It was the first of two books I have read by Linda Fairstein featuring Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, Alexandra Cooper. The second was Terminal City which I reviewed in 2015. Below the review I have some further comments.
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23. - 433.) Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein – Manhattan
Assistant District Attorney, Alexandra Cooper, is wrapping up the prosecution
of a serial rapist who is being retried 30 years after a hung jury in his first
trial. Suddenly she is called to a building on the waterfront where a part-time
hooker specializing in SM has been found. Circumstances get more serious when a
second young woman is found dead. Both have been sexually assaulted and
tortured. Alex is intimately involved with her favourite police detectives in
the investigation. They look at a stereotypical Irish pub owning family, the
Dylans (essentially portrayed as a caricature) and their relationships with the
women. A third murder and they are searching for a serial killer. Information
leads them to the historic military islands around New York City. (There are
interesting historical tidbits.) A plausible surprise tip breaks the case. It
was hard for me to believe ADA’s get so directly involved in police investigations.
Overall it was well plotted but I found the heroic portrayals of police and
prosecutors overdone. There is no recognition of any flaws. It is too hard for
a defence counsel to accept the righteous tone. Alright. Paperback. (June 7/08)
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I think Fairstein is a good writer but I wish Ms. Cooper acted more like a lawyer than a police investigator. In both books she is far more involved in the actual investigations than is credible.The two books do feature aspects of New York City that are little known to non-residents. In Killer Heat islands that were / are military bases are important. Terminal City refers to the sprawling Grand Central Terminal which has, among its many quirks, parked in a tunnel an armoured train used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
If I can get by in my mind Cooper being more police officer than lawyer I may read more in the series.
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Fairstein, Linda – (2008) - Killer Heat; (2015) - Terminal City and The Mystery of FDR's Armored Train and Grand Central Terminal; Paperback
I know just what you mean, Bill, about sleuths who aren't police doing things that the police do. It's one of the challenging things about writing a crime novel in which someone other than a cop is the sleuth. The NYC setting does sound interesting, though.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for your comment. I know it is hard for most non-police sleuths to ask questions but lawyers spend their lives asking questions and getting answers. The setting was very interesting.
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