Hell Gate (The Alexandra Cooper Series) by Linda Fairstein

Fairstein goes by the adage "write what you know."  In this book, she describes vividly her beloved New York City and its history of notable buildings such as Gracie Mansion (official residence of the mayor), City Hall (oldest building in the United States of America used for governmental functions) and High Bridge or officially the Aqueduct Bridge (oldest surviving bridge and presently unused bridge), among others.

In all her books, Fairstein uses her experience as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan to write about her heroine, Assistant DA Alex Cooper, the legal process and the investigative procedures involved in a district attorney's work.  Hell Gate is Fairstein's twelfth book in the Alexandra Cooper novels.

This time, Alex Cooper investigates a shipwreck of human cargo which has washed up on a treacherous stretch of waterway in New York known as Hell Gate and the death of a Jane Doe who, in turn, is connected to a political sex scandal involving a New York congressman and an ex-prostitute with their supposedly illegitimate child.  As always, Alex Cooper is not complete without her two sidekicks, Mercer Wallace and Mike Chapman, both NYPD detectives.

Unfortunately, I am not entirely satisfied with Hell Gate.  It did not make for an easy and interesting read as with her previous eleven books.  It took me longer than usual to finish the book.  Human trafficking in itself is a fascinating draw but somehow, this book did not captivate me as much as I would have expected.  However, Fairstein's narrative of Gracie Mansion and the history of New York is very interesting.  Sadly, they are not sufficient to keep me interested in the book as a whole. 

I have included a YouTube video link of Fairstein's introduction and background to this book:



Do pay a visit to the author's website at http://www.lindafairstein.com/ and if you haven't already read her other books, I highly recommend you start from Final Jeopardy.  Fairstein's books can be read as stand-alones as well. 

What do you think of Hell Gate?  Do you share the same opinion as me or otherwise?

Rating: 3/5 (Good)