The Kills

Alexandra Cooper #6

by Linda Fairstein

From New York Times bestselling author and former top prosecutor Linda Fairstein comes an electrifying new thriller rich with the riveting behind-the-scenes authenticity that only she can offer....

It's going to be a tough trial. Manhattan sex-crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper's case, involving an attack on investment banker Paige Vallis, would be difficult to prove even without the latest development -- it seems that Paige has something to hide.

Most of her story is clear. She'd had dinner with New York consultant Andrew Tripping three times before the March evening when she accepted his invitation to accompany him to his apartment. But what occurred that night? Why didn't she leave the apartment when he started to act strangely? What about Tripping's little boy, Dulles? What happened to the child that fateful evening? And who is the strange man whose appearance in the courtroom seems to terrify Paige?

While Alex's police detective friend Mercer Wallace helps her learn more of the sad details behind the increasingly puzzling rape case, colleague Mike Chapman is uptown in a decaying Harlem brownstone where eighty-two-year-old McQueen Ransome has been murdered, her apartment ransacked.

What could this impoverished, elderly woman have possessed that could have inspired such violence? Photographs on the wall suggest that "Queenie" was once a beautiful and voluptuous young woman who traveled to faraway places. Could there be a clue to her murder in her exotic background?

Her murder will be only the first. Others follow, as the tragic strands of the Paige Vallis and McQueen Ransome cases begin to converge in a poignant alliance of two women from very different worlds.

Faced with formidable personal and professional choices, Alex must learn the old lesson that appearances can deceive, even as she heads for a showdown in which her wits and her courage will be tested as never before.

With its winning combination of courtroom drama, historical detail, and the intriguing lore of a rare object whose fabled provenance provides a glistening thread through the story, The Kills is powerful, stylish writing from a hugely appealing crime-writing star.

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

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 13, 2004

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

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 2008 one sentence review said: 'Complex and exciting crime/legal/conspiracy drama covering so many angles and issues!' - that's not bad for reading the 6th book in a sex crime investigator series! The Kills has a nice element of historical storytelling, which I later found out was the norm for the series as well as some just as interesting history and geography about New York, New York... and some informative stuff around coin collecting! :) I'm going to presume lack of other books in this series in my library prevented from me from reading more of her works? 7.5 out of 12.

2008 read

[Bibi · Rating 1 out of 5]

#whentheyseeus

[Feyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wie jedes Mal kann ich nur betonen, dass ich die Charaktere unheimlich ins Herz geschlossen habe. Mercer, Mike und Alex sind ein tolles Trio, dem ich immer wieder gerne folge. Auch wenn der Schreibstil oft hakt, lesen sich die Bücher doch ganz gut weg. Was mir immer unheimlich auffällt, ist die Stelle, an der Alex in JEDEM Buch in total gefährliche Situationen gerät - hier sogar mehrfach. Gefühlt kann man bei diesen Büchern die Uhr danach stellen, dass Alex am Ende vom Täter entführt wird oder Ähnliches. Worauf ich jetzt noch warte? Dass Jake, der in diesem Buch quasi weniger Erwähnung findet als der vor Beginn der Reihe schon verstorbene Adam, entgültig aus den Reihe verschwindet und Alex ihn abserviert, denn ich bin da ganz auf Ninas Seite.
Freue mich sehr auf das nächste Buch.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not support this monster (author Linda Fairstein) who ruined the lives of children for her own personal gain.

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Central Park Five

[Charlotte (Buried in Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Alex Cooper books will never set the world on fire. If you want gritty, real life crime stories then look somewhere else. These are all set in places like museums, art galleries. This one involves rare coins.

It was OK, I found myself asking why I was reading these books when I got to the end. I swear I will scream if she has to re-tell the story about her old fiance one more time (yes I realise not everyone has read all of the books so she has to re-cap, but even patrica cornwell can dress things up differently when she does it).

I guess I'm still reading these in the hope that Alex and Mike will finally give in and jump into bed together - but that will probably never happen.

[Erin Deanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

She’s the reason the Central Park 5 men went to jail.

[Karen Jarvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, love how involved these books are

[Markina Wilkerson]

How many people tried to talk sense into you about the Central Park five in 1989?

Asking for 2 friends named Real Justice, and Truth.

[Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double entendre is a skill that Linda Fairstein excels in her Alexandra Cooper Series. Here in the 6th installment, THE KILLS, the title refers to the name that NYC homicide detectives commonly call murders and The Kills are a warren of tributaries between the small islands off the toe of Manhattan Island.
Prosecutor Alex Cooper isn’t thrilled with the way her date rape case begins.
“Murder. You should have charged the defendant with murder.”
“He didn’t kill anyone, Your Honor.” Not yet. Not that I could prove.
“Juries like murder, Ms Cooper. You should know that better than I do.” Harlan Moffett read the indictment a second time as court officers herded sixty prospective jurors into the small courtroom.

But her job in the Sex Crime Unit is never easy. And this case is particularly difficult. There are more lawyers involved than witnesses on her list to call. The defendant stands accused of brutally raping 36 year-old Paige Vallis in front of his 10 year old son whom she hasn’t been able to interview. And the judge is predisposed to dismiss the rape case, while leaving the lesser charges of child abuse and endangering a child to stand. After all, the victim stayed succumbing to the charming Andrew Tripping, didn’t she?

Meanwhile, Mike Chapman responds to a call in Harlem – an octogenarian has been murdered in her apartment, posed seductively in death. She is MacQueen Randsome, a Harlem Renaissance dancer who was also the mistress of Farouk, the King of Egypt during the height of her fame and beauty.

The two cases collide in a strange way and become a very intricate case for Alex and her two detective friends, Wallace Mercer and Mike Chapman, especially after one of Cooper’s main witnesses is killed. Fairstein skillfully moves the reader through a warren of subplots as the kills move among the islands of New York Sound: the too cozy relationship of Tripping, his defense attorney, and his son’s Guardian Ad Litem, mercenaries, assumed identities, stolen Egyptian treasures, stalkers, a boy’s jacket, and a hurricane. Linda Fairstein fans like me will enjoy this twisting tale to the very last word.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read several of Fairstein's "Alexandra Cooper" mystery thrillers I am happy to say that I am glad I read the abridged audio version of this novel because I could not imagine it being any drawnout. While I did like two different plot mysteries going on at the same time, I can't say I was thrilled with the story in its entirety. After reading several of Elizabeth Lowell's novels on antiquities and provenance I can't say that this novel measured up to Lowell's in that sense as Fairstein tries to add to her mystery thriller with some historical facts mixed with a little legend regarding one of the Kings of Egypt (King Farouk) and his obsession with collectibles. Fairstein brings the mystery of the whereabouts of perhaps one of King Farouk's coins which might be worth a cool modern day $7 million into the story (and its provenance) along with one his long ago mistresses (now an old lady in this novel) showing up dead. Lots of different good ideas brought forth in this novel but not put together nicely or up to par with Fairstein's other Alexandra Cooper novels. I won't be throwing the baby out with the bathwater however!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written book, sort of like reading an extended episode of Law and Order. I liked the characters and the writing style, but this only gets 3 stars from me because of the crazy twists and turns the story takes. What starts as a seemingly garden variety rape trial quickly morphs into a tale involving a deposed Egyptian monarch, the Secret Service, the CIA, a murdered senior citizen, a child who goes missing...just way too much plot to keep track of.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great legal thriller set in New York City with twists and turns and plenty of suspense, with two intersecting cases meet for one.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of twists and turns good characters good plot. I recommend.

[ElaineY · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the other reviewers mentioned "twists and turns" or "complex", they were understating things. I had a hard time connecting the threads and even now, having finished the book, am not quite sure if I understood the connection between Paige's murder and that of the old lady.

Despite the plots in these books being a little too complicated, I do find myself enjoying the the camaraderie between Cooper and the two detectives and am already listening to Book 7.

A word about the narrator, Barbara Rosenblad. I'm sure I've complained about her before but this particular book must be her worst. All that snuffling, snorting and wheezing. Horrible. Her later performances are better so without those disgusting sounds emanating from her mouth and nose.

[Omowunmi Adejuwon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book of Linda I'm reading and I find this quite interesting, aside the merging of two different plot twist which aren't expected but also, beautifully done and I absolutely enjoyed, I like her involvement of history and past events into the story line, the ability to put facts on paper and create a story around it is a delight, for that I admire her.

I enjoyed reading it, although very long and thick it kept me busy and I wasn't exactly let down, would have wanted more insight of the whole events but I'll take what she gave me. I'm still looking forward to Alex and Mercer starting a relationship, or is it Mike? It's crazy I'm hoping for a little romance in a murder crime book. Lol

I'll recommend the book for sure but I would also say, don't get your hope too high. It's not a 5/5 star but it's not at all bad. If history fancinate you then yeah, it won't be bad at all.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not, as I had expected, the story of a murder out at Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island. (Which makes sense -- I couldn't understand why the head of the Manhattan DA's Sex Crimes unit would be investigating a death in Staten Island.) Instead, the title refers to detective jargon -- "the kills," or the murders that happened.

And, indeed, multiple murders are happening throughout this book; the key question is whether they're connected and, if so, how? And all of that is happening alongside Alex's prosecution of a combination sex crime and child neglect case. Can all of it be related? And if so, how?

I won't say any more but that the story is complex and mostly satisfying. I just wish Alex would get over her willingness to submit to the plot device.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I'm binging on these books because I cannot put them down.

Fairstein puts together another convoluted tale about the Double Eagle gold coin, the last king of Egypt, a 1930s dancer, and a series of contemporary rape/ murders. When the cases draw together and overlap, Cooper, Chapman, and Wallace have their work cut out for them.

Oh yes, the title "The Kills," while Chapman uses it to denote murders, it really refers to the small uninhabited islands between Staten Island and New Jersey.

Fairstein takes readers to exotic places in NYC. Once you start to read this series, you won't be able to stop.

[Julian D'achille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be Fairstein's most confusing book to date - but that's in a good way. Even Alexandra Cooper's typical at the end of the novel "I'm going to do something by myself that will undoubtedly put me in harm's way" isn't as predictable as in prior books. Honestly, this one is super hard to figure out who done it and the real reason why. Fairstein deftly twists several subplots together in this one. Being critical, she also puts in a few extraneous plot lines that really dont matter but... I guess you always need filler? Fairstein seems to be editing more and growing as an author and really seems to be hitting her mystery stride by book 6.

[pdxmaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex Cooper is the Assistant D.A. in Manhattan, and she has two buddies, NYPD officer Mercer Wallace and detective Mike Chapman, who I never could keep straight, except Mike has the wife. Was especially interesting because of knowing someone who just moved to NYC. When they went over the Brooklyn Bridge, I thought of their view from their apartment of that same bridge.

Twice, the potential violence got me skipping pages, and there is always the violence right at the very end, as well as all the ins and outs of politics in Egypt in the 50’s; but overall I appreciated Alex Cooper as a strong smart woman.

This is book 6 in the Alex Cooper series; plan to read a few more

[Afreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So here is the reviews !!!!
This is far better than I had expected in the first half you will feel a bit bored because the story goes in a flow, smooth, which you don't expect in a crime thriller.
But once the story start taking turns it becomes more and more intersting.
First there's a rape then there are murders....many suspectors and one question are these murders and murderers related to each other or each one had a different motive....🔍🔍🔍
So read to find out how Alex a prosecutor who only fight rape cases tries and solve this murder mysteries along with her detective friends. 😉😉😉

[Karen Filipowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't think I've ever read one of her books that I didn't like and the is no different. Well written, same great characters with some nefarious ones added, great plot and some interesting history woven into the story line. Interesting side, I checked some of the history to see if it's fact or a product of Ms Fairstein's imagination. Guess what all the facts she writes about from history of NYC to the King of Egypt, King Farouk is true. There are more truths in this fiction novel than the supposed truths POTUS spit out since he was elected How sad !

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one starts with a fairly detailed courtroom scene in which Alex is prosecuting a rape case that also involves a child who is in need of protection from his father. Simultaneously there's a elderly black woman who has been murdered. At first these two crimes seem to have no connection, but then one by one there are an increasing number of people connected to both, but it's still unclear why.

Again, the most interesting portion is the telling of Queenie's story rather than the mystery itself.

[Bixi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spamnender Krimi bei dem viele einzelne Kriminalfälle schlussendlich doch mehr mit einander zu tun haben als vorerst gedacht. Irgendwie hat jeder Dreck am Stecken und die Zusammenhänge zu finden ist nicht leicht.
Obwohl es sich zunächst wie ein Gerichtskrimi liest ist die Geschichte dann schön vielseitig, ohne jedoch zu kompliziert zu werden oder in die Tiefe zu gehen. Herrliche Wochenendlektüre.

[L8blmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read a few of the one-star reviews of this book only to find out they were actually reviews of the author herself. I am not knowledgeable enough on her history as a DA to speak to that issue. As far as this story is concerned, the complicated plot includes multiple mysteries full of twists. I believe this is one of the better books in the Alex Cooper series and I enjoy the friendships between the leading characters that are as important as the crimes they work on together.

[Anne Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Kills (Alexandra Cooper,#6)
by Linda Fairstein

A young women reports a rape and Alex is appearing in Court to prosecute the man charged with the act. During the trial Alex finds she has been lied to, also strangers turn up in the court and the evidence from the victim is questionable.

A young boy is court up in the story in a way that puts him in danger. A women in her 8o's is killed and her apartment is ransacked.

A story that has twists and turns and and connections that cross time and events that come from our history. Again I learned something.

[David Squires · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery/thriller. Set in New York City (my home town). It reminded me of The Maltese Falcon (which is mentioned in the text). Two apparently separate crimes are set side by side and the plot twists at every juncture are both surprising and riveting. Hats off to Linda Fairstein.

[Madeleine Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally enjoy the plot and writing of Fairstein’s books, but after reading a few they sure follow the same pattern. Interesting crime, things get more complicated, a long history lesson about two thirds of the way through, then Alex gets attacked, figures it all out, and is rescued by Mike/Mercer.

[Wiebke Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Fairstein, and I found it quite interesting. Focusing on rape cases, this connects sexual assault with homicide with, in this case, obscure historical narratives. Here, the focus is on Egypt in the 1950s, King Farouk, and the not-valid US currency of the Gold Double Eagle. Some of the plot points seemed a bit formulaic, but overall I enjoyed this.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series of mysteries. The characters are always sharply written, and there's always something to learn about New York and its history. I DO get a bit tired of the main character always being in life-threatening danger in the last twenty pages of the book, but otherwise, a terrific series - always good for a rainy day/beach/airport read.