Death Dance
by Linda Fairstein
Published by Scribner
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Reviewed by Jackie Baumgarten
There are only so many ways a writer can write mystery, my favorite genre: you've got your dead person; the characters with motive--and one who "did it"; and you've got the misleading clues and the colorful characters who unravel them. That is, unless it's written by Linda Fairstein. Then you've also got a history lesson, a bit of current morality to chew on as well as a finely woven story!
Death Dance is #9 in the Alexandra Cooper series. Alex Cooper is the District Attorney for Manhattan in charge of sex crime prosecution. Her friends and coworkers, partners in crime scene investigation Mercer Wallace and Mike Chapman, return to investigate the disappearance and murder of a Russian prima ballerina. Interwoven in the plot is the intricate architectural and cultural history of buildings like the Met, Mecca Temple and one of the last standing flop houses in the theater district.
Along side this elaborate investigation, Alex Cooper is attempting to prosecute a Turkish doctor for rape. The controversy isn't the rape, which is clear-cut and documented on video, but the issue of DNA data banking that has helped the police to find the perpetrator. Both sides of the arguments for and against DNA data banking are given and would make compelling dinner party discussion!
Armchair Interviews says: Pick this book up for the story, but pay attention to the history lessons!