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59th out of 234 books
—
305 voters
Final Jeopardy (Alexandra Cooper #1)
This critically acclaimed, explosive thriller is a book only prosecutor Linda Fairstein could write. Patricia Cornwall knows the morgue; John Grisham knows the courtroom; but no one knows the inner workings of the D.A.'s office like Linda Fairstein, renowned for two decades as head of Manhattan Sex Crimes Unit. Now that world comes vividly to life in a brilliant debut nove...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
June 1st 1997
by Pocket Books
(first published June 1st 1996)
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Didn't like her constant bad luck with boyfriends, but the rest of the protagonist's traits were fun. The death of the actress was mourned, but after the truth comes out you wanted to kill her!!!
The erotomania described by former sex unit prosecutor Fairstein was detailed and interesting.
Erotomania:
Based on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, 4th ed. (DSM-IV, 4th ed.)
The central theme of the delusion is that another person is in love with the individual
The delusion often concerns idealized roman...more
The erotomania described by former sex unit prosecutor Fairstein was detailed and interesting.
Erotomania:
Based on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, 4th ed. (DSM-IV, 4th ed.)
The central theme of the delusion is that another person is in love with the individual
The delusion often concerns idealized roman...more
I won Linda Fairstein's lastest thriller Lethal Legacy from Bookreporter.com last month and really liked it. I decided I would read the first in the Alexandra Cooper series. As author, Linda Fairstein worked as a prosecutor, the D.A. office's politics and inner workings rings true in the book. The main character, Alex is the head of the Sex Crimes Unit but in the last book it was not as prevalent and I don't like to read about graphic sex crimes. I do like Alex though and the characters that sur...more
Alexandra Cooper, Manhattan's top sex crimes prosecutor, awakens one morning to shoking news: a tabloid headline announcing her own brutal murder. But the actual victim was Isabella Lascar, the Hollywood film star who sought refuge at Alex's Martha's Vineyard retreat. Was Isabella targeted by a stalker or -- mistaken for Alex -- was she in the wrong place at the wrong time? In an investigation that twists from the back alleys of lower Manhattan to the chic salons of the Upper East Side. Alex kno...more
Since I am such a mystery hound one of the things I'm challenging myself to do is to branch out from my Harlan Coben, Mary Higgins Clark mysteries and try new authors. My mom introduced me to Linda Fairstein and passed along Final Jeopardy, thus making it easy for me to check her out.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a mystery (and while I figured out pieces of the "who done it" I didn't actually figure out "who did it" until it was revealed. I didn't love that the main character works in the...more
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a mystery (and while I figured out pieces of the "who done it" I didn't actually figure out "who did it" until it was revealed. I didn't love that the main character works in the...more
The first Linda Fairstein.
I see a pattern here that is repeated in future books. Poor Alex, just as it looks as if she found a good one, he turns out to be a rat.
A movie star is murdured at Alex's home in Martha's Vineyard. The star is a user, who met Alex through her best friend, Nina Baum, an old friend from college who is an entertainment lawyer in LA. Alex finds out about the murder as the headline of the Saturday morning NY Post headlines "Sex Prosecutor Slain", but of course it is a case o...more
I see a pattern here that is repeated in future books. Poor Alex, just as it looks as if she found a good one, he turns out to be a rat.
A movie star is murdured at Alex's home in Martha's Vineyard. The star is a user, who met Alex through her best friend, Nina Baum, an old friend from college who is an entertainment lawyer in LA. Alex finds out about the murder as the headline of the Saturday morning NY Post headlines "Sex Prosecutor Slain", but of course it is a case o...more
Good read, although boring in places. For some reason the author decided to treat some of the chapters as an information brochure, and you end up with a history or geography lesson while you're reading the book, which is really boring and unneccessary. Also there are smaller crime stories within the story that just don't need to be told, as they too are boring, pointless, and have no relevence on the story. And I found the 'whodunnit' of the main story so obvious, that the story lacked the wow f...more
I had this series on my list since 2009, and I am commited to getting some of these books off the tbr shelf. I did enjoy being introduced to Alex and her life. She is a district attorney for the sex crimes unit in NYC ( think law and order svu) and the author gives knowledgeable info on this office. She includes a lot of geographical infomation that wasn't quite necessary to the story, but with this being the first in the series, it is a good set up for future books. I like how the main story wa...more
First in Alexandra Cooper series. Cooper is a assistant district attorney in NYC and works specifically with their sex crimes division. (Think Law and Order SVU). The main murder plot was that an actress/friend of her is killed at while staying at Cooper's vacation home on Martha's Vineyard. This book sets up a lot of what I will assume will be returning characters. Lots of side info on detective work and prosecution of sex crimes that wasn't related to the main plot. Also some of the clues were...more
Slightly disappointing -- got off to a slow start. I didn't really get into this book until I was almost half finished with it. I enjoyed all of the legal details about how the district attorney's office works and how sexual crimes are prosecuted, but those details didn't have anything to do with the novel's premise of who killed the movie star at the beach house. The plot got bogged down by the introduction of too many minor characters and too many legal details. It was glaringly obvious to me...more
UPDATE: April 21, 2013
I recently learned about Linda Fairstein's involvement in the Central Park Five case (in which five innocent teenagers were convicted of the 1989 rape of a jogger based on forced confessions). Hearing of her complete refusal to acknowledge their innocence in the face of clear evidence that the crime was committed by a single offender (whose DNA was the only DNA found at the crime scene) has made me realize that I cannot in good conscience read anything this woman has writte...more
I recently learned about Linda Fairstein's involvement in the Central Park Five case (in which five innocent teenagers were convicted of the 1989 rape of a jogger based on forced confessions). Hearing of her complete refusal to acknowledge their innocence in the face of clear evidence that the crime was committed by a single offender (whose DNA was the only DNA found at the crime scene) has made me realize that I cannot in good conscience read anything this woman has writte...more
I thought, as a Law and Order SVU fan, this might be something I might like (except in book format). Well, it was all right at first. I liked Alexandra. A very strong willed character, although she had her girlie moments, she wasn’t a stone cold woman of ice either. That was good. Her friendship with Mike Chapman was really fun to read. Chapman made the story more interesting with his sense of humor. His jabs towards Alexandra (and vice versa) were fun to read.
The plot was all right. It wasn’t...more
I am still very much up in the air about this book.
In the past I have loved books by Linda Fairstein, but for some reason, this one just didn’t come across as well. The storyline and the supporting characters felt rather flat, nothing really stood out in the storyline and I didn’t feel the urgency that would be necessary for a book like this.
In a case of mistaken identity, Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper has been reported murdered when a body fitting Alex’s description is found in a...more
In the past I have loved books by Linda Fairstein, but for some reason, this one just didn’t come across as well. The storyline and the supporting characters felt rather flat, nothing really stood out in the storyline and I didn’t feel the urgency that would be necessary for a book like this.
In a case of mistaken identity, Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper has been reported murdered when a body fitting Alex’s description is found in a...more
Synopsis: Manhattan's top sex crimes prosecutor opens her newspaper one day to some shocking headlines: Sex Prosecutor Slain - FBI, State Troopers Join Search for Killer. The supposed victim is Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper, but Alex is still very much alive. Dead, on the wooded road leading to Alex's summer home on Martha's Vineyard, is beautiful film star Isabella Lascar. Isabella had borrowed Alex's house for a secluded holiday. Now her body has been found without any identification in a ca...more
FINAL JEOPARDY - NR
Fairstein, Linda - 1st in Alex Cooper series
"I sat on my living room sofa at five o'clock in the morning with a copy of the mock-up of the front of the day's New York Post in my hand, looking at my own obituary." Alexandra Cooper, Assistant DA in New York, had lent her retreat in Martha's Vineyard to a Hollywood star. When a woman is found murdered at the wheels of Alex's car in her own driveway, the police assume it is her. When it turns out to be the house guest, a snake pit...more
Fairstein, Linda - 1st in Alex Cooper series
"I sat on my living room sofa at five o'clock in the morning with a copy of the mock-up of the front of the day's New York Post in my hand, looking at my own obituary." Alexandra Cooper, Assistant DA in New York, had lent her retreat in Martha's Vineyard to a Hollywood star. When a woman is found murdered at the wheels of Alex's car in her own driveway, the police assume it is her. When it turns out to be the house guest, a snake pit...more
First of the Alex Cooper series. Not a bad book. Excellent info on the sex crime scene in NY. The author is an expert. The story line is OK. Not great but I did enjoy the book overall.
"The crusading longtime chief of Manhattan's Sex Crimes Prosecutions Unit brings to her exciting first novel the same passion and insights into the criminal and crime-busting minds that marked her memoir, Sexual Violence (1994). Fairstein also brings herself to the novel-or at least an alter ego of a narrator, Ale...more
"The crusading longtime chief of Manhattan's Sex Crimes Prosecutions Unit brings to her exciting first novel the same passion and insights into the criminal and crime-busting minds that marked her memoir, Sexual Violence (1994). Fairstein also brings herself to the novel-or at least an alter ego of a narrator, Ale...more
Interesting protagonist, good mix of forensic evidence and deduction, enjoyable change of setting from NYC to Martha's Vineyard. Clues are well hidden, with plenty of red herrings. ADA Alex Cooper's lifestyle and friends reveal unexpected personality facets. Interesting colleagues in this first of the series provide a variety of avenues for future plots. At the beginning of the book the writing seems a bit melodramatic, but the style and pacing improves by the action scenes.
While the book reminds me of Law and Order SVU and the author brings ever more wealth and legal knowledge to a swamped field of fiction, I found the books obvious of the authorial abilities. Clearly a well trained lawyer and less a fictional author, this book was difficult to chew and difficult to find empathy for.
Take heart - both the author and the meat of the series gets better as the two get to know one another and common cheesy phrases are left for more thoughtful dialogue.
Take heart - both the author and the meat of the series gets better as the two get to know one another and common cheesy phrases are left for more thoughtful dialogue.
Aug 07, 2012
Penny Ramirez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
legal-thriller,
series
A good solid series start. Legal thriller with lots of attention to detail - author is a former prosecutor.
Alex Cooper is an assistant DA in NYC, in charge of the sex crimes unit. Set in the late 90s. Kind of reminded me of Stone Barrington (Stuart Woods) - lots of food & fashion, name dropping, well-to-do protag & friends - except with a more routine day-to-day job. Decent writing, if you like legal thrillers. Book 14 in the series was just released this year (2012) - not sure I'm in a...more
Alex Cooper is an assistant DA in NYC, in charge of the sex crimes unit. Set in the late 90s. Kind of reminded me of Stone Barrington (Stuart Woods) - lots of food & fashion, name dropping, well-to-do protag & friends - except with a more routine day-to-day job. Decent writing, if you like legal thrillers. Book 14 in the series was just released this year (2012) - not sure I'm in a...more
This could have been (should have been in my opinion) a quicker read, but the author really seemed to want to give a clear picture of the main character's daily grind. I could have done without some of the asides and extra characters that entailed. Having said that, it is a readable story and I found the writing engaging. She fleshed out characters and showed their human qualities well without losing the tension. Even the villain has engaging qualities, which is as it should be.
The supposed victim is Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper, but Alex is still very much alive. Dead, on the road leading to Alex's summer home on Martha's Vineyard, is beautiful film star Isabella Lascar. There are two possibilities. Somebody despised Isabella enough to trace her to Alex's Vineyard retreat. Or the killer's intended victim was Alex, and Isabella was shot by mistake. If so, the assassin may try again, and the next time Alex may not escape.
Just for fun! This is the first book of a series about the first woman prosecutor of New York City. The main character is Alexandra Cooper how she fights crime in the big city. She usually has some history of NYC in each book like Margaret Truman does in her books about Washington D.C.
Her two side kicks are NYC detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer.
They have been known to bet on the final answer of Jeopardy, usually at a crime scene!
Her two side kicks are NYC detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer.
They have been known to bet on the final answer of Jeopardy, usually at a crime scene!
Since Lethal Legacy was so interesting, I decided to go back to the beginning and try the first book in the series. I can definitely say that she has improved over the years. The thing that bugged me about this book was that it was a little too much about the characters personal life and not enough about a mystery. That's what I enjoyed about the previous book. Hopefully, she'll get better in latter books.
This is amateur-writer hour. The author may be incredible in the court room, but she's nothing special when it comes to writing. Extremely predictable. I'm just glad it was a short book. If it had been any longer, I would have given up.
First one in the series that I read by Ms. Fairstein. If the second one turns out as bad as this one, I'm dropping her from my "to read" authors
First one in the series that I read by Ms. Fairstein. If the second one turns out as bad as this one, I'm dropping her from my "to read" authors
Even though Linda Fairstein is my favorite author, this was by far my least favorite of her books. I'm glad I didn't read this first, although it's the first in her Alex Cooper series. It seemed to me that perhaps she had a different editor at this time because there was so much more language and content that does not appear in subsequent books.
I read a later book in this series and wanted to go back to the beginning.
This book caught me from the beginning and kept me reading!
In this one, a movie star is murdered and we don't know if she was the intended victim.
There are a lot of interesting stories revolving around sexual crimes and since the author knows her stuff, they're really gripping.
This book caught me from the beginning and kept me reading!
In this one, a movie star is murdered and we don't know if she was the intended victim.
There are a lot of interesting stories revolving around sexual crimes and since the author knows her stuff, they're really gripping.
Alexandra Cooper is a Manhattan prosecutor of sex crimes. Everyone thinks that she has been shot when a body if found at her home in Martha's Vineyard. It turns out that the body is that of a famous movie star who Alex gave the use of her house to. Was the movie star the target or was it actually Alexandra?
Language. this is a good series about a woman ADA who works for the rape unit in NYC. She finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when her friend, a beautiful movie star, is found murdered at her summer home. And the plot gets more involved as she finds out her.... No, no spoiler notes from me!
This is her first mystery set in NY. Having listened to a later book I found this book shows how much she has improved her writing skills. In this book the plot is weak and the dialog among the characters is often tedious with somewhat clumsy attempts to incorporate repartee that falls flat in my opinion.
Apr 01, 2012
Martha Grace
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Martha by:
found at the coffee shop on the free shelf
A great story. Assistant D.A. alexandra Cooper reads the headline in the paper to see that her murdered body has been found near her cottage on the island. And the story is off, with Alex wondering if she was the target or the young woman visiting her cottage was the intended victim. Fast paced.
This is the first of Linda Fairstein's Alex Cooper series. Alexandra Cooper, a New York assistant district attorney, prosecutes sex crimes. When a friend of hers, driving a car Alex rented and staying at Alex's cottage, is killed, the question is who is the intended victim? The friend or Alex?
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Linda Fairstein (born 1947) is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children. She served as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the author of a series of novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper. Ms. Fairstein is married to Justin N. Feldman, retired counsel to the New York offi...more
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