Cold Hit

I love the characters and the way the author spins the story. Never boring and a real page turner.

What a find in Linda Fairstein! I read Final Jeopardy and enjoyed the book. (I picked it up because I am a "Jeopardy" fan.) I liked it, so I moved on to Likely to Die. I liked that one, too. So, naturally, I picked up Cold Hit. When I got to the end of one chapter and found myself sitting in my chair at 1am on a weekday morning (I leave for the office at 6:30 am), with my hand over my mouth saying, "Oh, my. . .!" Well, this is by far the best! Read it now!

I just happened upon Linda Fairstein's first book, tore through it and her second. I waited, impatiently for another. Cold Hit was a great read. Alex is a great character, a real leading lady with class, style and smarts. Fairstein's books have great suspence with a quick pace. I've shared them with family and we all are addicted! I had given up on Mystery's other leading lady, Kay Scarpetta, but Fairstein's main character fills the shoes and then some. So when's the next one, is all I want to know!

A COLD HIT occurs when a crime scene DNA matches that stored in a centralized data base. This new technique leads the Manhattan District Attorney's office to conclude a serial rapist operates on the Upper West Side. When the police catch the perpetrator, Assistant DA Alexandre Cooper will prosecute the case as she handles the Sex Crime Unit. The corpse of Denise Canton tied to a ladder floating down the river becomes a case for Alex and her team because the assailant also raped the deceased. Denise, a major player in the art world, and her spouse were undergoing an acrimonious divorce with ownership of several paintings being the prime issue preventing a peaceful settlement. Alex quickly learned that the victim dabbled in black market purchases and fixed auction sales. As they dig deeper into the world of Denise Canton, Alex and her team become targets for a culprit who plans to make sure their investigation fails. COLD HIT is a thoroughly tense-filled and pulse-pounding police procedural that never slows down for the reader to catch their breath. Best selling author Linda Fairstein escorts her audience inside the environs of art collectors. This tour includes a glimpse at the ugly crimes committed just to own a masterpiece. Alex is a strong female who serves as a capable leader, not afraid to participate in power games with her male counterparts. She cares for the victims of sex crimes, which adds a vulnerability that makes her a better character. Anyone who enjoys Cornwell or Rosenberg, will gain much entertainment from this novel and Ms. Fairstein's previous work, FINAL JEOPARDY.Harriet Klausner

Eight o'clock at the end of a long August day and the corpse of a woman tied to a ladder washed up on the Hudsen river. Who is she, once so elegant and clearly well cared for, who had so prematurely, met a violent end.So opens Linda Fairstein latest book 'Cold Hit'. This is a brilliant piece of writing. It is tight and exciting. I love mystery fiction, but what a bonus when I learn something. In both the earlier books 'Final Jeopardy' and 'Likely To Die' I was enthalled, not just by the mysteries that Linda wove, but by the fascinating insights into Alex Cooper's job as the Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting sex crimes, which Linda Fairstein seemlessly interlaces into her plots, and which again is in evidence in this lattest offering.In 'Cold Hit' we are introduced additionally into the Art World. An unknown area to me, I found the experience added yet another dimension of interest and intrigue. We meet again Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. Although, in this book Alex has a new man in her life, it seems to have little effect on the chemistry that sparks between Alex and Mike Chapman and which they both seem oblivious to. But we all know that's how it sneaks up on one:-)Cold Hit is the luck that will match DNA from a crime scene with a DNA profile in the police database. Is it ever that simple?This is a well constructed, absorbing, first class mystery that keeps one guessing. I heartily recommend that none of you miss this one. It is a terrific book.