Alafair Burke’s The Note had potential, but it takes a while to find its footing. The premise—three old friends caught up in a prank gone wrong—starts off more annoying than intriguing. Their constant secrets and poor decisions pile up fast, making it hard to root for anyone early on.
Things do improve as the story shifts into thriller mode. The misdirection kicks in, the pace picks up, and the paranoia starts to work. You’re never quite sure who to trust, which keeps you turning the pages, even if the characters remain frustrating.
In the end, the mystery is solved more by process of elimination than real suspense, and while the reveal mostly lands, it doesn’t fully make up for the bumpy ride getting there. The Note is readable, but not one that lingers after the final page.