Hell Gate

By Linda Fairstein and Linda Feirstein

Book Overview

Head of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney's office in Manhattan for decades, Linda Fairstein is America's most visible legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence-which is why she writes some of the most compelling crime thrillers of our time and why her Alexandra Cooper series has been topping bestseller list for more than a decade. Fans turn to Fairstein for ripped-from-the-headline crimes, cutting-edge investigations, and vindication for victims. Linda Fairstein brings readers inside a world of which they can't get enough, but one they hope to never see in real life. And for her twelfth novel, Fairstein takes Alexandra Cooper inside a world she'd rather not see. New York City politics have always been filled with intrigue and behind-the-scenes deals. In Hell Gate , Alex finds her attention torn between investigating a shipwreck that has contraband cargo-human cargo-and the political sex scandal of a promising New York congressman now fallen from grace. When Alex discovers that a woman from the wreck and the congressman's lover have the same rose tattoo-the brand of a "snakehead", a master of a human trafficking operation-it dawns on her that these cases aren't as unrelated as they seem and that the entire political landscape of New York City could hang in the balance of her investigation. As Alex looks on at the nameless victims in the morgue, she realizes she's looking at the present-day face of New York's long, dark tradition of human trafficking-a tradition that began hundreds of years ago with slave trade from Africa, now a multimillion-dollar industry that will stop at no cost, even if that cost is Alex's life. Watch a Video

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 052595161X
• ISBN13: 9780525951612
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Dutton
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 1.5" x 6.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

An adrenaline rush!

Having lived in Gracie Mansion myself for 8 years and having covered crime in NYC as a journalist, I can say that Linda Fairstein gets all the details right! Her latest Alexandra Cooper thriller, Hell Gate, pumps up the adrenaline brilliantly. ADA Cooper has to dodge the bad guys as well as the egos of the bosses, as she works to find out who has been smuggling human cargo and which politicians are masking the truth because they have sex scandals to hide. The friendship and working partnership "Coop" has with detectives Mike and Mercer and her team in the DA's office give the book heart and humor. But it's a dicey business and this time her determination could cost her life!

WHAT DID THE MAYOR KNOW AND WHEN DID HE KNOW IT?

Ms. Fairstein strikes again with another great mystery!!! The story begins with ADA Alex Cooper at a shipwreck in Queens that has many twists and turns. Were the ships' passengers vistims of an international sex trafficing ring? Who was behind it? The mystery intensifies when citizens with political contacts end up dead? Who did those victims know in politics? And who killed them? Was it the new mayor, the governor, the local congressman, the former police commissioner, or was it the......? And what part in the plot did Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, play? Well, I guess you'll just have to read the book to find out. I found the book hard to close.

What a fun read.

This book reminded me of why I liked the series so much. The plot was interesting and realistic and the characters were believable.The friendship and trust between Alex, Mike and Mercer are what makes this series one of a kind and the Alex, Mike relationship is just getting more and more interesting.I can't wait for the next one and I highly recommend this book.

Intrigue, scandal, and NYC politics

Linda Fairstein's twelfth legal thriller finds NYC prosecuting attorney Alexandra Cooper and homicide detectives Mercer and Mike Chapman investigating a shipwreck that turns out to be one carrying human cargo from the Ukraine. Some of the women and men jumped ship and drowned, and at least one of the women was murdered via an ice pick type wound to the heart. The story gets a bit convoluted with the introduction of a congressman who flees a car accident and who was then found to be having an extramarital affair. There are also corrupt politicians, smarmy aids, and the like. As with all of Fairstein's books, the story is rich with details about the history of Hell Gate and the surrounding area. If you are familiar with New York politics you'll also pick up on some similarities of the fictional character's escapades with those of the current crop of politicians such as Spitzer and Paterson. Personally I felt the author could have written more about human trafficking which is a huge issue world-wide. I would rather have read more details about it and what an individual can do to help eliminate this rather than the details about the mansions and Hell Gate as interesting as they were. Ms. Fairstein has mentioned she gets more mail about the relationship between Alex and Mike than any other aspect of her books (Julie Kramer interviewing Fairstein for International Thriller Writers). There was more than a hint of sexual tension between the two in this book. Mike studiously ignores it and Alex buries her feelings. Her current boyfriend Luc was barely mentioned in this story and there were few mentions of her friends Nina and Joan. There was a bit more introspection by Mike and Mercer about Alex's single minded focus on her job at the expense of her personal life. All in all an excellent addition to the series.

terrific entry

A Ukrainian ship carrying human cargo to New York sinks near Rockaway Beach in Queens. Many die with the few survivors talking in their native tongue about abuse and brutality. Thirty women were part of the cargo to be employed in the lucrative sex trade; however one of the females died before she fell into the icy water. New York County Sex Crimes Office ADA Alexandra Cooper is at the scene shocked by the inhuman behavior and vows to find out who killed this Jane Doe. Married Manhattan Congressman Ethan Leighton flees the scene of a car accident that he caused being under the influence at the about the same time his lover Mexican immigrant Salma Zunega calls 911 to report his threatening her. Soon afterward she and their child Ana vanish. Mayor Vin Statler demands resolution, but not expected it to occur at Gracie Mansion nor the snakehead rose tattoo tying the cases together. The latest Cooper thriller is a terrific entry (see Lethal Legacy) that hooks the audience immediately and never misses a beat though there is even more going on than the two prime subplots. Fast-paced throughout, fans will appreciate Hell's Gate as Linda Fairstein provides a deep look at human trafficking in which pure capitalism rules over basic commonly accepted rights with the United States as a major economic partner in spite of solid law enforcement efforts to prevent it. Harriet Klausner