LITERATURE + LECTURES

Wednesday, July 11th at 6:30pm, Murder by the Book presents Linda Fairstein for a book signing and discussion of her newest Alex Cooper novel, Night Watch (Dutton; $26.95).

In her thirteen bestsellers, Linda Fairstein has taken millions of fans inside sinister worlds that most of us can't even imagine. Thanks to her extensive experience as a New York City prosecutor, she creates situations that are stunning for both their compulsive readability and their authenticity.

Taking Alexandra Cooper into the fascinating world of New York City's most beloved and storied restaurants, "Night Watch" continues her tradition of breathtaking suspense storytelling. Forty-eight hours after Alexandra Cooper arrives in France to visit her boyfriend and famed restaurateur, Luc Rouget, her vacation in paradise is cut short when a young woman from the village is found murdered. The only evidence discovered on the body is one of Luc's matchboxes promoting his new restaurant in New York.

But before the investigation begins, Alex is summoned back to New York to handle a high profile case. Mohammed Gil-Darsin, the distinguished and wealthy Head of the World Economic Bureau, has been arrested and accused of attacking a maid in his hotel. As the world watches in fascination to see how the scandal will unfold, Alex finds her attention torn between preparing the alleged victim to testify and a murder case with ties too close to home. A second body is found with Luc's matchbox--this time in Brooklyn--and Alex begins to fear that the two cases may not be as unrelated as she thought, and that uncovering the sordid secrets of the city's most wealthy and powerful could cost her and her loved ones everything they hold dear.

Linda Fairstein was chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney’s office in Manhattan for more than two decades and is America’s foremost legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence. Her Alexandra Cooper novels are international bestsellers and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives with her husband in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.