‘Killer Look’ navigates NYC fashion scene
Abbott’s new novel fiercely gripping
By Oline H. Cogdill
(Dutton), by
Linda Fairstein’s novels about Assistant District Attorney Alexandra “Alex” Cooper take readers behind the scenes to New York City’s often hidden corners and crevices, as well as its industries.
In “Killer Look”, Fairstein explores New York’s fashion industry, which ranks with Milan, Paris and London. But beyond the glamour and glorious clothes lurks a business that can be rife with corruption, bad deals and jealousy.
While this perceptive view of the fashion industry and its history is vintage Fairstein, “Killer Look” reveals a side of Alex never seen before. Instead of the confident, secure, fearless Alex, the assistant district attorney is paranoid, doubts her skills and is fearful of everything. Her fragile mental state is the fallout from being kidnapped and held captive (2015’s “Devil’s Bridge”). To cope with these newfound fears, Alex’s drinking is out of hand.
Alex is on leave, staying at her home in Martha’s Vineyard with NYPD homicide detective Mike Chapman, with whom she has worked for years and is now her romantic interest. Two cases require Chapman’s attention back in the city — the body of a young woman found weeks before finally has been identified and fashion designer Wolf Savage’s apparent suicide is ruled a murder. Alex isn’t supposed to be involved in any investigations until she official returns to work. But equally fearful of being alone and being left out of the investigation, she struggles to become involved and maintain her position at work.
The novel briskly navigates the fashion industry, Savage’s scheming family and Alex’s fragile mental state with acumen. Fairstein shows Alex at her lowest state without
This book cover image released by Dutton shows ‘Guilty Minds’, a novel by
Joseph Finder. (AP)
often neglected, his fourth-grade science projects forgotten in the wake of his sister’s gymnastic meets.
The unsteady world of gymnastics could easily be seen as a metaphor for the shenanigans of Wall Street, politics and power seekers — a setting rife for a dangerous situation that may erupt at any time. Abbott expertly illustrates how a fragile foundation crumbles in “You Will Know Me”.
(Dutton), by
Corporate fixer and private intelligence operative Nick Heller returns in a tale of scandal and manipulation in Joseph Finder’s “Guilty Minds”.
Heller lives in a world of separating lies from the truth, and this latest case has him scrambling both with deception and a ticking clock. A gossip website is about to report that the chief justice of the Supreme Court has had secret liaisons with a high-priced escort in a prestigious Washington, DC, hotel. If the story leaks, it will destroy the judge’s career and reputation.
Heller is hired to find out the truth and stop the story before it breaks. What he discovers is someone behind the scenes who wants to discredit the chief justice. But the reporter and her editors who run the website don’t believe Heller, forcing him to scramble as time begins to run out. Can he find irrefutable proof of a setup before the story is released?
Nick Heller is a breath of fresh air in the world of private investigators as he will go to any length to succeed for his clients. His background and skills are an asset, making him almost a superhero. Finder provides background into the operation of internet news and online media along with the world of corporations and politics and how they mix and clash. “Guilty Minds” is a compelling thriller. (AP)