Linda Fairstein, Bad Blood

Bad Blood

Linda Fairstein

Scribner, January 2007, $26.00

ISBN 0743287487

Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper knows proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Brendan Quillian killed his wife Amanda will be difficult, especially since the businessman has an out of town alibi, but she feels she has a strong case. Quillian is in trouble based on powerful circumstantial evidence. However, countering it is the testimony of Kate Meade, a friend of the accused since they were teens and a wife and mother; she is the ideal witness. Alexandra completes her questioning, feeling rather good about where she ended. That is until Quillian's defense attorney Lemuel Howell affirms that Kate and Brendan were having an affair; the credibility of this important witness falls apart. Cooper is shaken because the revelation was hidden from her by Kate.

Cooper struggles to regain the upper hand in a trial that has fallen somewhat apart. However, an explosion rips the third water tunnel construction site that should have nothing to do with the Quillian murder trail, but does as Alex finds a link to Brendan. As she digs deeper into the Quillian connection to the water tunnel explosion, Copper places herself in jeopardy, seeking conclusive proof that Brendan is a cold blooded killer.

BAD BLOOD opens with a gripping courtroom scene, and it never slows down after that until the final confrontation in a dark tunnel. This legal thriller is as equally exciting during the trial scenes and the investigative scenarios. However, some, like this reviewer do have problems with prosecutors playing the role of undercover "cops" rather than letting the pros do the job. That quibble aside, sub-genre fans will receive plenty of entertainment as Cooper struggles to save a case that unraveled over an affair.