Death Dance: A Novel (Alexandra Cooper Mysteries)

From Publishers Weekly

Reunited with fellow Manhattan crime scene investigators Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, brazen, outspoken Alexandra Cooper, assistant DA for the sex crimes prosecution unit, tackles the case of a murdered dancer with the Royal Ballet. While it was no secret that "world-renowned" Russian ballerina Natalya Galinova had a bad attitude and a cuckolded husband, that she was tossed, undetected, into the cooling unit at the Metropolitan Opera House still comes as a shock, even to a whole slew of suspects, among them her agent, Rinaldo; Broadway kingpin and voyeur Joe Berk; Berk's shady niece Mona; and the Met's slippery artistic director, Chet Dobbis. Varied clues paired with the fascinating theatrical spadework involved in the opera business lead to a sidewalk electrocution and several sabotaged stage sets. As additional suspects are tacked on, concurrent evidence and motives surface and the stage becomes increasingly deadly for everyone involved, especially Alex. Running alongside is a rape subplot involving an elusive Turkish doctor, and an unsolved urban assault case. Despite the overcrowded plot, this whodunit manages to pirouette to a satisfying climax just as the curtain drops. Fairstein (Entombed) fans will undoubtedly demand an encore. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

Unlike many recurring mystery characters, Assistant D.A. Alex Cooper is clear-eyed and relatively unencumbered by demons from her past. So this latest mystery by Fairstein, focusing on the New York City theater district, is a fun listen. And with Blair Brown making strong vocal choices for all the characters, we can really see the colorful suspects as they prowl the backstage worlds of ballet and Broadway. We know where we're headed as our heroes tiptoe along darkened catwalks, bound and berated by prematurely triumphant killers. (Why do villains always use up valuable escape time detailing their crimes to those pursuing them?) Still, this abridgment makes for a diverting evening's listening. A.M.D. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the

Audio CD edition.