Lethal Legacy

October 13, 2008
At the start of bestseller Fairstein's entertaining 11th legal thriller to feature ADA Alexandra Cooper of Manhattan's Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit (after Killer Heat
), Alex persuades librarian Tina Barr to go to the hospital after a burglar posing as a fireman assaults Tina at her East Side home. After Tina disappears, a woman's corpse turns up in Tina's abandoned apartment that looks like Tina's landlady, heiress Minerva Hunt, but in fact is Minerva's Romanian housekeeper. Alex and her sidekick, NYPD detective Mike Chapman, later learn that Tina was once employed by Minerva's father, Jasper Hunt, a rare book and map collector. The investigation leads Alex and her team into the dark depths of the New York Public Library in search of stolen items that certain bibliophiles and antique map enthusiasts would kill for. Full of fun information about the NYPL, the plot builds to a cool resolution that sets up Alex's next adventure involving a disturbing cold case. Author tour.

October 15, 2008
Could the pursuit of a rare book or map be motivation to lie, steal, or commit murder? Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and colleagues Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace are drawn to the scene of a home invasion and possible assault of a young library conservator named Tina Barr. Barr is refusing to leave the confines of her Manhattan apartment, and fear prevents her from divulging details to help snare her assailant. The disappearance of Barr and two subsequent murders propel Cooper and cohorts into a world of socialites, rare map and book collectors, librarians, and thieves. Their investigation leads them to the New York Public Library, where they discover the magnificence and secrets that lie within this historic landmark. As they travel through hidden passages, marvel at rare antiquities, and uncover decades-old secrets, their adventures are reminiscent of the quests of Indiana Jones or "National Treasure". Bibliophiles and Fairstein fans are in for a treat with this compelling 11th Alex Cooper novel (after "Killer Heat"). Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 7/08.]Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2008
Readers need notbe familiar withprevious Alexandra Cooperthrillers to appreciate this one. They will, however, need a deep curiosity about book collecting, maps, and librariesparticularly the New York Public Library.Cooper (Blondie, as her detective sidekick Mike Chapman teasingly calls her) issummoned to the scene of a possible sex crime, only to find that thevictim, a conservator associated with the NYPL, isnt keen on letting anyone investigate anything. In fact, she disappears. Later she turns up dead, but not before someone elses corpseis found, lyingatop a valuable book that leads detectives right back to the NYPL. Fairsteinsnovels frequentlyinterweave the stories of New York City landmarks, including Governors Islandand the Metropolitan Opera, but this timethe history is delivered suspiciously like a lecture.That said, the facts arestill fascinating, especiallythose concerning a legendary sixteenth-century map, around which everything ultimately turns.Curiosity piqued, readers will surely want to find out more. Fairstein is known for legal thrillers, but this book needs hand selling asa bibliothriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)