TIME FOR A 'LETHAL' INJECTION OF THRILLS (Linda Fairstein)

From Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star --

TIME FOR A 'LETHAL' INJECTION OF THRILLS --

Fairstein's Alex Cooper returns to readers in 'Lethal Legacy' --

Date published: 3/8/2009 --

AUTHOR Linda Fairstein brings back Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper in "Lethal Legacy."

Coop and her colleagues are looking for a man who posed as a firefighter to gain access to a woman's apartment, only to assault her. The victim, Tina Barr, a conservator at the New York Public Library, is secretive about her assault and her past.

A few days later, another woman turns up dead in her apartment. They believe it to be a wealthy heiress, but the heiress tells investigators the dead woman is her maid.

When Barr goes missing and another body is found, the mystery is in full swing.

Fairstein does a great job weaving interesting facts about New York into her mysteries. In "Lethal Legacy," readers will learn there are 88 miles of books in a library extension under Bryant Park, which was once a potter's field for those killed in the Revolutionary War.

In addition, a family of five used to live in the library. John H. Felder was the first chief engineer and moved into the library in 1910, 10 months before the famed building opened. Their third child, Viviani, was the only child ever born inside the library, where the family lived until 1941.

But among the interesting facts is an even more interesting mystery, complete with greed, family drama and ancient literary treasures that some people think are worth killing for.

Laura L. Hutchison is an editor at The Free Lance-Star.