Entombed

I should be spending time working on my dissertation (which I have grown to hate). But when I'm having problems with my neuropathy/MS or whatever it is, I find it hard to concentrate on watching sign language interpreters do science, especially if it is done badly. Anyway, I've always liked Fairstein's books, and this has been an enjoyable read because of her involvement of Poe in the story line.I read Edgar Allan Poe when I was a teenager (guys, don't read at night!) and he remains the writer who others like Stephen King try to emulate in their horror stories, but never quite make it. As Fairstein discloses in her book, Poe's real life was the horror from which a child's and adolescent's mind drew his plots from. He didn't have to reach far. The death of his parents, separation from his siblings, his relunctant foster care by the Allan's, his marriage to his young cousin and her subsequent death...all of this was fodder for a sensitive soul whose writing was recognized as genius. In this case, the closely knit trio of Alex, Mercer, and Mike find themselves dealing with an entombed body discovered in the remains of a house Poe lived in temporarily. But the body and the means of entombing her were more recent, and they get to deal with fans of Poe who took things a bit to the extreme. The egos of writers, of critics, and academia are all too fitting for this story. The relationship between the three main characters is one of the best things about Fairsteen's books. The witty repartee between all of them and the hilarious game they play with the last question of Jeapordy is loads of fun, especially when you try to guess the answer yourself. I think Alex Trebek should be very flattered (and the show itself) that he is included in these stories. There is a part which I won't give away, that is absolutely heart-wrenching for the three friends to deal with, and you wonder if the author will allow them to continue after this happening (or continue in the normal friendship they usually have). I quess this will have to wait until the next book... Karen Sadler

Alexandra Cooper is an Assistant District Attorney and Sex Crimes Prosecutor for the city of New York. You get treated to an insider's look to the sights and sounds of New York and its outer boroughs. Alex Cooper is determined to capture the Silk Stocking Rapist once he appears again after four years of inactivity. At the same time, she and her colleagues get involved in a macabre murder that took place 25 years ago at the former home of Edgar Allan Poe. All of the murders in Entombed manage to emulate a famous murder from literature. Alex Cooper is tough, smart, and does not give up on her cases, with the help of her colleagues and friends, Mercer and Chapman. She shows her vulnerability with her loved ones and friends but nothing gets by her trial lawyer toughness. This was my first Linda Fairstein novel, it will not be my last.

I had never heard of this author before. My mother left her copy at my house after visting over the holidays. I picked it it up one day and decided to give it try, and I am glad I did! The book is a series But it stood up well for me even though I was coming in with no prior experince; you don't have to read the ealier books to enjoy this one. The book starts with the discovery of a skeleton entombed in a brick wall of a New York city brownstone that once belonged to Edward Allen Poe. A classic chilling scene right out of a Poe story! That is until sex crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper (the seriers hero)Finds the bones to be aproximately 25 years old, a lot younger then Poe's genration. It does appear that the killer has a facination with the classic horror author. The book's plot also involves the "Silk Stocking rapist." Who has struck again this time brutally injuring a Sweedish exchange student who attempts to fight back. This was actually the most suspensful part of the book, as the bodies pile up and Cooper trys to discover the killer's ID before he can strike again! The author's knowledge the criminal justice system and police procedures gives realism to the story. She appears to know well the difficulties facing prosucuters and the emotional distress that the victims of sex crimes must deal with. This helps make the book better then the typical thriller/suspence novel. The author also does a great job with her characters, brining them to life without going into the stereotype closet (and least not too much). I also liked the way she is able to write realistic action scenes, something I have found weak in many females author's work. Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a High quality suspense/thiller, and I am looking forward to reading the authors earlier novels. Oh! I also recommend "Kite Runner" amazing book!

I confess I'm a great fan of the Alex Cooper series because Fairstein, a former prosecutor, combines her vast knowledge of the criminal justice system with appealing characters, great plots, and a breezy, fast-paced style. In this book she outdoes herself. She reveals a hidden story about Edgar Allen Poe and gives us a glimpse into one of the great New York landmarks -- also a Fairstein specialty. It's fun, informative and truly frightening, worthy of the master to whom it pays homage. Be prepared to stay up all night.

Manhattan District Attorney's Office Sex Crimes Chief Prosecutor Alexandra "Alex" Cooper and NYPD Special Victims Squad police detectives Mercer Wallace and Mike Chapman believe they finally have a break in the Silk Stocking rape murder cases. The apparent latest victim Annika Jelt still lived thanks to a cop providing emergency first aid. The case has gone nowhere for several years, but with a potential eye witness and semen enabling DNA testing, hopes rise until the law enforcement officials conclude that a copycat killer is more likely on the prowl. As Alex, with pressure from her boss works the serial rapist-killer case, NYU begins renovating the area surrounding the school. At an NYU law school gala workers tear down a wall in a townhouse where Edgar Allan Poe once resided and the remains of a woman is uncovered. Forensics concludes that the woman was walled in alive back in the late 1970s. As clues surface that begin to link her cases, Alex turns to the Raven Society for assistance fearing that one of its scholars might prove to be the one behind the nevermore rape homicides. Linda Fairstein's latest sex crimes thriller is an intriguing New York romp as Alex and her cohorts travel the city hitting popular and not so known Poe locations in an effort to uncover the killer(s). The story line is action-packed, as the heroine and her two detectives know that they race against time to prevent another rape-homicide from happening. Alex remains a strong central figure to admire who holds the tale together, but the plot hums because using Poe provides a freshness to this strong combo legal thriller-police procedural urban series (see THE DEAD-HOUSE, FINAL JEOPARDY, and THE KILLS, etc.). Harriet Klausner