The Kills: A Novel (Alex Cooper Book 6)

This book is one of those where the relationships amongst the book series characters make the book worth the read, but the story is a little flat. I love the symbiotic relationships of Alexandra Cooper, Mercer Wallace, and Mike Chapman (kind of like James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series), but I can't help suspect that this story is bent around a need to write about New Jersey's infamous shoreline area called "The Kills" and that need drove the story vs. the story being driven by probable characters. The tour of New York and surrounding environs here is terrific, but I didn't really buy the plot line that involves a famous Double Eagle gold coin smuggled from Egypt and a secondary and connected story about probable child abuse. There are WAY too many coincidences here and I tired of bouncing between storylines as the book unfolded. Linda Fairstein is a good author and I've read better from her ("The Bone Vault" comes to mind).

I'd guess that this is the fourth Fairstein novel I've read, and it is the least compelling. ("The Bone Vault" was much better.) This time around, the plot is too full of coincidence and cliche and complications and CIA clones and coin collections. All those "C" words...hmmm...guess that's why I'd grade this one a "C". Fairstein knows the law and trial work and sex crimes from her pre-writing life, and in this book she tries to get away from what she knows best and show off her broader education. But the attempt is not really successful. Her heroine, Alex Cooper, is less likeable in this effort. I found her pretentious and whiny this time around, and in the earlier novels I liked her more.

Alexandra Cooper is back again in Linda Fairstein's "The Kills." Alex is prosecuting a man with connections to the CIA for rape. Andrew Tripping, the suspect in the case, used his 10 year old son as leverage against his victim. At the same time, Mike Chapman is investigating a murder case that seems to be suspiciously linked to Alex's rape case. Alex, Mike, and Mercer Wallace must untangle the deadly web before the murderer strikes again.

Fairstein is generally an entertaining read, however this novel seemed a bit formulaic. I understand that there is a fomula that lies beneath the surface of every mystery novel, but if I can grasp the formula and feel it working, then the author isn't doing their proper job. That is why I stopped reading Patricia Cornwell; the formula was in my face, and I am feeling the same thing with Fairstein. Overall, it was an OK novel. Nothing to write home about though.

CD/abridged/Suspense: Book 6 of the Alexandra Cooper Series. I've listened to Cold Hit and while I really liked it, I remembered the Jeopardy part the most.
What I like the most about this one was that I learned something. In this book, you learn about King Farouk and his love of collecting things, expensive things. Yes there's a murder and yes, Alex is in danger, but I it was a enjoyable listen. Blair Brown does a great job narrating.

I thought this was Fairstein's best story yet. The plot line was excellent and very interesting. Fairstein was very skillful in bringing together several different sub-stories that seemed unrelated at first, but all came together at the end.
The reason I gave this book only 4 instead of 5 stars was because I really missed the character interaction between Alex, Mike Chapman, and Mercer. In past books there was more interaction among them with the characters spending more personal time together, and that was always a very enjoyable extra for me in Fairstein's books. For those of us who always look forward to the unresolved sexual tension between Alex and Mike, that was missing for the most part. But then again.....maybe that's the point for now since both characters have their own personal relationships.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book as it's a great read....I just caution that the interpersonal dynamics are not as much a focus as usual, if that's one of the main reasons for reading the Alex Cooper stories.

Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper finds a link between an elderly woman murdered and Alex's recent client also murdered. And believe it or not, they have something to do with the CIA and King Farouk of Egypt. While I believe that Farouk existed, I don't believe that McQueen Ransome did, and I don't think it's right to mess with history. And for the author to give her husband Justin Feldman a cameo? The character could've easily just been given a fictional name. After all, having Colin Firth in Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones sequel was terrible. (B)

Linda Fairstein was the lead prosecutor in the Central Park Five case that sent innocent children to jail for years. Everyone makes mistakes, including prosecutors. However her actions in this case were both incompetent and systematically immoral.

Incompetence: How does an experienced prosecutor not realize that none of the stories of the 5 suspects match up, the timeline of the crime does not match their whereabouts, the forensic evidence, including DNA, does not point to a group of people, nor does it tie any of the individual suspects to the scene of the crime.

Immorality: Prosecutors lied about hair evidence. Children were isolated from parents, friends, and legal counsel, and were manipulated into repeating stories that are fed to them.

The very worst offense is that at this point of time Mrs. Fairstein has not apologized or admitted that the case was a wholesale mistake. Despite the fact that all charges against these people were rescinded, she still insists they are guilty despite the inability to produce one shred of evidence.

Notoriety from this case helped launch her book career. Now that it is known that the entire case is fraudulent, please do not perpetuate her ability to make money off the backs of these innocent people.

This book is a cliche-ridden mess, complicated and naive at the same time. Her prose is jerky. Smooth transition ? What is that ? Like so many crime authors who have made it she can't write at all. Why they are successful is beyond me. If you finished this book you are a masochist.

Bill Doolittle

I bought this book because Jeffrey Deaver wrote a recommendation on the inside jacket. What was he thinking...or more likely, what was he paid?! This book is nothing like his novels. It's tedious, over-written drivel, with way too much time spent on absolutely nothing!
To be honest, I can't even critique the ending since I've stopped reading the thing after chapter 8.
Yes, I've wasted 20 bucks, but I'm pretty sure I can sell it to the local used bookstore.

I enjoyed this book immensly. Like all of Linda Fairstein's previous works, she manages to blend suspense and mundane daily info in the life of her characters. Keeps you guessing until the end. I really like that books about independent, strong women are being published! I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Well constructed storyline with a myriad of characters. May be a little convoluted but still gripping. I like Linda Fairstein's style based, clearly, on her profound knowledge of her subject. My criticism is that like other of her stories her heroine, Alex, ends up being attacked by the guilty party. In real life I would think she would have resigned long ago.