LIKELY TO DIE

Get acquainted with an appealing protagonist, Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper in her second episode. Author Fairstein uses her experiences and astute sense of dialogue to give this thriller a realism that's gritty, but not grim. Narrator Diane Venora speaks with husky, smooth authority for Cooper and handles the dialogue of the New York cops and suspects with style. Venora projects the balance of toughness and caring that makes Detective Mike Chapman so likeable, and adds color to the minor characters, such as the cigar-chomping District Attorney Battaglia and a smarmy hospital administrator. Great beach reading, and, for fans of the well-researched procedural, the details are all there. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPT 97]