Final Jeopardy

This was well read and an excellent story. Having read the book it was a bit disappointing to find so much missing in the abridged version but, for those who had not read the book, it really would not make much difference. The author's books are on my "must read" list.

This is an interesting murder mystery featuring an Assistant D.A. named Alexandra Cooper whose specialty is sex crimes. A starlet is murdered in the driveway of Cooper's Martha's Vineyard house, and it's up to Cooper to figure out what happened and who's guilty before the same thing happens to her. The plot has some interesting turns, and it stays on the proper side of the plausibility line throughout. Cooper manages to juggle several cases at once while keeping her personal life going, and she even goes down a few dead ends in her investigation. Nevertheless, this isn't the kind of book where you flounder around for the first hundred pages while the author develops the characters; instead each character has a distinct personality and the plot gets moving from the very first page. It will definitely hold your interest. Well done, Fairstein.

New York City Assistant District Attorney in charge of sex crimes, Alexandra Cooper, couldn't believe her eyes. There on the front page of the Post was her obituary under the headline "SEX PROSECUTOR SLAIN-FBI, STATE TROOPERS JOIN SEARCH FOR KILLER." What the police didn't know, was that she had loaned her secluded, Martha's Vinyard beach house to beautiful actress and friend, Isabella Lascar. Isabella had said she needed a solitary retreat to read scripts and regroup. The shooting had taken place along the house's winding drive, and the shotgun blast to the face had made identification impossible, so the authorities naturally assumed it had to be Alex. But who was the real target, Alex or Isabella? As Alex and her favorite sidekick, Homicide Detective, Mike Chapman, begin their investigation, they wonder if this could this be a case of mistaken identity, and if so, was Alex in danger, and would the murderer try again? If not, who else, if anyone, knew that Isabella was going to be staying at the beach house, and why would they want her dead.....? Linda Fairstein has written a well-paced, legal thriller that sets you on the edge of your seat, and promises to keep you there until the very last page. Her well crafted, compelling plot is full of twists and turns, intriguing scenes and strong, interesting characters. But it's her indepth knowledge of the legal system and D.A's office, and her expertise in prosecuting sex crimes, that really makes this novel stand out. With a suspenseful ending that brings all the story lines together, and ties them up into a very satisfying package, Final Jeopardy is the beginning of a terrific series that mystery/thriller fans shouldn't miss. So turn off the phone, and lock the door, Alexandra Cooper and company are about to keep you up reading all night.

Linda Fairstein has served for many years as New York's Assistant District Attorney in charge of prosecuting sex crimes. And according to all accounts, she is brilliant at her job. Well, Fairstein can put another notch in her belt, because she is a fine writer as well--right up there with the best of the genre."Final Jeopardy," her debut novel, introduces Alexandra Cooper, coincidentally an Assistant District Attorney in charge of prosecuting New York's sex crimes. Along with her very likeable sidekick, wisecracking but brilliant cop Mike Chapman, Alex works diligently to see that "her" victims, dead or alive, get justice. It's a grueling, wrenching task, but Alex thrives on it.The book is off to a racing start as Alex, more than a little bit startled, reads her own obituary in the morning papers. And it never lets up from there. The confusion about Alex's "death" is solved quickly, but tragically. It seems that a good friend of hers, sexy bombshell actress Isabella Lascar, has been murdered while spending a supposedly incognito weekend at Alex's private Martha's Vineyard retreat. Was the murderer after Isabella? Or was it a case of mistaken identity--was the bullet really meant for Alex herself?Those questions are only the beginning as Alex finds herself increasingly tangled in an incomprehensible web of intrigue. Who is the murderer? Try and guess. I did--and wasn't even close. There are enough colorful characters in the book, nefarious and otherwise, to make the reader keep turning the pages to find out who the "perp" is--and even more importantly, why the crime was committed in the first place.From the first page to the breath-stopping last, this book has a ring of authenticity, and why not? Fairstein has lived what she writes, and it shows. Rumor has it that Ms. Fairstein has recently retired from her day job. Good! That means she can devote ALL her time to writing more juicy crime novels for those of us who are hooked!I'm thrilled to have found her, and have already started the second in her Alexandra Cooper series. If you haven't treated yourself to Ms. Fairstein, give her a try. You will not regret it.

Alexandra Cooper and Mike Chapman. D.A. and Detective, great friends, working pals out for one common goal: to find the killer of beautiful actress. The suspense mounts as one clue leads you to another. The only question I kept asking myself was "Who did it?" Each person I believed had a motive to kill Isabella proved absolutely wrong. After a night of grueling questioning and witnesses to identify the Perp on another case, the Con-Ed rapist, upon Alex's departure of the precinct did you find out who the actual killer of Iz really was! Trust me when I tell you, you'll be totally surprised. I was as wide-eyed and panic stricken as Alex Cooper was! I can't wait to see this come out in movie form! As Grisham is for the defense, so is Fairstein for the Prosecution. You won't be able to put this down! I also suggest reading her book "Likely to Die"--another page turner! Keep up the great work, Linda!