Book Review: Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein

Final Jeopardy
Author: Linda Fairstein
Series: Alex Cooper (Book 1)
Publication: Pocket Books (June 1, 1997)

Description: From the former chief of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office comes the bestselling thriller featuring a New York City prosecutor unraveling a terrifying and brutal murder mystery.

Alexandra Cooper, Manhattan’s top sex crimes prosecutor, awakens one morning to shocking news: a tabloid headline announcing her own violent murder. Confused and horrified, Alex discovers that the actual victim was Isabella Lascar, a Hollywood film actress who was staying at Alex’s Martha’s Vineyard retreat. This only raises more questions: was Isabella slain by a stalker or was Alex herself the intended target?

In an investigation that twists from the alleys of lower Manhattan to the chic boutiques of the Upper East Side, Alex has to get inside the killer’s head before the killer gets her. “With riveting authenticity” (Vanity Fair), Final Jeopardy is a fast-paced and explosive thriller that only Linda Fairstein could write.

My Thoughts: FINAL JEOPARDY was an entertaining thriller which introduces Alexandra Cooper who is a Assistant District Attorney in New York City. Her specialty is sex crimes. She spends a lot of her day dealing with women who have been raped. She has a fast-paced job. When she awakens one morning to news headings that announce that she'd been murdered at her summer home on Martha's Vineyard, things get even more chaotic.

Alex has leant the house to an acquaintance named Isabella Lascar. Isabella is a Hollywood star who had told Alex that she needed to get away from a stalker and wanted a quiet place to rest up and read scripts. However, investigation shows that she wasn't alone and sets the hunt for the mysterious lover. 

Meanwhile, Alex's own lover is proving a disappointment to her. He was away conducting business in France when the murder occurs and Alex really wishes that he would drop everything and come to offer her emotional support. 

Alex is being guarded by some of the cops who are her investigators because it isn't known at first if she or Isabella were the intended victim. I liked her friendship with her main guardian and liked that she wanted to take part in the investigation despite her boss's desires that she let cops investigate and she concentrate on her own work. 

This was an entertaining story. I liked her relationship with her police partner. I liked that she had a strong circle of friends. I liked her dedication to her job. I liked that she was a strong and competent woman.

Favorite Quote:

I was tired of being Scarlett O'Hara. In my next life I'm going to come back as Melanie Wilkes, fragile and helpless. 

I bought this one January 30, 2009. You can buy your copy here.