Hell Gate (Alex Cooper, Book 12)

Having lived in Gracie Mansion myself for 8 years and having covered crime in NYC as a journalist, I can say that Linda Fairstein gets all the details right! Her latest Alexandra Cooper thriller, Hell Gate, pumps up the adrenaline brilliantly. ADA Cooper has to dodge the bad guys as well as the egos of the bosses, as she works to find out who has been smuggling human cargo and which politicians are masking the truth because they have sex scandals to hide. The friendship and working partnership "Coop" has with detectives Mike and Mercer and her team in the DA's office give the book heart and humor. But it's a dicey business and this time her determination could cost her life!

Ms. Fairstein strikes again with another great mystery!!! The story begins with ADA Alex Cooper at a shipwreck in Queens that has many twists and turns. Were the ships' passengers vistims of an international sex trafficing ring? Who was behind it? The mystery intensifies when citizens with political contacts end up dead? Who did those victims know in politics? And who killed them? Was it the new mayor, the governor, the local congressman, the former police commissioner, or was it the......? And what part in the plot did Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, play? Well, I guess you'll just have to read the book to find out. I found the book hard to close.

This book reminded me of why I liked the series so much. The plot was interesting and realistic and the characters were believable.The friendship and trust between Alex, Mike and Mercer are what makes this series one of a kind and the Alex, Mike relationship is just getting more and more interesting.I can't wait for the next one and I highly recommend this book.

Linda Fairstein's twelfth legal thriller finds NYC prosecuting attorney Alexandra Cooper and homicide detectives Mercer and Mike Chapman investigating a shipwreck that turns out to be one carrying human cargo from the Ukraine. Some of the women and men jumped ship and drowned, and at least one of the women was murdered via an ice pick type wound to the heart. The story gets a bit convoluted with the introduction of a congressman who flees a car accident and who was then found to be having an extramarital affair. There are also corrupt politicians, smarmy aids, and the like. As with all of Fairstein's books, the story is rich with details about the history of Hell Gate and the surrounding area. If you are familiar with New York politics you'll also pick up on some similarities of the fictional character's escapades with those of the current crop of politicians such as Spitzer and Paterson. Personally I felt the author could have written more about human trafficking which is a huge issue world-wide. I would rather have read more details about it and what an individual can do to help eliminate this rather than the details about the mansions and Hell Gate as interesting as they were. Ms. Fairstein has mentioned she gets more mail about the relationship between Alex and Mike than any other aspect of her books (Julie Kramer interviewing Fairstein for International Thriller Writers). There was more than a hint of sexual tension between the two in this book. Mike studiously ignores it and Alex buries her feelings. Her current boyfriend Luc was barely mentioned in this story and there were few mentions of her friends Nina and Joan. There was a bit more introspection by Mike and Mercer about Alex's single minded focus on her job at the expense of her personal life. All in all an excellent addition to the series.

A Ukrainian ship carrying human cargo to New York sinks near Rockaway Beach in Queens. Many die with the few survivors talking in their native tongue about abuse and brutality. Thirty women were part of the cargo to be employed in the lucrative sex trade; however one of the females died before she fell into the icy water. New York County Sex Crimes Office ADA Alexandra Cooper is at the scene shocked by the inhuman behavior and vows to find out who killed this Jane Doe. Married Manhattan Congressman Ethan Leighton flees the scene of a car accident that he caused being under the influence at the about the same time his lover Mexican immigrant Salma Zunega calls 911 to report his threatening her. Soon afterward she and their child Ana vanish. Mayor Vin Statler demands resolution, but not expected it to occur at Gracie Mansion nor the snakehead rose tattoo tying the cases together. The latest Cooper thriller is a terrific entry (see Lethal Legacy) that hooks the audience immediately and never misses a beat though there is even more going on than the two prime subplots. Fast-paced throughout, fans will appreciate Hell's Gate as Linda Fairstein provides a deep look at human trafficking in which pure capitalism rules over basic commonly accepted rights with the United States as a major economic partner in spite of solid law enforcement efforts to prevent it. Harriet Klausner