Hardback: New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein explores the depths of Manhattan’s secretive Rockefeller University in this timely, captivating thriller about the deep - and often deadly - reverberations of past sins.
Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper of the Manhattan Sex Crimes Unit is finally back at work following a leave of absence, and not a moment too soon. With more women feeling empowered to name their abusers, Alex is eager to return to the courtroom to do what she does best.
But even she cannot anticipate the complexity of her first case when she meets Lucy, a young woman who testified years earlier at a landmark federal trial, and now reveals that she was sexually assaulted by a prominent official during that time.
Yet Lucy’s is not the only secret Alex must uncover, with rumours swirling about one colleague’s abusive conduct behind closed doors and another’s violent, mysterious collapse.
As the seemingly disparate cases of her client, adversary, and friend start to intertwine, Alex, along with NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, finds herself in uncharted territory within Manhattan’s Rockefeller University, a premier research institute, hospital, and cornerstone of higher learning. But not even the greatest minds in the city can help her when unearthed secrets begin to collide in dangerous ways, and unless she can uncover the truth, the life-saving facility just may become her grave.
Blood Oath (2019) is the twentieth and latest instalment in the excellent Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cooper legal thriller series set in New York.
P/S Blood Oath might be the author's last book as she has been dropped by her publishers - Dutton (US) and Little Brown (UK) - due to the fallout with regards to her former role as chief of the Manhattan district attorney’s sex crimes unit in relation to the wrongful conviction of five teens in the 1989 rape and beating of a female jogger. Fairstein had already resigned from at least two not-for-profit boards as backlash intensified and a #CancelLindaFairstein movement spread on social media. Last year, the Mystery Writers of America took the rare step of withdrawing a lifetime achievement after other authors protested, citing Fairstein’s role in the Central Park case.
About the author: Linda Fairstein (born 1947) is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children. She served as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the author of a series of novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.
This year, Fairstein will debut a new series for Middle Grade readers - 8-12 years old. Her kid sleuth, Devlin Quick, appears in Into The Lion's Den in November, 2016. The series is an homage to Nancy Drew, whose books inspired Linda's two careers - in crime fiction and in the law.
Ms Fairstein is an honours graduate of Vassar College (1969) and the University of Virginia School of Law (1972). She joined the Manhattan District Attorney's office in 1972 as an Assistant District Attorney. She was promoted to the head of the sex crimes unit in 1976. During her tenure, she prosecuted several highly publicized cases, including the "Preppy Murder" case against Robert Chambers in 1986.
Linda Fairstein left the District Attorney's office in 2002, and has continued to consult, write, lecture and serve as a sex crimes expert for a wide variety of print and television media outlets, including the major networks, CNN, MSNBC among others. Ms Fairstein is often called to provide her opinion on high profile prosecutions including: Michael Jackson's molestation charges in 2004, Kobe Bryant's sexual assault charges, and Scott Peterson's trial. She is also a frequent speaker on issues surrounding domestic abuse.
Ms Fairstein lives in Manhattan and on Martha's Vineyard with her husband, Michael Goldberg. Her novels draw on Ms Fairstein's legal expertise as well as her knowledge of and affection for the rich history of the city of New York.
Rating: 5/5
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