Eight o'clock at the end of a long August day and the corpse of a woman tied to a ladder washed up on the Hudson river. Who is she, once so elegant and clearly well cared for, who had so prematurely, met a violent end.
So opens Linda Fairstein latest book 'Cold Hit'. This is a brilliant piece of writing. It is tight and exciting. I love mystery fiction, but what a bonus when I learn something. In both the earlier books 'Final Jeopardy' and 'Likely To Die' I was enthralled, not just by the mysteries that Linda wove, but by the fascinating insights into Alex Cooper's job as the Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting sex crimes, which Linda Fairstein seamlessly interlaces into her plots, and which again is in evidence in this latest offering.
In 'Cold Hit' we are introduced additionally into the Art World. An unknown area to me, I found the experience added yet another dimension of interest and intrigue. We meet again Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. Although, in this book Alex has a new man in her life, it seems to have little effect on the chemistry that sparks between Alex and Mike Chapman and which they both seem oblivious to. But we all know that's how it sneaks up on one:-)
Cold Hit is the luck that will match DNA from a crime scene with a DNA profile in the police database. Is it ever that simple?
This is a well constructed, absorbing, first class mystery that keeps one guessing. I heartily recommend that none of you miss this one. It is a terrific book.
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Lizzie Hayes
August 1999