Book Review: Bad Blood

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Bad Blood     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Linda Fairstein
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   Hard Boiled
Series: Alexandra Cooper # 9
Scribner, Jan 2007, $26.00

Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper knows proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brendan Quillian killed his wife Amanda will be difficult especially since the businessman has an out of town alibi, but she feels she has a strong case. Quillian is in trouble based on powerful circumstantial evidence. However, countering it is the testimony of Kate Meade, a friend of the accused since they were teens and a wife and mother; she is the ideal witness. Alexandra completes her questioning feeling rather good about where she ended. That is until Quillian’s defense attorney Lemuel Howell affirms that Kate and Brendan were having an affair; the credibility of this important witness falls apart. Cooper is shook because the revelation was hidden from her by Kate.

Cooper struggles to regain the upper hand in a trial that has fallen somewhat apart. However, an explosion rips the third water tunnel construction site that should have nothing to do with the Quillian murder trail, but does as Alex finds a link to Brendan. As she digs deeper into the Quillian connection to the water tunnel explosion, Copper places herself in jeopardy seeking conclusive proof that Brendan is a cold blooded killer.

BAD BLOOD opens with a gripping courtroom scene and never slows down after that until the final confrontation in a dark tunnel. This legal thriller is as equally exciting during the trial scenes and the investigative scenarios. However, some like this reviewer do have problems with prosecutors playing the role of undercover “cops” rather than letting the pros do the job. That quibble aside, sub-genre fans will receive plenty of entertainment as Cooper struggles to save a case that unraveled over an affair.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner