Likely to Die

Get acquainted with an appealing protagonist, Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper in her second episode. Author Fairstein uses her experiences and astute sense of dialogue to give this thriller a realism that's gritty, but not grim. Narrator Diane Venora speaks with husky, smooth authority for Cooper and handles the dialogue of the New York cops and suspects with style. Venora projects the balance of toughness and caring that makes Detective Mike Chapman so likeable, and adds color to the minor characters, such as the cigar-chomping District Attorney Battaglia and a smarmy hospital administrator. Great beach reading, and, for fans of the well-researched procedural, the details are all there. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Alexandra Cooper, sex crimes prosecutor, is called to investigate the rape and murder of a prominent female neurosurgeon. After uncovering shockingly lax hospital security and a maze of underground tunnels filled with NYC's homeless and disposing of a number of red herrings, Cooper and NYPD Homicide Detective Mike Chapman close in on the killer. Barbara Rosenblat's performance may be the result of years of training, practice, and hard work, but it feels like magic. An amazing number of voices populate her work, each believable, each unique. The listener knows exactly who's speaking without attributions. Author Linda Fairstein's expertise comes of years as chief of Manhattan's sex crimes unit, and what the novel lacks in artistic subtlety it makes up for in no-nonsense crime writing, made more exciting by Rosenblat's gifted reading. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine