reallly interesting, so I decided to pick it up and give it a try. Angel's Tip was an enjoyable read, though nothing I was over the moon about. I give it a B.

From Amazon:
In a city full of victims . . . it's hard to choose just one.
Fresh-faced Indiana college student Chelsea Hart is so excited to spend the final hours of her spring break in the VIP room of an elite New York City club that she remains behind when her girlfriends call it a night. The next morning, as her concerned friends anxiously pace their hotel lobby, joggers find Chelsea's body in East River Park, her wavy blond hair brutally hacked off.
NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher catches the case and homes in on the group of privileged men who were last seen plying Chelsea with free-flowing alcohol. But before she can even gather the preliminary evidence, the gruesome murder is grabbing headlines and drawing unwanted media attention to the department. So when Ellie builds a tight case against Jake Myers, a young hedge fund manager, the department brass and the district attorney's office are elated: the case will soon be cleared, the media will tout the department's quick work, and Ellie will be a dream witness at the trial against Myers.
But Ellie has her doubts. Chelsea's murder is eerily similar to three other deaths that occurred nearly a decade ago: the victims were young, female, and in each case, the killer had taken her hair as a souvenir.
Ellie's investigation pulls her into a late-night world of exclusive clubs, conspicuous wealth, and hedonistic consumption. And her search for the truth not only pits her against her fellow cops but also places her under the watchful eye of a psychopath eager to add the prideful young female detective to his list.

I thought I had this book all figured out. About halfway through, I was positive I knew who the killer was and why he was doing the things he was. Even with only about 15 pages left, I was still sure I knew who the killer was even though it was pretty apparent that he couldn't be the one committing the crimes. I enjoyed the fact that I was wrong... it added to the mystery and I was pleasantly surprised that there were so many red herrings thrown in. Nowadays, it seems like the more mystery books I read, the less I am being "mystified". Ellie is a likeable character and at times I was cheering for her to show up all of the guys who thought that she wouldn't make a great detective, just because she was a girl. However, this book had more "cozy mystery" aspects than "thriller" aspects, and I was a bit disappointed. All around a good read, just nothing that will stick with me for the long term.

Up next is the last library book I have checked out for right now and it is one that I have looked at several times before. It is called Sinners and Saints and is by Eileen Dreyer. I was positive I owned the book but checked it out anyways, and was surprised to see when I got home that I didn't own it. The book just looks really, really familar to me so I have probably picked it up a dozen times at the bookstore but just never bought it for some reason. I hope that isn't a clue about how the book will be. Well, I am off to finish a bit of work and then plan on finishing the word day reading! Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Reading!