The Note - by Alafair Burke (Paperback)

About the Book

"A vacation in the Hamptons goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history. It was meant to be a harmless prank. Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn't have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn't call her the Little Sheriff for nothing. But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both. Their bond - forged when May was just twelve years old - has withstood a tragic accident, individual scandals, heartbreak and loss. Now the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry. When she finds herself at the center of an urgent police investigation, May begins to wonder whether Lauren and Kelsey are keeping secrets from her, testing the limits of her loyalty to lifelong friends. What had they gone and done? A propulsive thriller that explores of-the-moment social issues, The Note is a page-turner of the highest order from one of our greatest contemporary suspense writers"--

Book Synopsis

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Washington Post, Sun Sentinel - A USA TODAY BESTSELLER - AS RECOMMENDED ON THE TODAY SHOW AND CBS SUNDAY MORNING - A suspenseful story about a vacation in the Hamptons that goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history - From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife and The Better Sister (now a Prime Video TV series starring Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel)

"Your perfect summer thriller is here already."--Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

"I absolutely loved The Note. Trust no one in this irresistible page-turner." --Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times best-selling author of First Lie Wins

It was meant to be a harmless prank.

May Hanover was a good girl, always. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn't have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn't call her the Little Sheriff for nothing.

But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both. Their bond--forged when May was just twelve years old--has withstood a tragic accident, individual scandals, heartbreak and loss. Now the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry.

What had they gone and done?

Review Quotes

"Alafair Burke is one of those authors who can turn a small note into a gripping novel. . . . Engaging from the first page, full of complex, believable characters, and with an eye on internet and cancel culture, this is another solid addition to Burke's already impressive oeuvre."
--NPR, "Books We Love"

"As a storyteller, Burke is a master knot maker. . . . Because it's impossible to give a sense of how very clever the plot of The Note is without ruining the fun of reading it, I'll simply say that nothing is as it seems. . . . Burke is also celebrated for her nuanced takes on women's lives. . . . Here, it's the complications of friendship among women that's the deeper mystery Burke explores."
--Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post

"Burke, whose peers rightly praise her originality and excellent plotting, knows how to keep a reader--and her characters--off-kilter and eager for the next twist."
--Oprah Daily, "Spring's Most Spine-Tingling Thrillers"

"This story is twisty and surprising and a real page-turner. I loved it."
--John Searles, The TODAY Show

"When a girls' weekend away goes wrong, everyone looks to the past for answers. A twisty, fast-paced thriller about friendships, betrayal, and loyalty."
--Nita Prose, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest

"No one lands plot twists like Alafair Burke, and THE NOTE may be her best novel yet."
--Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times best-selling author

"If you need a reality-escape, there's nothing better than a mystery or thriller. . . . Burke always delivers a fun, twisty ride."
--Boston Globe

"Alafair Burke brings us another slice of sheer class in The Note ... Burke is a pleasure to read, her characters believable and problematic and interesting. And the twists and turns of her plot are perfectly planned."
--The Guardian (London)

"The Note hits the ground running, rocking and rolling from the very first page. Alafair Burke knows how to build a thriller that picks up more speed as it goes, all the while telling a story about lives turned upside down by one wrong move."
--Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times best-selling author

"With The Note, Alafair Burke ups her already strong game of deviously smart plotting and strong, believable female characters to deliver her most thrilling and entertaining novel."
--Karin Slaughter, New York Times best-selling author of After That Night

"WHAT?! That's what I kept saying over and over again while reading The Note. Betrayals. Lies. Love. Friendships. And twists--oh, the twists! Utterly immersive and addictive, populated by people we all know, who frustrate us, who don't know how to love us but who are there for us until the end."
--Rachel Howzell Hall, best-selling author of They All Fall Down

"Alafair Burke is at the top of her game with this timely, suspenseful novel about fierce female friendships. Full of red herrings and misdirection, The Note is a breathtaking, read-in-one-sitting thriller that kept me guessing the whole way through. I absolutely loved it."
--Jennifer Hillier, best-selling author of Things We Do in the Dark

"Engrossing. . . . Burke builds an intricate structure of secrets layered within secrets, revealed for maximum suspense. The complex friendship among three flawed but engaging characters anchors this satisfying psychological thriller."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"The Note realistically explores the women's relationship; through the years, it fluctuates from friendship to frenemy-ship as the trio support and betray one another. . . . Burke's skillful plotting, punctuated by sharp dialogue, keeps The Note churning to a surprising finale."
--Oline Cogdill, Shelf Awareness

"The Note is a complex, shifting, and very timely procedural. Burke has always excelled at those, so this comes as no surprise. However, the intricate way in which Burke examines female friendship and the lingering impact of trauma after it has been amplified by social media make this a remarkable novel. . . . Burke is a master of suspense, which is great, but what is astonishing about her is that she somehow keeps getting better."
--CrimeReads

"Alafair Burke is known for her clever, twisty mysteries, and The Note is no exception. . . . But as we'd suspect with an author of Burke's caliber, the ending is not only unexpected, it's heartbreaking in many ways. . . . Burke's ability to have us care about these people is what makes her books so popular."
--Bookreporter

"Almost as engrossing as her examination of her main characters' psyches is her depiction of the post-lockdown zeitgeist that combined a growing lack of civic-mindedness with a slanderously judgmental attitude.... I will always be here for books that seek to explore, understand and provide an outlet for feminine anger, which The Note very clearly is."
--Criminal Element

"Readers will swiftly turn the pages of Burke's latest twisty and frothy thriller."
--Booklist

About the Author

ALAFAIR BURKE is the Edgar-nominated, New York Times best-selling author of fourteen novels of suspense, including The Ex, The Wife, The Better Sister, and Find Me, and coauthor of the best-selling Under Suspicion series. A former prosecutor, she is now a professor of criminal law. She recently served as president of the Mystery Writers of America and was the first woman of color to be elected to that position. She lives in New York.