Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Getting bored with it, March 19, 2010
This review is from: Hell Gate (Hardcover)
In all honesty this book was closer to 2 stars than 3 but I have to give Linda Fairstein props for her attention to detail and research. But the last three books in this series have felt more like text books about New York history than mystery novels. I enjoy knowing some detail and history if it's relevant to the story. But it seemed like every time a character asked a question about something or they entered a building we would have to go into pages upon pages of history and background which took away from the story and started to get annoying. I've followed these books for years because I enjoy the characters. Specifically the relationship/chemistry between Alex and Mike. And can Alex ever have a 'lover' who isn't rich, French, famous...etc? If she isn't going to be involved with Mike then why can't it be a 'regular' guy? Like a detective or even another lawyer? I'll read the next installment in the series but may borrow it from the library instead of purchasing it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good mystery in a great political thriller, March 9, 2010
This review is from: Hell Gate (Hardcover)
Hell Gate, Linda Fairstein's twelfth novel featuring ADA Alexandra Cooper, is another ode to the history and architecture of New York City and a fascinating mystery. Fairstein has a knack for weaving multiple storylines and cases without muddling the narrative. As we all know, only ADAs on television have the luxury of having one case at a time.
The usual cast of characters is back in Hell Gate. The novel opens with the wreck of a human cargo ship and a promising New York politician crashing his car after fighting with his mistress. Sex scandals abound, yet Fairstein keeps the story from becoming salacious. As always, New York City itself is a character in the story, and the reader learns so much about the city's rich history. Some of it's tied to crimes, but much of it is there because it's fascinating.
Hell Gate borrows a few characters from the headlines. Bloomberg isn't mayor here, but he was. Paterson is the governor of New York, and Spitzer did fall from grace. There's a currency to this book that I really enjoyed. If you follow New York City and state politics, you'll enjoy quite a few snarky jabs at familiar faces, names and characters.
If you're a fan of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, you should really read Linda Fairstein. She ran the SVU at the Manhattan District Attorney's office for decades, and now she writes wonderful novels. Thankfully, she manages to write one each year, but I find I even enjoy rereading them, which is rare for mystery novels. She is one of my favorite authors.
Normally, I recommend starting with Fairstein's first novel (Final Jeopardy), but I think the political storylines in this novel might entice fans of political thrillers, and these storylines have some amount of currency to them. Yes, some of the characters may be unfamiliar to new readers, but the focus is really on the mystery and politics in this novel; there are mentions to the social lives of our favorite detectives, but even new readers will be able to follow the story. The novel does begin with a lot of characters. I've read all of Fairstein's novels, and there were a few faces popping up I could not remember. I wasn't sure if they were knew to this book or not, but Fairstein provides enough background that it doesn't really matter if you remember the characters or not. Either way, I really enjoyed it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Awkward, May 1, 2010
This review is from: Hell Gate (Hardcover)
It seems as though most successful authors hit a point at which either they have no more ideas, they no longer have time to do the job well, or they just don't care any more. "Hell Gate" is the clearest indication yet that Fairstein has hit this point. As others have mentioned, there are two plot threads. One involves a Congressman whose political career may be derailed by a girlfriend (and yes, of course he's married) claiming that he tried to kill her. This hardly seems like Alex Cooper's territory. The other plot thread involves the shipwreck of a ship carrying three hundred passengers who were intended to be smuggled into the US and sold as slaves. That, at least, is within Cooper's bailiwick, although she's in the mix a little bit early -- the passengers haven't even been identified before she's interviewing them.
Unfortunately, the human trafficking plot takes a back seat to the political maneuverings, as Cooper and her cop friends more or less stumble over clues to what is really going on with the Congressman's girlfriend, and how it relates to the trafficking operation. In this volume, it's a real stretch to connect the story with a bit of New York history, and the connection of the crimes with Gracie and two other federal-era mansions is tenuous. As noted by another reader, the usual history lessons are not well integrated into the story (although, unlike that reader, I thought they were more interesting than the political plots) and really stick out.
Romance has never been Fairstein's forte. That's OK -- she should just give Cooper a boyfriend, stick him in occasionally, and forget about it. We can imagine most of the relationship. This, however, does not seem to be the direction in which she (Fairstein) is headed. Instead, she seems to be heading toward a Mike/Alex romance. DON'T DO IT, Ms. Fairstein! I, for one, would find it highly unbelievable. The fact is, I dislike Mike. I don't think it's intentional on Fairstein's part, but I find Mike's so-called "banter" to be a lot like the teasing of adolescents -- meant to seem like teasing while carrying a real bite. The things he says are often mean, and certainly unprofessional and inappropriate in a business context. Another way of looking at it is that he is trying to "claim" her in front of other parties by saying things that suggest that they are intimate (although not necessarily in a sexual way). I hate it. Alex should hate it and call him on it. Certainly no romance should happen unless he grows up a LOT.
In short, read this book if you like Cooper, but don't expect too much from it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
