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THE KILLS
by Linda Fairstein
Clipper Audio, January 2004
Unabridged audiobook pages
19.95GBP
ISBN: 1845050150


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Audiobook available from http://www.wfhowes.co.uk and http://www.ukaudiobooks.co.uk

A narrator can make or break an audio book, and Barbara Rosenblat is one of my favourites. I always enjoy listening to her; her reading of THE KILLS by Linda Fairstein was no exception, and undoubtedly increased my enjoyment of this episode of the Alexandra Cooper series, set in new York.

Alex is the New York Assistant DA in charge of the sex crimes unit, and is prosecuting an ex-CIA man, Andrew Tripping, for the rape of her client Paige Vallis. It's going to be a difficult case to win. As acquaintance rapes so often do, it centres on the question of consent. Paige is determined to pursue the case, though, as she asserts that her main concern throughout her ordeal and afterwards is the well-being of Tripping's son, Dulles, who may have been abused.

It soon becomes clear, however, that Paige hasn't been entirely open with Alex, and that there may be more to the case than meets the eye. When the case breaks for the weekend, it's at a point where Alex is unable to continue her discussions with Paige, until her testimony ends. Unfortunately, it never does, as Paige is killed.

As Alex tries at least to ensure some sort of protection for Tripping's son, she is also called to the scene of the murder of an old woman in her run-down Harlem apartment which has been thoroughly ransacked. Alex and her usual detective sidekicks of Mercer Wallace and Mike Chapman soon discover that the victim McQueen Ransome had had a fascinating past as a dancer and spy, and mistress to King Farouk of Egypt from whose famous collections she may have stolen some pieces. The sale of the pieces in the black market may have funded her for many years, but it now looks like they may have led to her death.

As Alex, Mike and Mercer investigate the market for rare coins, and start forming ideas on the Ransome case, they are increasingly frustrated by the difficulty they meet in trying to obtain information about Andrew Tripping given his CIA past and government secrecy. But gradually the two case come together for an explosive conclusion at Alex's retreat on Martha's Vineyard.

The author, Linda Fairstein, was head of the Sex Crimes Unit in the New York DA's office where she worked for 30 years, and as ever brings an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at the department and in court.

Her research into King Farouk and his treasures is also very interesting, but I was a little uncomfortable with how quickly and doggedly Alex and Mike focussed on one possible object they suspected the case to centre on, especially as it wasn't even thought to exist. And I might love it when a plan comes together, but these days I'm a little uneasy when two cases do, but perhaps that's a personal thing.

THE KILLS was an interesting book, with lots of snippets to remember, and whilst this episode may not have been my favourite in the series, I enjoyed it a lot, aided considerably by Barbara Rosenblat's reading. In particular her voice for Mike Chapman transformed how I imagined him, and made his repartee with Alex much more convincing to me than it previously had on the page.

Reviewed by Bridget Bolton, January 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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