Publisher: Dutton
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 25th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
Hunting a killer within New York's urban jungle becomes the biggest case of Alexandra Cooper's career in New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein's latest riveting thriller.
A wild heart beats within New York City. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don't always have claws and fangs, as Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace know all too well. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of an iconic public figure—someone Alex has worked with for years—the trio must unravel the motive behind the shooting to discover who is the bigger snake: the killer or the victim.
The murder investigation provides more questions than answers, as a tangled mess of secrets slowly comes to light. From street gangs to secret societies, from big-game hunting to the illegal animal trade, from New York City zoos to the highest offices in city government, Alex has her work cut out for her—especially since the task force, led by the US Attorney, seems to be more against her than with her. As tensions rise between Alex and the feds, she must determine just how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth—and uphold the integrity of the office she has so proudly served.
Deadfall proves once again why Linda Fairstein is hailed as "a champion teller of detective tales."*
*USA Today
This is another series that wanders in and out of my radar. I'm several books behind in this series and that definitely affected my reading of this book. It apparently picks up just hours after the previous book ended. I was confused about some things and couldn't remember others and that made for challenging reading at times. I read a review on Goodreads, after I'd finished the book, that recommended reading the previous book before starting this one and I think that's a good idea. And if you're new to the series, this is probably not the best book to start with.
One of the things I enjoy about this series is how Fairstein weaves in New York City history and lore, though sometimes it almost takes over the story. I also enjoy how strong Alexandra is; she's smart, fierce, compassionate, funny, intelligent. Except in this book. Okay, certain events have her in shock but dang, she's whiny, needy, spineless, and drinks too damn much. Her friend and lover, and police detective Mike, is even more overbearing and patronizing than usual. Honestly, they both annoyed me much of the time.
Although the story starts out strong, it quickly turns meandering and wordy, light on action or thrills. The mystery was not compelling and the villain was, well, mild. The motives for the murder that propels the story felt weak and didn't engage me. The secondary characters were boring. Add in some unlikely occurrences and coincidences and this story fell flat. While I'm interested to see what the fallout is from events in this book, I'm not in a rush to pick up the next book.
Awe, too bad, it did sound like it would be a good one too.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the blurb was promising. Oh well. Maybe the next one will be better.
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