Killer Heat

by: Linda Fairstein

Published by: Anchor Books

Reviewed by Alex McGilvery

Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein is the latest in the Alex Cooper novels. Alex Cooper is a young prosecutor in the Sexual Crimes division in New York City. The action starts at a crime scene where a body is found that may be a missing person connected to one of her cases. While the body turns out not to be the young woman in question, it begins Cooper’s involvement in a case that will show her some of the rich history of the river–and the depth of human depravity.

At the same time as she is working on this new case, two old cases are also claiming her attention. A thirty-year-old rape case is finally coming to trial, and Alex doesn’t want the victim, who is her star witness, to suffer too much by reliving the old attack. Unfortunately the opening of the trial is disrupted by gang whose leader Alex put away just a short time ago.

Since this book is the latest in a long series, the characters of Alex Cooper and Mike Chapman, the police officer she works with, are already well rounded. We still learn more about Alex and how the rest of her life is changing. I liked the sense of well-worn camaraderie that Fairstein brings to the protagonists. They are believable as people, and as partners and friends.

Yet Killer Heat is a wonderful introduction to the characters and the series. Mention is made of earlier cases, but I didn’t feel that I was missing anything because I haven’t yet read the earlier books.

I don’t usually comment on the author’s website, but Fairstein’s site is a delight to visit. It is visually stunning and gives you a chance to glimpse inside the author’s mind as she talks about her upcoming book.

Armchair Interviews says: Fairstein and her characters combine to make a very good crime fiction.

Author’s Web site: http://www.LindaFairstein.com