From Publishers Weekly
The specter of Edgar Allan Poe hovers, chillingly, over bestseller Fairstein's seventh thriller featuring Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper. Alex's labyrinthine path to a serial killer travels through a lot of forensic evidence and two initially unconnected cases: the Silk Stocking rapist is terrorizing women after a few years' respite and a woman's skeleton is discovered in the wall of an East Village building. Said discovery takes on additional dimension when it's learned that the victim was walled up alive and that the house was once inhabited by Poe. Freelance writer Emily Upshaw appears, at first glance, to be the Silk Stocking rapist's latest victim, but several details feel off to Alex and NYPD detective sidekicks Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. Emily, it's determined, is the victim of a copycat, but she does have a tenuous link to Poe and to a secret organization called the Raven Society. These are the puzzle pieces that Alex and company work with, in a tale that develops like the proverbial peeled onion, a layer at a time. Alex, fresh from a breakup, also continues her unconsummated flirtation with Mike. It's a tribute to Fairstein's integrity and her clear, measured prose that the novel never tips into prurience. Her methodical presentation of authentic detail engages reader interest more than narrative flourish or cheap thrills. She's the real deal.
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New York City sex crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper investigates two crimes, a rape and a murder, which at first appear to be related. Complications arise from the discovery of a corpse found entombed in the walls of a home connected to Edgar Allan Poe. The search leads to a mysterious club of Poe scholars, the Bronx Botanical Gardens, the United Nations, and some chilling near-death experiences. Office politics and personal tensions pepper the plot. Blair Brown is convincing as Cooper, reading with a good balance of emotional intensity and restraint while keeping the pace brisk. With enough twists to keep curiosity aroused, a likable cast of characters, and a fine reader, this will please old fans and win new ones for the Cooper series. E.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
by Linda Fairstein
by Linda Fairstein
by Linda Fairstein
