Hell Gate

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From Publishers WeeklyAt the outset of bestseller Fairstein's winning 12th legal thriller featuring New York County ADA Alex Cooper (after Lethal Legacy), the bodies of human trafficking victims wash up on Rockaway Beach. At least one young woman appears to have been dead before she hit the frigid waters. Meanwhile, Ethan Leighton, a rising Manhattan congressman, has fled the scene of a car accident, possibly to avoid exposure of an extramarital affair and a love child. Leighton's paramour, who calls 911 to report that Leighton has threatened her, later disappears amid signs of violence. Both cases attract the keen attention of Vin Statler, New York's ambitious post-Bloomberg mayor, who adds political pressure to the crime solving. Fairstein throws a City Council slush fund into the mix, but manages to resolve the various plot threads nicely. While the main criminal's identity will surprise few, readers seeking a realistic depiction of law-enforcement work will be more than satisfied. 8-city author tour. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. FromWhat do a boatload of illegal immigrants, a congressman, and the body of young woman who has been stabbed in the chest have in common? Not quite what you think. And that’s part of the beauty of Fairstein’s latest, which takes a fairly routine bunch of crime-fiction elements and twists them into something unexpected. As usual, readers get a taste of the city along with its political wrangling as Fairstein invests her plot with dollops of her beloved Big Apple’s architecture and history. This time it’s a trio of Federalist mansions, including Gracie Mansion (the official mayoral residence) that take center stage, with their background judiciously but intriguingly limned as each one plays into the story. Providing legal expertise is prosecutor Alexandra Cooper, who works hard to maintain the integrity of her office while maneuvering around New York’s most powerful politicos. On hand, as usual, is her sidekick-partner, the smart, argumentative cop Mike Chapman, whose teasing keeps the counselor on her toes and occasionally off balance. While Fairstein keeps lots of balls in the air here, she juggles them with aplomb. Her devoted fans will be pleased. --Stephanie Zvirin