Frank Wrenley, Brian Daughtry, Lowell Caxton and Preston Mattox constitute Team A while Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper, Mercer Wallace and N.Y.P.D. detective Mike Chapman make up Team B in a game called Murder.
Denise Caxton's brutally abused body turns up on a strip of Manhattan North called "Spuyten Duyvil", Dutch for "inspite of the devil"...and the butler has nothing to do with it.
This book, the third in Fairstein's series of novels starring Cooper, Head of the Sex Crimes Unit, NYC, offers an informative insight into the workings of the police force that labours day and night to keep the city safe; and into the American court system that enables victims to obtain justice.
Keep up with DNA, finger-print matching, medical examiners, autopsies, morgues, evidence, warrants, good old-fashioned sleuthing, cop talk and "Jeopardy!" as the body count rises. Get sucked into and explore the streets of New York City, its way of life and the connections and dealings - legal and illegal - that go down in its art world.
The storyline is gripping, detailed and slick, thus assuming the characteristics of a fast-paced action flick. But what compels the reader to go on, besides the appealing plot, are the characters. Quiet, controlled, sharp-thinking Alex teamed with the cheerful, good-humoured, sometimes smart-alecky Detective Chapman are a pleasure to meet.
I'd say read it if you get high on whodunits.
This article was first published on08 May 2000.