Rating: 
Summary: The same mix, but disappointing this time
Review: I looked forward to the second novel by Linda Fairstein, featuring her heroine, A.D.A. Alexandra Cooper. But I'm afraid I won't be rushing out to look for the third.There was more than a hint of formula about this book. Take a mixture of office politics, big city politics, murder, fraud, the art world, and a bit of love and relationship stuff, and you have a good quality thriller. That is true in this case, but it's ultimately disappointing. Events and characters here seem to lack the natural flow and development of the very top class of thriller writers. I'm thinking particularly of Robert Tanenbaum, whose books have a depth of inner life which is missing in this one. And as well as that, or because of it, they are more exciting too. I think this book failed to excite me because the characters were really reported or observed rather than felt, even the first person heroine. And the characters have been deliberately removed from 'normal' life so that a large part of the novel focuses on the world of the privileged and the wealthy. It could still work, but it doesn't make that world natural for its characters, and certainly not for me. And the stuff about art is interesting, but it goes on and on. You can only write so much about art, and then you have to actually see it, or the writing becomes tedious and loses its meaning. I'm sure Linda Fairstein is a great lawyer. Perhaps she should stick to her day job.
Rating: 
Summary: A good who dunnit
Review: I try to avoid women authors, I don't give a damn what they are wearing or where they are eating. Having said that, I enjoy the O'Shaughnessey books and books by J. Jance. Cold Hit was recommended to me and I enjoyed it so much that I had to read the other two novels, Final Jeopardy and Likely to Die. I enjoyed them too. She didn't need to mention the Clintons in Cold Hit.
Rating:
Summary: Cold Hit, spot on.
Review: I was always a big fan of Patricia Cornwall, and her review on this book was enough to make me buy it. I started the wrong way around by reading this book first, and then obtaining copies of the first two books, final jeopardy and likely to die. They just get better and better. I can hardly wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: BORING and arrogant IN THE EXTREME
Review: If you like reading about the wealthy, the painted arts and restaurants this books for you. It's more of a dinning
out in NY guide and what and where the filthy rich do and go. Everyone of the main characters is a
multimillionaire, old money, new money, luxurious Fifth Ave. apartments, tropical island homes, MVineyard
summer homes blahblahblah. Art is the backdrop. We're talking Rembrandt, Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Edgar
Degas, Picasso here. The third wife of one of the oldest and biggest art dealers is found snagged on the shores of the Hudson River,
dead, strapped to a ladder with a cracked skull. I found it very slow, boring and arrogant. Not to mention unreal.
I personally don't give a hoot about the wealthy.
Rating: 
Summary: a stunning read full of nail biting action and suspense
Review: In a summer of brilliant crime this book stands out !!! Linda Fairstein has written a novel that is fast paced, informative and very very real. From the opening paragraph right up until the closing chapters you'll be as confused as the characters as to 'whodunit'. Set in the 'art' world this book is extremely well researched, Alex, Mike and Mercer are as true to life as ever and Martha's Vineyard sounds so beautiful that it's going on my itinery if I ever make it to the US again. For a great read where the questions aren't the only things in Jeopardy! I can't recommend this book more highly. Enjoy !!!
Rating:
Summary: New York ambiance and snappy dialogue, but the plot falters.
Review: Linda Fairstein knows her turf. She has been a prosecutor of sexual crimes in New York City under the fabled Manhattan District Attorney, Bob Morgenthau, for many years. Her expertise in police matters is evident in this well-researched novel. She explores the lifestyles of the rich and famous in this story of socialite Deni Caxton, who is assaulted, murdered and dumped in the Hudson River. Deni and her estranged husband, Lowell, are wealthy art collectors. Alex Cooper is back with her friends, the detectives Mercer Wallace and Mike Chapman. They interview Deni's friends and acquaintances as they explore the seamy world of art theft. As pleasant as it is to be in the company of Alex and her friends, the plot wobbles badly at the end as the murderer's identity is finally revealed. However, along the way, Fairstein again proves that she is thoroughly at home with police procedurals and her characters are always fun to be with. This is a light and pleasant read.
Rating:
Summary: Missing the Mystery
Review: Linda Fairstein's latest is another Alex Cross, excuse me, Alex Cooper mystery with the protagonist working more closely with police than any DA unit chief ever would, especially in a city like New York. This time Cooper is involved in a high-stakes art caper that leads to a woman's dead body washing up at the end of Manhattan.
Fairstein knows her subject, and the grittiness of the police detail and dialogue reflect it. But she also falls all over herself to give Fairstein a wonderfully glamorous lifestyle which has her casually dining in the finest Manhattan restaurants and whisking off for a weekend at "the Cape" with her globetrotting TV News boyfriend. I'm not certain if this is the way that Fairstein really lived while on the job, but if it was, she shouldn't have traded it in for the typewriter.
Still, Cooper's relationship with her cop friends, especially wisecracking Mike Chapman and standup guy Mercer Wallace is interesting, especially when Jeopardy is on the tube. Otherwise, COLD HIT is a slow-paced mystery story with no more plot twists than your average episode of Law and Order. The book left me, well, cold.
Rating:
Summary: Less Grit, More Elegance
Review: Linda Fairstein's third book in the Alex Cooper series is a sophisticated foray into the high-stakes international world of art. It is markedly different than her first two books--one expects Cary Grant to saunter onto the pages at any minute, resplendent in tuxedo and sporting his usual savoir faire. Instead, we have hardboiled street cop/renaissance man Mike Chapman, Alex's fast-talking, down-to-earth and impossibly endearing sidekick. Whether it's questioning a recalcitrant sidekick, stuffing his mouth at a resplendent Italian-food restaurant, or betting Alex on the nightly Final Jeopardy question, Mike is always in top form. But this time, he may be in over his head. When Deni Caxton, the estranged wife of an internationally renowned art dealer, is found raped and murdered, Alex, as New York's Assistant District Attorney for the Sex Crimes Unit (as is Linda Fairstein in real life), is called onto the case. Almost immediately, she, Mike, and Mike's able partner Mercer are caught in a confusing whirlpool of events that pulls them ever deeper into a well of murder. In short succession, several other bodies are found, and each seems to tie in some way with Deni Caxton's demise. The more Alex and her friends try to unravel the clues, the more they are drawn into a seemingly endless web of shady art dealers, mysterious Mata-Hari-type women, jailhouse thugs, antique dealers, and a cast of characters that would put Hitchcock to shame. It's obvious that Fairstein had a lot of fun with this novel, and it shows. Over and above the very real and perplexing mystery is the author's own unique view of the art world her fictional characters are exploring. The result is suspenseful, fun, and easy to read. The only negative to be said about this book is that there are so many characters, one almost needs a cast sheet to keep them straight. Several times, I found myself looking back 100 pages or so to verify who was whom. This slowed me down, but was certainly not annoying enough to stop reading. There is enough suspense in this book, including the near-murder of a cop near and dear to Alex's heart and a chilling encounter with the man who may be the perpetrator, to keep the reader turning the pages. This time I did guess the murderer, but not until near the end of the book. Like Final Jeopardy, it was good to be right for once! This is a fun and well-written series, and Linda Fairstein has joined my list of favorite writers. I look forward to reading her next book, "The Deadhouse," with pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Cold Hit a big hit im my book
Review: Linda FairsteinÕs Cold Hit is authentic New York City like a slap in the face, or a boot in the behind. Her characters are traditional New Yorkers and she even uses real life settings like ForliniÕs Restaurant at 93 Baxter Street, which I have frequented since the three Forlini brothers opened their top-notch eatery in 1956. I was born and raised across the street from ForliniÕs on the site which is now the city female prison. A personal note to Ms. Fairstein: Dempsey hasnÕt been the bartender there since 1992. He retired and is living someplace in Florida, sipping pina coladas, most likely made by someone else. For that minor fax paux, I deducted one star. That aside, Cold Hit is a big hit in my book. Read and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Another excellent thriller by Linda Fairstein
Review: Once again Linda Fairstein has produced an exciting thriller. The story kept me guessing until the end and this book was hard to put down.
| 
