(Review from rereading)

Final Jeopardy is a delight. It's a good mystery; it's so good I didn't even remember the twist until I was in the revealing scene. Many writers create good mysteries, but Linda Fairstein manages to combine a good mystery with an education about New York City, history, literature and the arts. I always learn things in her books, and the treasure trove of knowledge led me to reread her novels more than the mysteries themselves. Final Jeopardy is intense, thrilling and smart. Alexandra Cooper remains one of my favorite fictional characters. I appreciate Fairstein's insight into the actual caseload of an ADA; it's not Law & Order, where the lawyers try one case at a time. Cooper's days and nights are filled with many intriguing cases. Still, at the end of the day, Alexandra Cooper is someone I want to meet for dinner and a bottle of wine. I care about what books she's read. Perhaps what surprised me most in this rereading of an old favorite was how familiar Alexandra was from the beginning. Now, eleven books in, she's been a companion through the years, but she was relatable instantly.

Everytime I finish a Linda Fairstein novel, I encourage others to start from the beginning of the series. It's refreshing to reaffirm my own advice. ( )

I won Linda Fairstein's lastest thriller Lethal Legacy from Bookreporter.com last month and really liked it. I decided I would read the first in the Alexandra Cooper series. As author, Linda Fairstein worked as a prosecutor, the D.A. office's politics and inner workings rings true in the book. The main character, Alex is the head of the Sex Crimes Unit but in the last book it was not as prevalent and I don't like to read about graphic sex crimes. I do like Alex though and the characters that surround her. They were much more developed in the last in the series which does make perfect sense. If I had started with this book I may or may not have read further but since I know how much stronger Fairstein's writing becomes I will probably read more. Each book is self-contained but there is character growth so I would read them in order. ( )

OK, I'm officially insane. Found this copy at St. Vinnie's on Peel Street in Adelaide. It was 15 cents and I had to get it because it had a prettier cover than the copy I already have--and was in my bag at the same time.

This was a great re-read, I really fell in love with Mikey again, what a great character. I also have a new appreciation for this series given my obsession with SVU and LF's ties to it.

Am now re-reading the series in order. ( )

The supposed victim is Asst DA Alexandra Cooper, but Alex is still alive; the dead woman is Alex's friend, the actress Isabella Lascar, who was staying in Alex's Cape Cod house; was the intended victim Alex or Isabella; Alex's friend Mike Chapman (NYPD homicide) is her temporary bodyguard and they work together to figure out who has a reason to kill either Alex or Isabella; this is the first book in the Alex Cooper series. ( )

I've read a couple of the later books in this series, so it was nice to go back to the beginning. Some of the twists I guessed, some I didn't. I did find myself skimming through some of the stories of cases past. I'm not sure what their purpose was, except to fill space. They didn't tell me a whole lot about the characters or the current story. ( )