Written by Linda Fairstein
Read by Barbara Rosenblat
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Prosecutor Alexandra Cooper and detective Mike Chapman are called to the scene when the naked corpse of a young woman turns up in Central Park. Working to identify her and to determine whether a serial killer is on the loose, the two must search Central Park’s vast reaches, with its many hidden lakes, waterfalls, and caves. Readers are also swept into the inner recesses of one of New York’s most storied icons, the legendary Dakota apartment building, when clues left at the murder scene lead Coop and Chapman to a private collection of one of the building’s residents. Despite Fairstein’s tendency to relay vast amounts of exposition through her characters’ dialogue, making them sound, at times, like obnoxious know-it-alls, there’s no denying that Central Park’s topography and history are plenty fascinating, and she nicely contrasts the natural beauty of the park and the dark deeds committed within its environs. The promise of romance between the longtime series leads also adds a certain frisson to this solid fifteenth entry in the series. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Fairstein’s Alexandra Cooper novels are international best-sellers that have been translated into more than a dozen languages; her fifteenth entry in the series is likely to follow suit. --Joanne Wilkinson