You can take my heart, but I can't let you take my dog.

Alafair Burke understands the criminal mind. Long Gone is both an education and an entertainment of the first order. This is a very clever and very smart novel by a very clever and smart writer. The dialogue crackles, the plot is intriguing, and the pacing is perfect.

If you're a smart guy, you should really try to find out what women are thinking. I mean, we are 51 percent of the population.

I grew up reading crime fiction and, especially in the '80s, women were just there to be saved or screwed.

You didn't realize what was passing you by until you slowed down a little bit to get a better look.

Reading is not just an escape. It is access to a better way of life.

A lot of men just don't read. They don't read fiction at all.