Likely to Die by Linda Fairstein is the second in the "Alex Cooper mystery
series." Alex Cooper is an assistant DA and bureau chief for the Manhattan‘s
Sex Crimes Prosecutions Unit. Likely to Die focuses on the vicious
rape-murder of a world famous female neurosurgeon, professor, and humanitarian
in her office at Mid-Manhattan Medical
Center.

Likely
to Die is set in the mid-1990s upscale Manhattan six months after the events of Final Jeopardy. The novel opens with the discovery of the brutal
murder of Gemma Dogen, a
true uber- physician. She is the head of
neurosurgery, a professor in the medical school, and in her spare time offers
her service free to third world countries. Unfortunately as wonderfully as she
sounds, someone wanted her dead. Given the brutally of the attack, Dogen could not survive her wounds and was labeled,
"likely to die." Was the vicious murder done by a spiteful student,
an envious colleague, or a secret lover in her otherwise empty personal life. Equally
possible is one of the numerous homeless people that live under the medical
complex who sneak up at night, steal surgical scrubs for clothing, and
seemingly have free run of the complex after midnight. DA Battaglia, Alex’s boss, has
designated Dogen’s rape-murder as top priority and
has assigned Cooper as bureau chief of the Manhattan‘s
Sex Crimes Prosecutions Unit as chief
investigator. It does not help the press any that Battaglia’s
wife is on the Board of the Medical Center. As the investigation proceeds, Alex juggles her usual
high number of cases, copes with pressure from her boss, and fends off Mickey
Diamond, an unscrupulous court reporter for the NY Post. Along the way we are
introduced to rogues’ gallery of characters from the medical profession
including, Geoffrey Dogen, Gemma’s
overly concerned ex-husband who was conveniently mountain climbing with his new
wife, Robert Spector, the new head of neurosurgery
who had nothing to lose and everything to gain from her death, and two overly
zealous medical students, John DuPre and Coleman
Harper, each with a few skeletons hidden in their closets. Alex works with her
faithful staff of sidekicks, the smart talking Detective Mike Chapman, her
ever-faithful and very pregnant office assistant, Laura Wilkie,
and her neighborhood psychologist, David Mitchell and his dog, Zac (short for "Prozac").

I must admit the "Alex Cooper Mystery series" is my latest
addiction. I can not seem to get enough of Fairstein’s
novels. While I have never been a fan of Grisham, Trurow,
or the legal fiction genre, this series reads more like a literary version of
the television show "Law and Order". (There is
definitely enough of the "men in blue", crime scene analysis, and
investigative snooping to keep this gal happy!) I must admit it is a real eye
open to have a lawyer who must multitask juggling numerous cases, rather than
exclusively focusing on only one case as most legal fiction does. As a
character, Alex is slightly unbelievable in her ability to handle quite so many
things without mussing up her lipstick or running her panty hose. And, like so
many modern female heroines, although she is one step removed from Superwoman
in her ability to survive certain disaster, she crumbles into tears over quite
ordinary relational issues. Still, I trust that Fairstein
knows of what she writes and is realistic in regard to her portrayals after all
she is the role-model for her character and her life is the fodder for her
plots. I also must admit to liking Chapman as the smart mouth detective. He
strikes me as very realistic.

Linda
Fairstein, like her character Alex Cooper, has been a
District Attorney and Bureau Chief for the Manhattan Sex
Crimes Unit for over twenty years. Also like Alex Cooper, Fairstein
lives in Manhattan and has a home on Martha Vineyard. Unlike
Cooper, however, she is married. Her first book was the
non-fiction, Sexual Violence: Our War against Rape (1993). There are two books in the Alex
Cooper Mystery Series Final Jeopardy (1996),
and Likely to Die (1997). Her website is: http://www.lindafairstein.com

            Likely To Die by
Linda Fairstein is the second, but not the last, in
the "Alex Cooper mystery series." It has enough legalese, police
procedure, and fast paced action to thrill most readers. Although I preferred Final Jeopardy, Likely to Die
is still one excellent read! Highly recommended.

© 2004 Su Terry

 Su Terry: Education: B.A. in History from
Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from Southern Connecticut
State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral Counseling from Fairfield
University, a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from
New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a Licensed Minister of the
United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in Library Science at Dowling
College, Long
Island, NY.

Categories: Fiction, Sexuality, Relationships