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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Underground New York crime thrills, 9 Nov 2007
I have read most of Linda Fairstein's other "Alex Cooper" novels and think that Bad Blood rates amongst her best. Alex is a prosecutor who is presenting what is quite a weak case against a man who, it is believed, hired a hitman to kill his wife. Without knowing the identity of the hitman, it will be a difficult case to win. In an apparently unrelated incident, there is an explosion in one of the tunnels being built under New York city to replace the old water supply pipes. I enjoyed finding out more about what lies below the streets of New York, and about the "sandhogs" the men who work below the ground. (Women below ground are considered bad luck). The story is intricate with a range of characters from the sandhog community, a dramatic court room scene, some interesting insight into how DNA is used and an exciting culmination to the tortuous plot. For light relief and to provide the hint of a romantic interest for Alex, (and not really central to the plot) a wedding at Martha's Vineyard. For those familiar with the series, Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, members of NYPD with whom Alex often works, are here, wisecracking as usual, and playing the last question of Jeopardy. I would certainly recommend this if you've enjoyed other Linda Fairstein novels and if you haven't, I don't think you need necessarily to have read the earlier novels first.
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly plotted, fast-paced novel (as we've come to expect!), 25 Mar 2007
Caution: Contains Spoilers!
I have been a fan of Linda Farstein's since I first picked up her debut novel 'Double Jeopardy' in a second hand bookstore and read it in one sitting. I always have her novels on order as soon as notice of their release is announced, and I have never been disappointed.
'Bad Blood' is an excellent novel on several levels. It is an exceptional suspense novel, with plenty of twists and turns interspersed with interesting information regarding New York history, and more insights into the lives of the three main protagonists: Alex, Mike and Mercer. I think just the right amount of attention is paid to each area to keep the story moving along at a good pace.
I was, as always, left feeling disappointed when I came to the end of the book, but only because it means I have to wait a year for my next Linda Fairstein 'fix'! I usually end up feeling that Alex and Mike are never going to get together, but there is the briefest glimmer of hope at the end of 'Bad Blood' that makes me hopeful for the next installment!
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7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too much character development, not enough suspense..., 23 Feb 2007
'Bad Blood' is a bit of a mixed bag. There's a decent murder-mystery in there somewhere - not a great one, just a decent one - but the need to develop running characters in the series and a tendency to give the reader a history lesson on New York at every opportunity, the focus and suspense element is all too often lost.
The latest Alexandra Cooper novel starts off with a fairly conventional court trial, where Brendan Quillian is being tried for the murder of his wife. As he was out of the city at the time of her killing - a strangulation chillingly recorded on a phone message - Chief Prosecutor Alex Cooper has her work cut out for her. However, when Quillian's estranged brother Duke is killed in a tunnel digging accident, it opens up a whole other line of enquiry for 'Coop', involving an ages-old feud between two New York 'sandhog' families.
Although it certainly delivers the constants twists and turns you would expect this kind of suspense novel to have, 'Bad Blood' (the title is at least well chosen with several variations on the theme) does feel largely perfunctory, with even the court trial looking like Fairstein demonstrating her knowledge of court protocol and procedure. That would be fine if the novel was able to stick to the important issues surrounding the case, but it constantly lurches off into other areas, few of which seem directly relevant. Before we get to the real fireworks of the court trial, we have to endure a long account of the history of how water is delivered to Manhattan, some gratuitous Saudi suspects thrown in to capitalise on post-9/11 fears of New Yorkers' vulnerability from terrorist attack, a random stalker case Coop is involved with, her preparations for a friend's wedding, the promise of a romance for the leading lady, and a lot of tedious discussions with friends and colleagues who constantly show off their encyclopaedic knowledge of history of New York and their ability to answer questions on a TV game show.
Much of this could be put down to character development and background for the series' cast of continuing characters, but how relevant, interesting or convincing all this information is to the reader is somewhat negligible. Worse, weak characterisation - the Alex and Mike situation seems rather ham-fisted - and the tendency to info-dump huge amounts of historical research ends up detracting from the focus and pace of the crime investigation, which is something a suspense novel should never do.
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