Cold Hit

Alexandra Cooper #3

by Linda Fairstein

Renowned sex-crimes prosecutor and bestselling author Linda Fairstein sends her acclaimed heroine -- the stylish and steely-nerved D.A. Alexandra Cooper -- on a hunt for a killer inside New York City's glitzy art world.
Alexandra Cooper has seen many murder victims, but few more disturbing than the silk-clad body of a woman, her hands and feet tied to a ladder, pulled from the turbulent waters at Manhattan's northern tip. With her colleagues, including NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, Alex races against the clock and hopes for a "cold hit" -- a DNA match that would reveal the identity of the murderer by linking the crime to someone already in the police database. But as the case pulls her into the exclusive world of East Side auction houses and cutting-edge Chelsea galleries, Alex discovers she may be marked as an expendable commodity in a chilling and deadly scheme....

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Suspense, Legal Thriller

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

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.

Like Fairstein, Alex ('Coop') Cooper is in charge of the Special Victims Unit of the Office. She works closely with NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. The 17th book in her best-selling series - DEVIL'S BRIDGE - launches in paperback in June, 2016. The 18th novel - KILLER LOOK - debuts on July 26th.

This year, Fairstein will debut a new series for Middle Grade readers - 8-12 years old. Her kid sleuth, Devlin Quick, appears in INTO THE LION'S DEN in November, 2016. The series is an homage to Nancy Drew, whose books inspired Linda's two careers - in crime fiction and in the law.

Ms. Fairstein is an honors graduate of Vassar College (1969) and the University of Virginia School of Law (1972). She joined the Manhattan District Attorney's office in 1972 as an Assistant District Attorney. She was promoted to the head of the sex crimes unit in 1976. During her tenure, she prosecuted several highly publicized cases, including the "Preppy Murder" case against Robert Chambers in 1986.

Linda Fairstein left the District Attorney's office in 2002, and has continued to consult, write, lecture and serve as a sex crimes expert for a wide variety of print and television media outlets, including the major networks, CNN, MSNBC among others. Ms. Fairstein is often called to provide her opinion on high profile prosecutions including: Michael Jackson's molestation charges in 2004, Kobe Bryant's sexual assault charges, and Scott Peterson's trial. She is also a frequent speaker on issues surrounding domestic abuse.

Ms. Fairstein lives in Manhattan and on Martha's Vineyard with her husband, Michael Goldberg. Her novels draw on Ms. Fairstein's legal expertise as well as her knowledge of and affection for the rich history of the city of New York.

Series:
* Alexandra Cooper Mystery

Reviews

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehh. This was just okay. I think that trying to tie together a kidnapping/rape to the art world in New York just didn't work though. There were way too many plot holes. It didn't help either that this is the third book in the row when Alex finds herself in danger. She works for the DA. How the hell is anyone targeting her all of the freaking time? It makes zero sense. Very little character development of Alex, Mercer, of Mike. I liked Mike slightly more in this one just because you get to see how much he loves and cares about Mercer. Other than that, this whole book was a bit of a snooze.

"Cold Hit" has Alex and friends going after the murderer of a wealthy woman with a lot of enemies. The "cold hit" portion comes from the DNA results from a rape kit after it is revealed the dead woman was raped before she died. The DNA comes back to someone that leads us back to the New York City art world. Alex starts to worry when it seems like someone is after her, and then someone close to her gets hurt as well.

I do like the insights that Fairstein brings to sexual assault cases. I just don't like Alex. After book #4 which I also finished recently, I decided to hang up this series for good. I won't get into that for this review though. Alex in this book is dithering back and forth because she is seeing someone new (a tv news announcer) after things didn't work out between her and the last guy that was mentioned in book #2. Alex is alone because it's easier it seems, but is resentful of being alone. I don't know. She seems to want Mike and Mercer to always be there by her side, but doesn't seem to make a lot of room for the supposed men in her life.

The bickering between Alex and her supervisor is also getting old. He's technically her boss and she readily implies in this one that he is sleeping with a subordinate while the woman was sitting right there. Who knows if it's true or not, but the whole thing read as very unprofessional. I was embarrassed for her.

Alex and Mike are toxic as hell and I really want them to leave each other alone. Seriously. He talks down to her to her face and when other people are there. It's not cute or romantic.

The book takes place in New York. Fairstein adds in a lot of history in this one about Hell's Kitchen that didn't really fit in my mind while reading. The events in this one also take place a year after the events in book #2 since there is mention of Alex's age, and she was just having a birthday in the last book that put her at 34.

The ending was a joke and a half. At this point, Alex should have bodyguards with her at all times. She's always being abducted and threatened.

[Bibi · Rating 1 out of 5]

#whentheyseeus

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this due to piece by Leslie Stahl on the author, and was intrigued by her history and her use of NYC landmarks in her series. I like this well enough to continue the series more for the visits to familiar locations (Chelsea, the High Line, the Empire Diner) than plot. Also liked the audio by Allison Janney.

[Yvonne G · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A hunt for a killer inside New York City’s glitzy art world”


I have made it something of a personal mission to clear a large swathe of physical books from my many library shelves, which have sat neglected and feeling sorry for themselves for many a long year, as my addiction with Kindle downloads has consigned them to a long-forgotten history. I have no idea where most of them even came from, probably one of the many charity shop forays I used to regularly participate in.

Reading this as I am in 2022, I have to remind myself that this book was originally published in 1999 (I guess that almost makes it vintage by today’s standards and just goes to show how long it has been sat on my shelves!). Crime detection and forensic techniques have evolved exponentially since then and we have also experienced the rise of the sexual and racial equality movements in the workplace, together with the enactment of anti-bullying and anti-misogynistic laws, so dropping myself back into the culture of the times is a must if I am to fully appreciate the storyline.

If I am not even attempting to play catch-up with a firmly entrenched and long running series, I will generally read book #1, so that I can get acquainted with the characters and their backstory, thus giving me the option to dip in and out of the series thereafter. However, Cold Hit, book #3 in the series, seems to have appeared on its own, on my shelves, thus I am already at a bit of a disadvantage, so here goes nothing…

...

When an elegantly dressed woman’s body is pulled from Manhattan’s Hudson River, with her hands and feet tied to a ladder, the race is on for Assistant DA and Head of the Sex Crimes Unit Alexandra Cooper, together with NYPD Detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, to track down the killer.

The body is identified as that of Denise Caxton, estranged wife of renowned art dealer, Lowell Caxton, although they still live in separate suites within the same sumptuous apartment and have shared ownership in a high-class and prestigious NYC gallery. The third Mrs Caxton married her much older husband for status and money, whilst for Lowell, Denise was his trophy wife and protegee. Their rocky marriage was not made easier by the many extra-marital affairs, of which they both took full advantage, the drugs which Denise had begun taking and of which Lowell did not approve, nor the modern and unconventional artists she had begun cultivating in her own right, even down to opening her own separate gallery with a new partner Bryan Daughtry, himself a suspect in a very bizarre and unsolved murder case in another borough of the city.

Lowell reveals that he too had been recently attacked, receiving a hairline bullet graze, although this had also happened in a different city borough and the details had not yet been associated with those of his wife’s murder case. A straightforward murder investigation becomes much more complicated, when it transpires that Denise had first been subjected to a brutal kidnapping and rape, before her body had been dumped.

As the evidence mounts up, the team discover that there is much more to the investigation than a single isolated ‘domestic’ killing, with some of the ‘shadier’ aspects of the couple’s art dealings and indeed that of their many friends and associates, coming in for keen scrutiny. The deeper Cooper and the team dig and the closer they get to the truth, the more the bodies begin to stack up, as reputations are put on the line, the collective art community closes ranks, and the risk of exposure simply cannot be countenanced.

Things take a turn for the worst and things become very personal for the NYC Police Department, when a meeting between Mercer and Alex, with one of the prime suspects, goes horribly wrong and Mercer is left fighting for his life.

The police ‘family’ come together as one, to smash the web of lies and deceit they are collectively being spun and bring the perpetrator(s) to account. However, it seems that Alex can sometimes be her own worst enemy and whilst she did eventually manage to unravel the complicated machinations of this highly organised crime syndicate, it was only after she had placed herself in great personal danger and found herself fighting like a caged tiger, for her own survival.

...

The combination of murder, wrapped up together with theft and a price fixing scam, in the art world, was going to be a sure-fire winner for me, if the writing style and surrounding storyline were both good and strong, which they were and made even more authentic in that author Linda Fairstein once held a similar position in the Sex Crimes Unit, which she has assigned to her fictional namesake Alexandra Cooper.

Short, concise chapters kept this otherwise deliciously slow burning, well structured, highly textured and multi-layered story, moving seamlessly along. Fluent narrative and punchy dialogue, made for some excellent descriptive passages, which for me offered a genuine sense of time and place, yet never threatened to overpower the strength of the storyline, whose physical footprint was actually very modest, as the visit to Alex’s second home in Martha’s Vineyard, whilst offering a welcome, if very short break, never really influenced the plot. I can hear all the ‘armchair travellers’ out there groaning in dismay, however, if you are also an amateur art lover, then some good narrative on the subject does help to make up for any lack of location detail.

As I haven’t read any of the previous books featuring this well developed, crime-busting trio, I am making assumptions based on my own ‘gut feel’ about the characters. I found it relatively easy to drop into this investigation unnoticed and work out the vibes and synergy between them, although without having read book #1, I might be getting the dynamics quite wrong. At a first pass, Alex seems like quite a mismatch for the two erstwhile detectives, in fact I did wonder whether it is usual practice for an ADA to become quite so ‘hands on’ involved in a case, not that I’m complaining. If she hadn’t decided to follow a legal profession, she had always harboured dreams of becoming a ballerina. She is well educated, from a loving family background, cultured and owner of her own second home at Martha’s Vineyard. Mercer sounds like quite the gentle giant, a calming influence, but someone who will always have your back as both a colleague and friend. Mike Chapman seems like the rough diamond of the trio. Down to earth; tells it like it is; dedicated to doing his job to the best of his ability and probably at the expense of any personal relationships; will defend his friends to the very end; but if you get on his wrong side – look out! He obviously has a bit of a thing going for Alex, so I don’t know if there is any romantic history between them, as they banter and throw insults at one another, like an old married couple.

A large and sprawling cast of background ‘arty’ characters, were largely uninspiring, barely operating on the right side of the law and every one of them was a suspect, on my ever-growing list, although I came nowhere close to solving the case and unmasking the mastermind. I wondered what I could possibly say about them, which might somehow redeem them, or restore my faith in their humanity or moral compass? – and in all honesty I think my answer was, absolutely nothing! Not one single thing about this volatile cast made them compelling, easy to connect with, or to want to invest in. There was not even any good synergy between them, only mistrust and an overwhelming tendency towards duplicitous and manipulative behaviour. That applied equally to many of Alex’s work colleagues in the DA’s office, who all seemed intent on finding out whose shoulders they could stand on next, to work their way up the ladder of promotion.

Do I still feel a burning need to go back and catch up with the previous episodes of this series I have missed? – probably not. But will I be happy to get my hands on some of the remaining seventeen or so books in the series I have yet to read? – Absolutely, if the opportunity should ever arise!

[Feyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,25 Sterne
Nicht ganz so stark wie die ersten beiden Bände, zu sehr versackte mir die Geschichte in der Kunstszene. Da sprang der Funke einfach so gar nicht über. Ich hab Alex, Mike und Mercer echt gerne, aber die Jagd nach dem Bernsteinzimmer hat mich immer wieder rausgeworfen. Gefühlt haben sie nicht mehr nach dem Täter gesucht, sondern verlorene Kunstgegenstände gejagt und den Vergewaltiger/Mörder nur so am Rande gesucht und quasi durch Zufall gefunden. So war es nicht, aber so hat es sich für mich persönlich angefühlt. Ich werde die Reihe trotzdem weiter verfolgen, denn die anderen Bände haben mir besser gefallen und ich denke, dass die ein "Ausrutscher" war.

[P.J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really shouldn't say I've read this, because I couldn't struggle through it long enough to finish it. The author's annoying habit of adding extraneous detail detracts so much from the story that it's impossible to focus on the story. I honestly don't care how many floors the character has to walk up to her office, what she's wearing, when her building was constructed, how many banks of elevators there are, or any unnecessary details about the history of the New York City judicial system!! Just tell the story, for crying out loud!!

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Fairstein's 3rd novel in the Alexandra Cooper mystery series, "Cold Hit," a woman’s body is washed ashore, whose identity reveals that she’s the wife of a wealthy art collector. Alex Cooper, Mike Chapman & Mercer Wallace are thrown into the world of art, art dealers and art galleries as they follow a trail of the most dislikeable art world characters ever, who have links to the dead woman, in tracking in killer before he strikes
again.

Set in the gritty and dangerous streets of NYC

we are given an insight into the dark and greedy art world, filled with rapacious collectors, fraud, theft and art forgery.

Twists and turns, lies and danger that almost kill Mercer as he and Alex are faced with dangerous killers who will stop at nothing to stop secrets being revealed.

I enjoy the relationship between the three and I am not sure where Alex’s affair with a famous newscaster will lead because I think underneath there’s a lot going on between her and Mike Chapman. Oooh I did love the Martha’s Vineyard part……I can just imagine her house on the beach

An absorbing plot which starts a bit slow but soon draws you in with the interesting characters and the procedures that leave you guessing until the very end.

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I didn't quite love my fourth foray into the Alexandra Cooper Series, but I did enjoy Cold Hit. This time I have to admit that a lot was going on in the novel. Open rape cases, a current case being prosecuted by Alex, and a new murder of a wealthy Gallery owner and Art collector. She has been bludgeoned to death. Her body tied to a ladder and found in the water off Manhattan. Evidence collected gets a hit - a cold hit - in the new DNA database. But the hit is of an unknown perp.

Alex, Mercer Wallace, and Mike Chapman are thrust into the Art World. And that world is not as beautiful as its paintings and sculptures. Denise's very wealthy (and connected) husband has motive to kill her, so do her two lovers, as does her ne'er do well Gallery partner. Another death is suspicious. And there is indications that the elderly renowned art restorer was murdered. Could the deaths be connected? And could they lead back to stolen Nazi Art or back to a great art theft that left those in that world gum-socked ten years ago? And some people want Alex and Mercer dead. Are the threats to them related to this new major case or to one or more of the cases The Sex Crime Division is currently working on? One thing is for sure is that one of three friends and working partners will be sitting on the sidelines for a while after this case is resolved.

Fairstein is a great story teller. Her prose is easy to read. She has a knack to build suspense one chapter after another. She still uses the final Jeopardy question as a comic relief - and I love that signature trait of her novels. And she knows how to skillfully twist the plot in directions that surprised me. Yet, as I stated earlier, Cold Hit has just a tad too much going on in it, but don't let that stop you from reading it. It is quite enjoyable from start to finish.

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her third installment of her Alex Cooper mysteries Linda Fairstein continues to take the reader through the inner workings of the Manhattan District Attorney's office. We witness the jealousies and cooperation in the office which lends itself as to how crimes are solved. In COLD HIT the reader is exposed to the seamy and corrupt aspects of professional art dealers. Through auctions, art restoration, theft, personal relationships and how the art world conducts itself as it creates its own rules in order to take possession of major works of art the reader is drawn in. In this case a series of murders results along with personal rivalries, hit men, rape investigations and the inner workings of Cooper's team made up of detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace. Fairstein lets the reader travel to the landscapes of Italy, her own favorite, Martha's Vineyard, and areas of Manhattan than I, as a native New Yorker did not know existed. The plot twists and turns and the reader is in for a fun ride. In the journey interspersed are"final jeopardy" questions as Cooper and Chapman their "intellectual" competition. If you enjoyed Fairstein's first two Cooper mysteries, this one will not disappoint.

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kamu bosan baca kasus pembunuhan yang itu-itu saja❓Mending baca novel ini deh 👇

Cold Hit • Linda Fairstein
English • Scribner
17 Februari 2002
#mystery #crime #legal #thriller
Baca di @scribd
424 hlm.

📚 Seorang jaksa penuntut umum wanita, Alexandra Cooper, terlibat dalam penyelidikan kasus pembunuhan misterius di Kota New York. Korban ditemukan di lokasi pembangunan. Alex berusaha memecahkan teka-teki kasus ini, yang ternyata memiliki hubungan dengan seni kontemporer & karya seni yang misterius.

🌃 “The truth is so rare, Alex. I like to use it sparingly.” - Cold Hit, Linda Fairstein.

💬 Saat aku membenamkan diri dalam halaman pertama "Cold Hit", aku langsung terpikat oleh latar cerita yang intens. Aku suka dengan atmosfer kota yang sibuk dengan sentuhan seni kontemporer yang mempesona❤️

Tokoh utama, Alexandra Cooper, adalah pemandu yang kuat melalui kekacauan misteri ini. Lagi-lagi, aku merasakan dedikasinya yang tinggi terhadap keadilan, serta tekadnya untuk memecahkan misteri pembunuhan ini ❤️

Suara batinnya yang kompleks & ketajaman intelektualnya makin memperkaya tokohnya. Sebagai contoh, dalam adegan di galeri seni, Alex menghadapi kebenaran yang sulit 😭

Aku suka gaya bahasa penulis yang sangat mendalam & ilustratif, sukses membawa seni dan dunia kejahatan menjadi hidup. Penulis mendeskripsikan detail mengenai lukisan, serta tempat-tempat di Kota New York. Di sinilah, aku merasakan nuansa seni yang gelap dan terkadang kontroversial yang mengelilingi kasus pembunuhan ini 😌

Di sisi lain, alur ceritanya terstruktur dengan baik & penuh intrik membuatku terus terjebak dalam kebingungan misteri ini. Twist dan kejutan di setiap bab menyebabkan aku sulit untuk melepaskan buku ini 💀

💌 Seperti novel Linda Fairstein yang lain, “Cold Hit” mengajarkan kita untuk berani mengungkap kebenaran di segala kondisi. Rekomended bagi kamu yang suka cerita misteri yang cerdas dan sentuhan seni, serta karakter-karakter yang memukau dan sulit untuk dilupakan.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read another book in this series years ago, but it was long enough ago that it was like beginning anew. 'Cold Hit' was OK, but not great. Lead character/narrator Alexandra Cooper is a lawyer in the New York City District Attorney's office who specializes in sex crimes, which somehow means that when a woman's body washes up on the shores off of Manhattan, she is called to the scene to provide assistance to the detectives. I guess I'm more used to books with a medical angle where it's a doctor/nurse/medical examiner doing this instead of a lawyer. Then, once the woman is identified as a prominent art collector, Cooper joins the detectives in questioning suspects and following leads. Fairstein kept me guessing with multiple twists and turns, as people linked to the woman end up dead themselves, so it was an intriguing read. I'm just not sold on Cooper's involvement being a realistic scenario. Perhaps I need to read one or both of the earlier books in the series to get some background on Cooper.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to read these books all the time but it was before Goodreads, so I don't have them rated. I know I read this book years ago, but just finished rereading it. The main character of the book and the series, Alexandra Cooper, is the District Attorney who works with the New York City Special Victims Unit, so she reminds me of Alexandra Cabot, the ADA on the tv show Law and Order: SVU. The books in this series are authentic and it's easy to become wrapped up in the complex plots. Now that I've read this one again, I plan to look up some of the later books in the series that I've missed.

[Måne Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Garbage

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

First impressions: I adore this series, so I settled right in to the narrative. The book opens with a crime scene, which always makes for interesting reading.

Lasting impressions: This was definitely not one of the most memorable crime novels I've read. The book was incredibly slow through the middle, and the ending seemed anti-climactic, despite a lot of action.

Conflicting impressions: The plot revolves around the art world, which seemed to be a really exciting premise, but somehow it didn't quite create a compelling enough story. I found the discovery phase of the investigation quite boring.

Overall impressions: Alexandra Cooper is a great character. She's a wealthy New Yorker, heads the sex crimes division of the District Attorney's office in Manhattan, and relaxes with ballet on the weekends. Her cop friends that help her investigate the crimes are playful, yet tough, and they have a good working relationship accompanied with some old-fashioned ribbing.

Though the book unfurls at a snail's pace, the glimpse into the cut-throat nature of the art bidding process and how rich people build up their collections is quite interesting. I'm not convinced that it was tied in well enough to the actual crimes, however. When the big reveal came at the end, the motivation just didn't quite gel enough to the severity of the crime.

Still, this was a satisfying way to quench my mystery thirst. I enjoy the characters enough to let a little plot fizzle slide, and I'll pick up another Cooper mystery when I get the chance.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The body is dragged out of the river tied to a ladder and without a name. But soon the police get an ID and Alexandra Cooper is soon on the hunt for whomever killed the beautiful art gallery owner and art collector.

Balancing a new love life and a busy docket of cases, Alex - joined by police detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace - struggle to find clues to who may have wanted the woman dead: her estranged husband, her business partner, her lovers or is there someone else? And why - was she dealing in stolen artwork?

Fairstein has developed a wonderful set of characters and this is a true action-packed book that keeps you reading all the way through. But like some of these books, I wonder if an assistant district attorney would really find herself in the midst of car chases and shoot outs?

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was the best so far in this series. This one takes Alex into the world of art, of which she is quite knowledgeable. However, she had no idea that there is such a dark side in art dealing and the drive to possess prized pieces. The descriptions of New York City are very good as well, and the focus is on a long abandoned train track.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allison Janney was not the voice of the characters.

[Pamela Brownlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[John Toffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly let me say I really like Linda Fairstein's books and the Alexandra Cooper series but that doesn't mean I don't have some real issues with the series. I'll start with:-
Firstly and easily the biggest is that Alex Cooper is an Assistant District Attorney NOT AA POLICE OFFICER! But the NYPD don't appear to be able to go out hunting, for clues, interviewing witnesses, solving crime, discuss strategy, hold team meetings, chase suspects around New York without Alexandra Cooper being with them/involved. They can't do a thing without her. TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE. I know Ms Cooper is a younger version of Ms Fairstein in her day-today career and perhaps she writes in this way to make herself look more exciting/invaluable/needed.
Secondly Alex has two sidekicks, the detectives she plays Batman, Robin and Batgirl with, Mercer is a bit in the background but seems decent but it's the other half of the double act and almost as big a part of books as Coop, Mike Chapman. He doesn't have one redeeming quality and is totally unlikeable and makes you want to stop reading. He's arrogant, rude and worst of all thinks he's funny; a couple of times there's a line that'll make you smile but the rest of the time the quotes are cringe worthy.
And thirdly, and linked to the third, is the fact that in all of the Alexandra Cooper novels I've read she is captured by the killer who comes after her, as she's the one solving the crime, and it's touch and go whether she's the final victim.
Anyway to Cold Hit. A female body is washed up on the river bank and investigation discovers that she is Denise Lowell, the young(ish) wise, of mega rich Lowell Caxton. Both are involved in the art world and this plus further murders all leads to art, stolen works and even the Nazi treasures from WW2.
It's a woven story that keeps you interested and is a real page turner, even allowing for the gripes listed at the top.
If you can put up with the issues raised it's an exciting book and a good story that keeps you guessing.
Give it a go!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've said this before, but I wish I'd started reading this series years ago. Though, I'll admit, reading it with the sense of nostalgia that it brings with it -- each book is set in the year in which it's set, in terms of legal, political and other matters, for good or for ill -- is an interesting experience of its own.

The first years of a nationwide DNA database. The perfecting of using PCR technology to speed up the processing of DNA evidence. The slow change in how rape cases are treated by the legislature, the judiciary, the press and the general public (of whom juries are made). It's interesting to be reminded of how much has changed in less than 20 years. I'm even more intrigued to see how things change after 2001.

This book was especially intriguing because of its connection to the art world -- both in NYC and worldwide. Having ventured into Chelsea's galleries for the first time last year, not to mention personally discovering the High Line, the book's focus felt especially relevant to me. And Fairstein's descriptions of Martha's Vineyard ... an island that I've generally thought of as for other people is now on my short list of places to spend some vacation time.

As for the mystery itself, it was complicated yet compelling, as with all of Fairstein's works. Despite my desire to find out whodunnit, however, I couldn't rush through the book -- the descriptions, the conversations, everything was just too well written to speed through. As I've said before, I'm very much looking forward to the next in the series.

[Rev. M. M. Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandra Cooper is an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan DA's office. She is the chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit. Any further resemblance to the life of the ordinary ADA ends there. Alex's adventures put her in much more danger than that of the typical ADA whose greatest threat is getting buried under an avalanche of legal briefs. In this case, she's dealing with rape and murder which morphs into an investigation of stolen art and the world of the NYC art galleries. In the process, she is targeted by the killer who makes a number of attempts on her life. In addition to her investigation, she has to deal with office politics and a new romantic relationship.

The best thing about this series is the insight it gives into the workings of the criminal justice system. It is a system that Linda Fairstein knows well from her twenty-five years as a prosecuting attorney. An additional bonus is an insight into the nooks and crannies of New York City. One could almost use the books as a guide to spending the day in the big city. I don't know if some of the individual places she describes actually exist but if one wanted to go looking for them the directions are there. There is also a connection to the real world; a ripped from the headlines quality about the novel. Here the connection is the art theft from the Isabel Stuart Gardener Museum in Boston in which thieves walked off with priceless paintings almost in broad daylight. That case is still unsolved, nor is it solved in this novel although the proposed solution seems plausible.

[Lisa Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had never read anything by this author and certainly wouldnt rush out to buy anything else, the story started out well and just when it seemed like it would get interesting it gets sidetracked down rabbit holes which have nothing to do with the case. I hadnt read anything else in the series so the recaps of past events were a little annoying, but hopefully those books were a little better than this one or no one would ever go further into the series. Usually I finish a book like this in two or three days, this one just couldn't keep me interested and I think it ended up taking me three weeks to finish as I read a couple of other authors in between. The plot is okay, the jumping around between case a, case b, case c, the love life, the gallery and the hospital is just too much (and yes I know this is what cops and lawyers face all the time, they cant just work one case but have twenty or so on the go at once) but as a vehicle to drive a story forward it didnt work. Was it terrible? No but was it good? again no. The plot is a solid B, the writing is a C and all the subplots have me rating this as a C-

[Julian D'achille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. Fairstein writes a good plot line in this one and really doesn't give many clues as to the real "who done it" until the very end. Honestly had no clue until the very end.

Reading some of the other reviews - you have to get over the fact that Alex Cooper will always be right with the NYPD in interviewing suspects/informants and doing detective work despite the fact that she's an ADA. And assuredly will always find herself in harm's way in Fairstein's novels (I've not read them in order, which I'm now trying to do, but spoiler alert, this happens in almost all of them). What I have a problem with in many of her books is there are too many extraneous plot lines that don't relate to the story at hand - and this is the case in Cold Hit as well. For example, I'm not quite sure what the plot line about the West Side rapist has to do with Cold Hit, unless Fairstein is just setting this up for the next book (which I haven't ready) or she's just trying to tout New York's Special Victim's Unit.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book from Linda Fairstein and I enjoyed the pace and twists and turns in this murder mystery. DA Cooper and her two detectives, Chapman and Mercer, are on the hunt for murderer who is killing people in the glitzy fine art world. As the district attorney questions suspects, she learns about a possible “shady” involvement into some expense art works that might even connect to the lost treasure of the Amber Room. It was a well written novel and I enjoyed the bantering back and forth between the detectives and the DA and the chemistry between them. The only thing that was missing for me was the spark that makes this story different from all the other mystery novels that readers have to choose from.

[Regan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally think this is the best read of the series so far. The first one, Final Jeopardy read like she took her day runner and added dialogue to it. It was like reading a calendar. Book 2, Likely to Die was a decent read. Interesting to me as a former police dispatcher and legal secretary. This one was a major page turner for me. Except for the "blonde" moment where she does what many of the cozy mystery sleuths do by going where they KNOW they shouldn't, it was a fantastic read. I enjoy stories about the Gardiner heist and the few I've read about the Amber Room. Fairstein puts a nice few twists on these crimes. I love the cameraderie between Alex, Chapman and Mercer.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one less than the other two (in fact, the first book was by far the best and then it's been all downhill). It could be that I only had access to the abridged audiobook (read by Allison Janney, who is obviously great, so if anything she made it better than it actually is). Perhaps the abridged versions that clock in at 4 or 5 hours aren't well-edited. There definitely seemed to be chunks of information missing and things jumping around a bit. I love a good art museum type plot (Entrapment is one of my favorite movies), but this just didn't do it for me. I think I'll give this series a rest for awhile.

[Ann Stoudt]

Alexandra Cooper has seen many murder victims, but few more disturbing than the silk-clad body of a woman, her hands and feet tied to a ladder, pulled from the turbulent waters at Manhattan's northern tip. With her colleagues, including NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, Alex races against the clock and hopes for a "cold hit" -- a DNA match that would reveal the identity of the murderer by linking the crime to someone already in the police database. But as the case pulls her into the exclusive world of East Side auction houses and cutting-edge Chelsea galleries, Alex discovers she may be marked as an expendable commodity in a chilling and deadly scheme....

[L8blmr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series at some level, though this writer hasn't quite made it to my list of favorites yet. I'm getting to know the main characters better and I enjoy the way they work together and are so loyal to each other. However, I just couldn't relate well to the plot on this story, or maybe the subject matter just wasn't of much interest to me. I believe I already own the next couple of installments in the series and I'll certainly read them before I decide whether or not to commit to other books by this author.

[Astrid Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love the Alexandra Cooper series of books. I have been listening to the audiobooks in my car. I have to say that I simply could not get passed Allison Janney's reading of this book. The reading pace was off. She seemed to be rushing to get through it and not let the listener enjoy the story. I will have to see if the future readings are by someone else more suited to my taste. Otherwise, this was a good book, albeit a short one.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a murder victim is found tied to a ladder on the shores of Manhattan, Cooper, Chapman, and Wallace investigate her murder. It takes them to art galleries on Manhattan's East Side, in Chelsea and the Meatpacking district long before the High Line park replaced the abandoned tracks. Learn about the High Line, the warehouses, and contemporary art.

A merry chase through this now expensive neighborhood will remind readers that NYC is constantly remaking itself into a place to discover.