All Day And A Night by Alafair Burke

All day and a night.  That's prisoner and cop lingo for a life sentence without parole.  That's the sentence Anthony Amaro, better known as the College Hill serial killer, received eighteen years ago after the death of six women.  Everyone feels better knowing that he will never see the outside of a prison again.

But now, that reassurance is in doubt.  A woman is murdered, and there are similarities to Amaro's murders, including facts that were never released in public.  At the same time, the DA is sent a letter claiming that the man who killed the women before has also killed the most recent victim.

The letters stir up controversy.  A famous TV lawyer decides to take on the case and ask that Amaro's sentence be overturned.  In order to booster her efforts, she hires Carrie Blank, a lawyer who also happens to be the sister of one of the victims.  At the same time, the DA assigns the case to one of his up and coming associates; Max Donovan, to take a fresh look.  Max picks the best NYPD police detectives he knows to investigate the original case.  Ellie Hatcher and her partner JJ Rogan, have many successful murder investigations under their belts.  The fact that Ellie is Max's girlfriend is a complication that they think won't matter.

The lines are now drawn.  On one side the attorneys attempting to free Amaro and on the other side the police and DA's office attempting to reinvestigate to prove beyond a doubt that Amaro is where he belongs.  The tension rises as clues are followed, secrets start to emerge, and people start to get hurt.  Can the matter be resolved before another death occurs?

This is Alafair Burke's tenth novel, and the fifth in the Ellie Hatcher murder.  Ms. Burke is a former prosecutor who now teaches criminal law.   Her background means that the legal procedures and explanations for why an investigation is done a certain way are correct and explained so that a layman can understand.  The characters are interesting, and the reader is compelled to read to discover who really did all those killings.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.