Final Jeopardy Mass Market Paperback – June 1, 1997

As a budding writer, I like to read books up and down the scale to learn what to do and what not to do. I'm sure others have commented on this, too, but really? Do I need to know what designer you wear, and what trendy places you dine or drink at? Since it has basically nothing to do with the plot, then it comes off as just bragging rights.It's hard to tell if Fairstein wrote this book herself or just traded on her name and had it ghosted. I kindof hope she had a ghostwriter only because the book is really not that terrific. Besides all the bragging about the money aspects of our character's rather privileged existence, the story is rather thin. And the bad guy? Not too difficult to spot from about a mile off. In fact, so easy - why didn't the heroine figure this out?Worse - she has to be rescued by others, basically. This is becoming a sore point with me when there are female protagonists - they need to rescue themselves and if the author sets it up as an impossibility to do so - then it's a less satisfying conclusion. Note to all authors - no "deus ex machina" endings, okay?I'm less concerned if it's a male protagonist, but we just keep the damsel in distress trope going forever if the females end up being "too stupid to live" (which is borrowed from the romance genre.) Nobody likes that, least of all a female reader.Finally - I really didn't buy the romance in this book to begin with. Of course in this case, I can forgive the author (whoever that is) because this is the first in a series, so who she ends up with may be her cop sidekick or the doctor down the hall - either of which might be better partners.Basically, in a book like this - do I care about the characters? Considering her poor choice in men, and her excessive bragging about the money, and her inability to see the bad guy for who he/she is - I'm not sure.To be fair, I got this book on my kindle for free - the question is, do I want to invest my real money to continue with this character?

The author keeps the reader on their toes by creating credible suspects to several criminal cases. It is a page turner. You'll never guess whodunnit. Great surprise ending.

I found a later book in this series in a library, and enjoyed it so much that I've started on the entire series. The details in Fairstein's books seem to be very accurate (at least to a layman in the investigative and prosecution fields), and the characters are well-developed and engaging. As has been noted by other reviewers, the ebook version contains a number of typos, mostly typical of books that are converted from print to ebook by OCR with little or no proofreading (for example, the name of one character, "Jed," often appears as "led"). This book was copyrighted in 1996 so this is likely what happened, but if a book is good enough to republish as an ebook and sell for more than a nominal price, it should be worth proofreading, and an author who has pride in his or her work should insist on it! (I have started reading Likely to Die, second in the series, and so far it seems to have been proofread much better.)Some readers may be troubled by the sex-crime aspect of the plots,based on Fairstein's actual experiences with the Manhattan DA's office, but this is well worth a read by anyone else who enjoys technically-accurate mysteries.

This was a very interesting read insofar as it held my interest from beginning to end. An obnoxious Hollywood actress asks to use Alex's island house and is murdered as she returns to it one afternoon. The next surprise comes when the dead woman's latest flame seems to be the man that is Alex is dating. Because it is a head shot it is initially believed that the dead woman is Alex herself. Since that could be a possibility suspence is created right up front. The story unfolds against a law enforcement background where there is a major search for a rapist who is preying on women in their NY apartments. I happen to enjoy reading about the law and justice system so found this part of the story almost as fascinating as the hunt for the killer of the actress, which, of course, has many twists and turns before any resolution takes place. Ms. Fairstein, with her personal background, weaves a complex web with seeming ease--all the while keeping you turning pages well into the night.

I had not heard of Linda Fairstein's books until I saw her recently on the "Today" show on TV. The interviewers talked about her mysteries being set in New York City and how she had details regarding the city within her stories. "Final Jeopardy" focuses on the work of Asst. District Attorney Alex(andra) Cooper along with her close associate, Detective Mike Chapman. Both of them watch the popular game show and have a daily bet on who can answer the final question of the day. When a famous actress is killed at Alex's house on Martha's Vineyard, the police fear that Alex was the real target. Solving that murder, however, does not end the danger for Alex. The book entwines Alex, her latest love, and a magazine writer in a story of crime and ultimately justice. I enjoy reading mystery novels for light reading. This one is worth the time. One other thing: I couldn't help thinking of another crime fighter with the initials "A.C." and a first name of "Alex," namely Alex Cross in some of the books of James Patterson.

I bought this novel after reading the author's chapter in the round robin mystery, "I'd Kill for That." It is partly a crime story, and partly a mystery, set mainly in New York City and partly on Martha's Vineyard. It is a good story, but the author digresses a bit too much into side cases and seems at times to be getting onto a soapbox.My main thought, considering all the sex crimes portrayed, don't women ever bite? At the very least, the man's screams would attract attention. And a man dropping his knife and being allowed to pick it back up? Isn't that the time for a swift kick into his private parts? Surely some women would be a little more agressive. Also, the manufacturer of the Black Widow indicates that it is quite effective against muggers.

I first became acquainted with Alexandra Cooper in the book Entombed (book 7) and I found her to be an intriguing character and I loved the story of the book. So, naturally, did I want to get to know her from the start.In Final Jeopardy is Alex mistaken for a murdered woman. But, the actual victim was Isabella Lascar, a Hollywood film star that was staying at Alex's place at Martha's Vineyard. The question is, was Isabella the target or was she just there at the wrong place and the wrong time and it was Alex that was the real target?There are several things that appeal to me when it comes to this series, first I like that Alex is a sex crimes prosecutor. I'm so used to reading about cops that a series around a prosecutor is a welcome break. Second, the stories are interesting with fascinating tidbits about New York's history. Fairstein gives the reader the background story of Martha's Vineyard in this book and I love books that manage to add historical tidbits to the story.The case was interesting, was Alex the real target and is she still in danger? Or was Isabella the killer's target from the beginning? Alex has to with some close police friends try to find pout the truth and I have to say that it was an interesting book to read and the revelation towards the end of the book was, well fascinating.Final Jeopardy is a good solid book and a great start to the Alexandra Cooper series. I have read three books so far and I quite enjoy them and I'm looking forward to reading more.

I'm a voracious reader of American crime fiction...Deaver, Child, Kellerman, Cornwell, but am keen to find new authors as I'm running out of material from my favourites. Thought I'd give Linda Farstein a try starting with her first book.Usually I can't wait to turn the page...have to force myself to stop at the end of a chapter.With this book however I had to make myself persevere with it. There was a decent storyline in there somewhere, but no pace, no tension. Loads of padding and long winded explanations. The main character supposedly dynamic and efficient,was for me at best irritating but in general was unconvincing. I felt that the author was less concerned to weave a story than to educate me in legal procedures.I will give the author another go,in the hope that she evolves, but I'm not prepared to grind on 'til the bitter end this time

So many suspects, plot twists, kept me hooked... looking forward to the next books as I hide from the heat

The deluge of detail of insignificant characters and minutiae of the legal system made much of this book tedious reading, I found myself skipping whole passages. It didn't feel like the first book of a series more that characters had appeared in other works and the author was trying to play catch up, This was my first experience of this author but sadly her style is not for me, too drawn out.

Easy to read crime novel - similar pattern in all her work, but a nice underlying story too.I now own several of her books.Book arrived promptly in a good condition.