Publisher's Weekly Review
The self-confident, in-control attitude Fairstein's series protagonist, Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper, usually displays has wavered over the past few entries. Cooper, thanks to the venerable work of voice actor Rosenblat, sounds extra vulnerable at the start of her new adventure, which opens with the kidnapping and murder of her longtime boss and friend, D.A. Paul Battaglia. The trauma of his death leaves Alex uncertain and confused, which Rosenblat conveys in a slightly slurry speech, sometimes dreamy, other times rising in anger. She becomes overly dependent on her friends and her gruff-voiced, extremely attentive paramour, homicide detective Mike Chapman, even as she tries to seek justice for Battaglia's murder. Fairstein's New York-centric mysteries always provide a special tour of a local landmark. Here it's the Bronx Zoo that figures into a plot involving the illegal exotic animal trade, with Chapman doing the lion's share of the sleuthing. Rosenblat pulls off a variety of accents, including Nigerian and East Indian, some elegant, some street. It's an entertaining and colorful performance, even if the series protagonist is not on her A-game. A Dutton hardcover. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper becomes a person of interesta great deal of interestin the death of her boss.Cooper's always had a complicated relationship with Manhattan DA Paul Battaglia. Still on leave following her traumatic kidnapping (Devil's Bridge, 2015), she leaves a fundraiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art only to have a dark figure rush up the imposing stairs, call out her name, and collapse in her arms with two bullets in him. It doesn't matter that Cooper, who heads Manhattan's Special Victims Unit, has long been a fixture in her office. She's treated just like anyone else found in such a compromising positiona photo a dog walker snaps turns up in next morning's newspaper headlined "Death Grip"and maybe even worse. That's because Jaxon Stern, the detective imported from Brooklyn South to head the investigation because he hasn't worked with Cooper, has had a grudge against her ever since she prosecuted his brother-in-law for raping a Columbia student. Only that afternoon, Cooper (Killer Look, 2016, etc.) and Detective Mike Chapman, her NYPD lover, had watched in dismay as Battaglia emerged from the town house of international businessmen George Kwan. Although Kwan maintains that Battaglia was nothing more than an acquaintance, Cooper and Chapman are sure there's more to the connection. They'll have to follow it to Central Park and the Bronx Zoo and a complex web of "humans, heroin, and wildlife...trafficked globally by a large organization," allowing Cooper to learn and share a double measure of information about poaching, zoos, well-connected secret societies, and organizations devoted to both preserving and hunting endangered species en route to another of Fairstein's favored scenic landmark shootouts and an entirely predictable arrest. The usual formulaan irresistible hook, a heroine too feisty to be considered truly embattled, a heap of expository thriller, and plotting that manages to be both ambitious and flabbydone to its usual turn. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Manhattan Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper is no stranger to death, but never before has she held it in her arms as she does when DA Paul Battaglia, once her idol, falls on top of her after being shot on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Still on leave after escaping kidnappers weeks earlier, Alex is traumatized again as she finds herself a person of extreme interest. Why did Battaglia, with whom she'd fallen out of favor of late, send her three increasingly urgent messages about needing to see her that night? Could she have been deadfall, the prey to set him up for assassination? With her lover, NYPD homicide detective Mike Chapman, Alexandra tries to find answers, facing increasing danger as she learns about the lucrative smuggling of animal parts. Known for her knowledge of New York City, Fairstein here explores the Bronx Zoological Park (don't call it a zoo!) and makes a strong case for protecting endangered animals. Fans will welcome this nineteenth Cooper outing with Alex getting back on her feet and facing a tantalizing prospect for the future. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Fairstein is one of those brand-name mystery authors whose works long ago crossed over from genre favorites to mainstream best-sellers and who shows no signs of losing that status any time soon.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2017 Booklist
