Stepping out

Hunting a killer in the urban jungle

Linda Fairstein opens up about her latest book 'Deadfall'

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Prolific author Linda Fairstein not only writes in thorough descriptive detail about crime, she knows firsthand the inner workings of the criminal mind — and those who track them down for prosecution. Why? Because Fairstein was chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in Manhattan for more than two decades.
As lead attorney, she supervised the investigation and trial of every case involving sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and homicides arising out of these crimes.
She’s now ready with her latest book, “Deadfall” and visits the Madison Theatre, at Molloy College, on Sunday, with good friend and fellow author Nelson DeMille. “I started in the D.A.’s office in 1972,“ Fairstein explains. “At that time, there were only seven women among 200 lawyers. That in itself turned me into a stronger woman — the job itself took me the rest of the way there.”
Fairstein wrote her first book, “Final Jeopardy,” in 1996. “I wanted to have the protagonist be strong woman,“ she says. “I wanted to show a woman in a non-traditional role … that’s what I set out to do. Back then, it was much more non-traditional than now.”
Is her character, Alexandra Cooper, a true reflection of herself?

“Her professional parts are very much me,” Fairstein says. “My experiences, my devotion to work, and my passion.“ On the personal side, she jokes, “Alexandra Cooper has aged only three years in all these years. She’s taller, thinner, and perennially younger than me — but she is a reflection of my experiences.“
Dividing her time between Manhattan and Martha’s Vineyard, she is also the author of a non-fiction work: “Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape” (1993), which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and regularly contributes articles to magazines and journals.
“I always had a love for writing,” she says. “In my college years I wanted to write, and my father would roll his eyes and say ‘you’d have nothing to write about!’ So I went into my second interest, and that was public service. I was an English Lit major, and went to work for District Attorney Frank Hogan in Manhattan.” She stayed for 25 years.

The story of Deadfall
Deadfall is the 19th book in the Alexandra Cooper series. “At the end of the last book, we see her witness a homicide. When this book opens, she becomes a suspect in the killing. For the first hundred pages or so, she gets the tables turned on her — she’s the ‘bad guy.’ I tried to do something different. A friend of mine said that the dialogue is much edgier in this book.”
Hunting a killer within New York’s urban jungle becomes the biggest case of Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper’s career. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don’t always have claws and fangs. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking assassination of an iconic public figure, Alex must unravel the motive behind the shooting to discover who is the bigger snake: the killer or the victim.
“The preservation of endangered animal species is the underlying theme of the book,” Fairstein says. “I’ve incorporated another passion of mine in this novel.”
Readers can jump right into Deadfall, Fairstein says. “It’s meant for people who like crime stories. It’s written with a back story, so they can start here if they want.“
Fairstein already has Alexandra Cooper’s 20th adventure in mind, and is finishing a third in a series of young adult books she’s already penned due out in November.
DeMille, who Fairstein describes as “the master of thriller writing,“ and a “dear friend” will be interviewing her at the event.
“We are so delighted to be hosting Linda Fairstein,“ says Carol Hoenig, co-owner of Turn of the Corkscrew Books & Wine in Rockville Centre. “Not only because she is a best-selling author, but that she was a prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. We love empowered women! I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to meet her now”.

Booking signing with Linda Fairstein
When: Sunday, July 30, 2 p.m.
Where: Madison Theatre, Molloy College, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. Tickets are $35 and include a signed copy of “Deadfall” and a Q&A with the author. For more information, visit www.madisontheatreny.org or call (516) 323-4444.