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Likely to Die
Linda Fairstein Book Review

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Plot Summary of Likely to Die
"Alexandra Cooper, head of New York County's Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, hadn't been involved in a major case since her actress friend was murdered six months previous so she was a little surprised when Detective Mike Chapman woke her at 5:30 am about a new case. Turns out Gemma Dogan, head of neurosurgery at Mid-Manhattan Medical Center, brain surgeon and professor for the prestigious hospital was found stabbed six times in her office. It also appeared as if she had been raped and then left for dead. Alexandra was a little uncomfortable with the comparisons to her own personal life, or lack thereof, and put all of her energy into finding out who hated Gemma enough to do this to her.

Unfortunately, Alexandra soon finds herself with a long list of suspects. There is John DuPre and Coleman Harper, both neurologists who claim to have evidence regarding the murder, but details of their interviews conflict and don't quite add up. There is William Dietrich, the director of the hospital, who is desperate to clean up the hospital's public image. Then there are the many applicants for Mid-Manhattan's neurology unit that Gemma denied. Failing those, there are the hundreds of homeless people who live in the tunnels and basements of the hospital and wander about at will, including one that is know simply as 'Pops' who was found wearing scrubs covered in human blood. As Alexandra sifts through one lead after another, she uncovers a lot more dirty secrets at Mid-Manhattan, secrets that someone will do anything to keep hidden...

Likely to Die is the second book in the Alexandra Cooper series (after Final Jeopardy) and I enjoyed it just as much. I love the way Fairstein accurately portrays the ins and outs of the judiciary system and police methods. Alexandra doesn't just drop everything to take on this case, she has many other cases that she is supervising and advising and it is interesting to follow her throughout her day as she preps witnesses and aids her fellow prosecutors. I also enjoyed the banter between Alexandra and Mike, especially their bets on the Jeopardy games. I really felt like I was reading a book about what it is like to work in the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit in New York. I loved the author's attention to detail and clear, crisp writing style. Definitely an author that I will keep reading."

Debbie, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Likely to Die
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain? - Challenging
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Murder of certain profession? - doctors/patients
Misc. Murder Plotlets - character killed during/after sexing - Big focus on forensic evidence
Kind of investigator - police procedural, American
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - big city life
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - a lawyer creature
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
City? Yes
City: - New York

Style
Part of a series? Yes
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 1
Is this an e-book? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Likely to Die
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CSI: Sin City by Max Allan Collins
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Drop Dead by Mark Richard Zubro
CSI: Double Dealer by Max Allan Collins


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Linda Fairstein Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Ann  

SCHOLARS:
Bobby Blades  Tracey Ray  Debbie  


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