In Linda Fairstein’s outstanding new novel, the New York Public Library houses dazzling treasures—and deadly secrets.When Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper is summoned to Tina Barr’s apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, she finds a neighbor convinced that the young woman was assaulted. But the terrified victim, a conservator of rare books and maps, refuses to cooperate with investigators. Then another woman is found murdered in that same apartment with an extremely valuable book, believed to have been stolen. As Alex pursues the murderer, she is drawn into the strange and privileged world of the Hunt family, major benefactors of the New York Public Library and passionate rare book collectors.Eventually Alex connects their internal family rivalries to a priceless edition of Alice in Wonderland, which also contains the world’s oldest map. Would one of the well-bred Hunts be willing to kill for the treasures? The search for the answer takes Alex and her team on a breathtaking chase from Manhattan’s grandest apartments to the secret tunnels and chambers of the New York Public Library, and finally to a nineteenth-century underground vault. There, in the pitch-black darkness, Alex comes face-to-face with the killer who values money more than life.Featuring a cast of elite, erudite, and downright eccentric characters, and a complex trail of clues that will have you guessing until the final pages, Lethal Legacy is Linda Fairstein’s most beguiling thriller yet.
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"8/10 Interesting to read about the behind-the-scenes work in a major library. Had an idea who the baddie was from fairly early on which is unusual for me. Was a bit distracted reading this - I had been really looking forward to it, but it didn't grab me like this series usually does. " — Karen (4 out of 5 stars)
"8/10 Interesting to read about the behind-the-scenes work in a major library. Had an idea who the baddie was from fairly early on which is unusual for me. Was a bit distracted reading this - I had been really looking forward to it, but it didn't grab me like this series usually does. "
One of the best crime writers in fiction today.
Fairstein … makes the legal issues more exciting than any high-speed chase.
A champion teller of detective tales.
Alexandra Cooper, like her creator Linda Fairstein, is a force to contend with: smart, tough, and literate to boot!
" More than I ever wanted to know about maps and stealing maps and treating maps and chasing maps. REad a lot like a textbook. Didn't see why the heroine who investigates sexual crimes was there. Fairly unpleasant characters and a dull heroine. I've read a couple of these now and don't think I will bother again. "
" Always enjoy her books, this one, especially as I'm a librarian!! "
" Fascinating NYC/NYPL stuff. Not much in the way of good writing, characterization, or style. She can tell a story, though. "
" I give it a 3.5. Some interesting information about the New York Public Library and about old books and maps. This is a generally reliable/readable series. "
" Very enjoyable. Love the history of the NYPL and reading and learning about the NY Marble Cemetary (both of them). "
" I really liked all the stuff about the New York Public Library...but the murder mystery itself was kind of lame! "
" this is the first time i have read anything from his author it was a really good book "
" A; I've missed Coop and crew! Great story to get reacquainted with my old friends. Murders circle around the NYC library system. I did miss the Jeapordy show downs between the leads. Most interesting tidbit was the names of the 2 lions in front of the library - Patience and Fortitude. "
" This is the latest in the Alexandra Cooper series. She's an assistant DA in New York--dealing with sex crimes. This book has lots of information about the NY Public Library. "
" Loved my free copy -- which I'll now donate to the library! Great story, especially with the rare books and even more fascinating rare maps theme. Wishing I'd read others in series [Alex(andra) Cooper Crime Series:] first so I'd be more familiar with the characters, that'll come next. "
" Especially interesting as a look into the world of rare books and maps as well as the New York Public Library. "
" This is very nicely done. The thing that I like most about Linda Fairstein's series about Alex Cooper is that shee gives the reader interesting facts about NYC or other subjects. This time the murders revolve around the world of rare books and old maps "
" A great guided tour through the NY Public Library. "
" Enjoyed this story very much. Linda took Alex Cooper on the trail of Book Collectors. Interesting. Personally, I like to read books about books. "
" I usually like Fairstein, but this one just wasn't for me. "
" I give this 3.5 stars and I always round up ;-) The story was good, but what I enjoyed the most was all the little interesting facts about the New York Public Library and the world of rare books and maps collectors. Very interesting stuff. "
" Very good. Lot's of twists and turns. "
" A very complex book and I kept losing track of who was who in the villains. The idea of the map was good but other than librarians I am not sure this book will appeal to many. "
" I enjoyed this book much better that any of the other recent Alex Cooper novels. "
" I thought it would be interesting, being a murder mystery combined with the history of the new york public library and its contents. But I couldn't get past the boring and awkward writin. "
" What made this book especially interesting was the behind the scenes at the NYC library. "
" Like crime novels? You will love this. Fast a little scary, def didn't see the twist and now NEED to find more! "
" This is the first Linda Fairstein I have read. Was very interested because of its setting -- New York PL. Characters not well-drawn. Probably because one in a series. Will try an earlier one. "
" Look beneath the New York Public Library and very rare books. "
" What a tangled web. A great story involving a lot of detail about the New York Public Library.A missing technician, a murdered personal assistant, a brother and sister at war with one another, and a few odd characters. "
" Takes place in the New York City Public Library which was delicious! "
" This drug slightly in places, but was still very good. I like all the Fairstein books I have read so far. "
" Deals with New York Public Library as the Assistant DA looks into a woman's assault. The victim is a conservator of rare books & maps; The murder case that unfolds the Hunt family, major benefactors of the NY Public Library. Suspenseful...not gruesome "
" I liked the mystery but got bogged down in the limitless details of the maps. I guess it is the puzzle that interests me more than the theft. "
" Intersting stuff about the New York Public Library and rare books. "
" This was the first Linda Fairstein mystery I have read and I picked right because much of the book involved rare books and the NYPL. "
" So typical. Why do I continue to read this series?! "
" Not very engaging. Had to work to finish it. "
" Murder at the New York City Library. Rare books disappearing. If you have murder, a mystery, and books, what more can you ask for? "
" Got this on CD for the NPR fund drive weeks--- it is a great story centered on the NY public library. I haven't read any Fairstein novels previously but I am going to now. "
" I enjoyed learning about the history of the New York Public Library in this novel but I found the plot confusing and the characters to be one-dimensional and not very likeable. "
Linda Fairstein is an author of crime fiction.
Barbara Rosenblat, one of the most awarded narrators in the business, was selected by AudioFile magazine as one of the Golden Voices of the Twentieth Century. She has received the prestigious Audie Award multiple times and has earned more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has also appeared in film, television, and theater, both in London’s West End and on Broadway.
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