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BAD BLOOD
by Linda Fairstein
Scribner, January 2007
416 pages
$26.00
ISBN: 0743287487


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Prosecutor Alexandra Cooper is preparing to go to trial in a domestic homicide case. The defendant is a wealthy businessman, Brendan Quillian. Alex must prove that he hired someone to kill his socialite wife, Amanda.

Brendan was definitely at a meeting in Boston when the crime occurred, but Alex believes she can prove that he is responsible. The victim had asked her husband for a divorce and she had the fortune in their marriage. Brendan is smart and very clever and he married the boss’s daughter. Divorce has meant a dramatic change in his lifestyle.

The first day’s fireworks in court are headed for headlines as Alex’s opening witness breaks down on the stand. However, a seemingly unrelated occurrence suddenly takes precedence. There is an explosion in one of the numerous underground areas that New York City lies on; this one is a water tunnel.

At first the authorities don’t know if it is terrorism or an accident, but it consumes everyone’s attention. Ultimately, Alex and her police associates learn that circumstances have conspired to pull the defendant’s family into the limelight on a matter related to the tunnel. As if her case was not complicated enough, Alex learns that the defendant’s background and family play a vital role in the latest developments.

The author, in addition to presenting a well-written and suspenseful story, always delivers many interesting facts concerning New York City and its environs. In this latest book, we learn of the many underground areas that no one ever sees, except for a small handful of people known as sand hogs. They are the men who work below ground, whose efforts support the city and its inhabitants in ways most of us never even think about. These are delivered to the reader in little snippets of fascinating, little-known facts. I find that I look forward to Fairstein's books as much for the historical background as for the story.

As her fans have come to rely upon Fairstein for fast-paced, well-written and timely novels, there is no disappointment with BAD BLOOD. Not only must Alex and the police find the evidence to convict Amanda’s killer, but there is also an old crime come to light. Is it true that blood is thicker than water? This is just one of many questions resolved at the conclusion. Don’t make any other plans when picking up this book. Turn off the phone, the TV and just read and enjoy a masterful storyteller at work.

Reviewed by Lorraine Gelly, February 2007

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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