Real-world suspense
To write thrillers, prosecutor-turned-novelist does her homework
Before becoming a full-time writer, Linda Fairstein spent 30 years as a prosecutor in New York. Her work included high-profile and, at times, controversial cases such as the “Preppy Murder” trial in 1986, which ended with the conviction of Robert Chambers for manslaughter in the death of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin. Over the next decade and a half, her office also would be involved in the People v. Jovanovic trial, the Central Park Jogger case and the formation of a coldcase squad that relied on DNA evidence to re-examine stalled cases. These experiences offered much writing material, and Fairstein has incorporated her experiences into one nonfiction work and, with the release of “Killer Look” on Tuesday, 18 novels featuring New York prosecutor Alex Cooper. Fairstein recently discussed her background as a prosecutor, her career as a writer and the current legal scene.
Q: Tell us about your background, which is intriguing and ties directly to your writing.
A: I majored in English at Vassar because I wanted to be a writer. But I had a loving and practical father who said, “You have nothing to write about. Get a career.” So I went to the University of Virginia Law School, and was subsequently hired by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. There, I was eventually selected to head the country’s first special victims unit. It was a great opportunity, because we were able to do a lot of pioneering work in the fields of sex crime, child abuse and domestic violence. I worked with the DA’s office for 30 years.
Q: You had some very successful cases and others that were heavily criticized in the media. Did working with the media as a prosecutor prepare you for book critics?
A: (Laughs.) As a prosecutor, I dealt with murders, victims who had trouble recovering from horrible crimes, the media, shattered families and bad laws. As a writer, my primary pressures are, one, meeting my deadline and, two, the critics. Compared to my previous career, book critics are pretty mild.
Q: You’ve described Alex Cooper as your “alter ego,” and there are similarities in education and career. Does this make writing more personal for you?
A: Yes, and sometimes that causes confusion. When I get to a reading or a bookstore, people have questions that make it quite clear they believe I am Alex Cooper. Even my friends will get confused. They assume because it’s true of Alex, it’s true of me. But while the professional experiences are true to my life as a prosecutor, much of the personal background is fictional.
Q: Your new book, “Killer Look,” is set in the fashion industry. What prompted you to write about this field?
A: I’ve come across a lot of articles about changes in the fashion industry. There’s the outsourcing of the jobs in the Garment District; or the biannual Fashion Week in New York; or the increasing sales devoted to clothes for women who are Muslim or Hindu. And with these changes, I thought it an interesting industry in which to set a murder. Physically, the case winds up in the Temple of Dendur and the Costume Institute, which are iconic fashion places in New York.
Q: One of the things I learned while reading “Killer Look” is that breast implants have serial numbers on them. Who knew?
A: I did! I learned that during my career in the law, and I thought it was a good grabber at the beginning of the novel. And, in fact, both my editor and agent sent the manuscript back saying, “What?”
Q: You tend to incorporate timely topics in your books, and this one includes “inert gas asphyxiation,” a type of suicide that has been increasing of late. Now that you are no longer a prosecutor, how do you keep up with the crime scene?
A: I stay very close to both the DA’s office where I worked and with the NYPD. In this case, I was speaking with a former lieutenant, Jimmy West, and he mentioned that a murderer could use this method to stage a suicide. I used that information as a jumping-off point for research, reading autopsy reports and the like, and I incorporated the phenomenon into the novel.
Q: A lot of people today learn about law and crime from television shows or talking heads. Is this a good thing?
A: It’s a good thing when it’s right. But, like crime fiction, it’s not always right. I’m a huge fan of “Law & Order,” and Dick Wolf, the show’s creator, always brought in advisers who were former prosecutors and police officers in an effort to get things right. Some authors do this, too: Michael Connelly was a journalist; Tana French seems to do her research in her books on the Dublin Murder Squad. So, when it’s done correctly, it can be quality fiction and educational.