The Deadhouse : A Novel [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Linda Fairstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2001 | Series: Alexandra Cooper Mysteries

One of the most haunting buildings in New York City, the Deadhouse sits on a small island in the middle of the East River. The abandoned structure, like the ghostly remains of a castle, plays in the imagination as a site of mystery and intrigue...a likely place for murder....

Following on the success of Cold Hit, Likely to Die, and Final Jeopardy, top Manhattan sex crimes DA Linda Fairstein brings her unique authenticity and style to a mesmerizing tale of murder and deceit.

It's the holiday season but there's little reason for cheer at one of New York's most elite colleges. A respected professor is dead, strangled and dumped in an elevator shaft. Lola Dakota's lifeless fingers clutch a few strands of hair, and a piece of paper in her pocket reads "The Deadhouse."

What was Lola's connection to this desolate place where people once endured slow and agonizing deaths? And what danger awaits DA Alexandra Cooper as she targets Lola's killer?

A richly nuanced synthesis of history and suspense, The Deadhouse showcases Linda Fairstein's immense talent as never before.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Smart, sexy, Manhattan assistant DA Alexandra Cooper--hero of Linda Fairstein's increasingly popular series--is taking her latest murder case very personally. Lola Dakota, abused wife and brilliant university professor, wouldn't cooperate when Cooper wanted to charge her ex-husband with assault. So when she's murdered, he's the logical suspect--except that he had been arrested just before the murder. So Alex needs another suspect.

Unable to protect Lola alive, Alex is determined to find the killer and bring him to justice. All she has to go on is a scrap of paper in the murdered woman's pocket with the words "The Deadhouse" on it, along with a series of numbers. Deciphering the clue leads Alex and Mike Chapman, her favorite homicide cop, to an abandoned gothic hospital on New York's Roosevelt Island, where smallpox victims went to die a century ago. Because of its history, the Deadhouse held a special attraction for Lola and for several of her university colleagues; and, as it turns out, almost all these deftly drawn minor characters had a reason to want Lola dead. Illuminating their personalities and motives gives Fairstein an opportunity to skewer the academic infighting that goes on at an elite Ivy League school.

The author's background as head of the New York district attorney's Sex Crime Unit is just one of the many assets she brings to her fast-paced, intricately plotted thrillers. What makes this one a standout is the wealth of historical detail about 19th-century New York, which adds an extra dimension of verisimilitude to an engrossing, atmospheric, and suspenseful read. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

When archeologist Lola Dakota is found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft in her apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper takes on one of her darkest cases yet in this compelling mystery from bestseller Fairstein (Final Jeopardy). Alexandra, aided by homicide detective Mike Chapman, must sift through the testimonies of Dakota's close-mouthed colleagues at small, experimental King's College. Despite bitter December weather, the professor was engaged in an archaeological dig on the city's Roosevelt Island for clues about the criminals and mental patients shipped there a hundred years ago and left to die. Cooper, who had been working with Dakota to apprehend her abusive husband, now reaches out to Lola's resistant family and legal counsel in New Jersey, where she has been hiding out. And what of Charlotte Voight, a young woman who disappeared several months ago? The city is ablaze with holiday lights and cheer, Mike is acting peculiarly, team member Mercer Wallace injured in Final Jeopardy rejoins them late in the game, and Alex and new love Jake, a news correspondent, might be breaking up. Fairstein weaves present and past woes to good effect, while her focus on Roosevelt Island will intrigue New Yorkers who know little about its shameful former uses. A somewhat abrupt resolution, as well as a few loose strands, will leave the reader eager for a later date with the D.A. (Oct. 2)Forecast: Several factors will recommend this book to a broad audience: Manhattan D.A. Fairstein bears the mark of authenticity; all three previous titles in the series were bestsellers; and Linda Fairstein's Final Jeopardy was an ABC-TV Movie of the Week in April. A six-city author tour and two floor displays will further boost sales.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743224035
• ISBN-13: 978-0743224031
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,895,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Fairstein was chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney's office in Manhattan for more than two decades and is America's foremost legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence. Her Alexandra Cooper novels are international bestsellers and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives with her husband in Manhattan and on Martha's Vineyard.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not her best, October 2, 2001

By 

N. Gargano "nokegchris" (Waynesville NC and Bradenton, Fl) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deadhouse (Hardcover)

I normally do not review books that I do not think deserve 5 stars, you know, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.My sister and brother-in-law think I should review other books, not just ones I love. They say,"that's why people look at the reviews, I could be helping someone else." So...okay, here goes. This is not Ms. Fairstein's best work. I am an avid fan, and I rush out to buy her books as soon as they hit the shelves. This one I could have waited for the paper. I felt like she was telling two or three stories at once wihout doing justice to any of them. Although the information on New York history was interesting, I never connected with the story, didn't know or care about the victims and had the culprit picked out after Alex's (the main character), first interview with him or her.(Even though I didn't like it, I don't want to give it away to someone else!!!!) Anyway, sorry Ms. Fairstein, not my favorite of yours, although I will still run out and buy your next one I'm sure. I have never had will power in a book store, especially for a favorite author.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Drags, September 3, 2003

By 

Bruce Burns (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Deadhouse (Alexandra Cooper Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Note that this tome is 500 pages. It's consequently filled with shopping trips, sending out Christmas gifts to family, parties, etc., adding nothing to the plot development. The first-person narrator talks a lot about her lover but we don't even meet him until page 210 or so, and then their banter and gift exchange takes up a few more chapters. The book could easily have been half as long.

Most authors can give us rich character development without dragging us along on a character's inconsequential day-to-day activities. In fact, after learning so much about "Blondie," the main character, and "Mike," the cop, even to the point of including their penchant for watching Jeopardy! every day, I couldn't care less about these very self-absorbed people.

And as for plot development, so little progress is made on the case for so long that I wasn't much interested in the plot either.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, September 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Deadhouse (Hardcover)

In The Deadhouse, Linda Fairstein not only tells a good tale, she unearths a fascinating corner of New York history. I didn't think anything could distract me in this moment of national tragedy, but this book did. Fairstein captures the complexity of one of America's greatest cities from both a modern and historical perspective. Her writing is brisk, her characters appealing, and the story is terrific. I couldn't put it down. Though a mystery fan, I'm new to the Alex Cooper series. I intend to read all of them now.