Bad Blood

There is nothing bad here in Bad Blood. Linda Fairstein give us her usual excellent writting, a great story that keeps one on their toes and interesting facts about a part of Manhatten. She mixes her mystery, romance, history and action so well a reader finds it difficult to separate them. She also leaves the reader wanting more, will this frenchman be the one? What's up with Mike? Yet if one never read another Fairstein book ( may that never happen) they would have enjoyed this one.

...and I've read every one, in order. "Bad Blood" combines all the aspects of a Fairstein novel: obscure New York history (sometimes it's too long and very boring; in this case, it was fascinating), a trip to Martha's Vineyard (mercifully short this time), a usually riveting mystery, and a cast of characters we've learned to love. The book begins calmly enough with Alexandra Cooper prosecuting a very difficult case against a Johnnie Cochran-type defense attorney. The defendant, wealthy society-type Brendan Quillian, stands accused of murdering his wife, Amanda, by manual strangulation. Alex's case is very weak, much more than normal, even though she knows he did it, or hired somebody to do it. We accompany her to the courtroom for several tense, disappointing days--and then all hell breaks lose. A dangerous explosion in New York's extensive "underground city" that houses Manhatta's entire supply of water (and here is where the fascinating factoids come in) may be an act of terrorism--or some sort of deadly vendetta among rival families who have worked these tunnels for generations. That is bad enough--but what is the connection between snotty Brendan Quillian and the gangs who work below the city? And how will it affect Alex's case? The book zips through the tale with all the usual elements in place: danger, pathos, drama, and deep, dark secrets, until the denoument, where, for a heart-stopping minute or two, we think her long-time sidekick Mike Chapman might have been killed. Great stuff. A perfect "beginning of summer" read.

One of the things you can look forward to in reading any of Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper mysteries is the meticulous research she does for the background information. This book gives you some great information about the underground tunnels in NYC that form the background for the mystery. She has covered a museum, theatre etc., in other books and as you read them you get a real sense of the history that formed the city of New York. Another thing you can always look forward to in her books is the legal aspects. She doesn't grandstand in the court, she presents well thought out arguments that can go either way with the jury and the judge. The outcomes are not black and white, truth and justice like many other books. You have characters with flaws and biases that come into play. Judges that still feel rape is not really a crime. Members of a jury that feel the woman was asking for it. Alex Cooper is tireless in her prosecutions and you feel her triumphs and her pain when her victims win or are revictimized. The only wish I had for this book that wasn't fulfilled--is the way she handled Mike Chapman. You know that there is a deep angst in him over his fiancee's death a few books back, but she did not explore that aspect of his character. There is also a sexual awareness or something between Alex and Mike that wasn't explored in the little teasers that are in the other books. It would likely be a mistake in the series for Mike and Alex to ever really become a couple, but the little teasers tend to develop both characters since they become vulnerable and you see aspects of them that you don't see in their every day dealings. However, I will note in next year's January 2008 calendar to be sure and look for the next Linda Fairstein book! It will be interesting to see what aspect of the city she explores next, what victims she is protecting and of course, hopefully, what little teasing interplay may occur between Alex and Mike!

Linda Fairstein knows what it's like in the real world of New York crimes and punishments. Her Alexandra Cooper is smart, beautiful, rich, and is a working woman serving the city in the Crimes Unit as prosecutor. The writing is a crisp, the action is non-stop and is one of the most satisfying of the series. It is bad blood indeed in this story of a man on trial for the murder of his wife, grabs the gun from a clerk and kills people in the courtroom and escapes. The story of his family and others from his childhood play a major part of this plot - the famililies were generations of sandhogs - people who go down miles beneath the city fixing water problems and making upgrades to keep NYC in clean water. The grownd tunnels and the old subway routes undergroud, play a great role in this book. I was fascinated in the history of how these mazes of tunnels evolved, and the people who worked hard to create it. Of course Mercer and Chapman and Alex figured everything out and it was an interesting bit of 'whodunit'. Fans of the Cooper Mysteries will be happy.

This twisted tale of murder and revenge begins with a gripping courtroom scene, and if you've even been a trial lawyer, or a fan of Court TV, every word will ring true. Some scenes are set in the underworld of caverns, wells and tunnels of the "sandhogs" who built the NY water system, and the brotherhood which guards their secrets. The surprise ending involves a DNA twist that no one will ever guess!