I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.
Alex Cooper has returned to her office after a lengthy absence following a kidnapping. Ready to assure everyone that she is up to the task, she immediately finds herself involved in the past of a young woman, Lucy Jenner, who has a fascinating tale to tell. When she was 14, and a witness to a murder she was befriended, and then she claims raped, by the prosecutor of the case. A man that is now running for District Attorney for New York City.
Meanwhile, a friend and colleague of Alex’s collapses on a city sidewalk in convulsions and is rushed to the ER where she is deemed critically ill. Then she is mysteriously transferred out of the ICU to another facility, and no one seems to have any information.
Alex gently coaxes the entire story out of a reluctant Lucy, who claims she and ‘Jake’ shared a blood oath not to tell, and a scar to prove it, and begins to suspect that Zach is a predator, and has been for a long time. She and partner Mike Chapman begin to investigate her story, its timeline, and the DA wanna-be, Zachary ‘Jake’ Palmer.
Meanwhile, they are able to find the mysterious hospital where Francie has been taken and are stunned to learn that she was thought to have been poisoned by a toxic nerve agent. Alex has also inadvertently learned that her friend was pregnant. Holding her unconscious friends’ hand one night, Alex discovers a scar on Francie’s hand, much like that of Lucy.
Determined to keep Lucy safe, she and Alex go into hiding. But someone has learned what she knows and will do anything to silence the opposition…
This was one of the best of the Fairstein novels that I’ve read! It captured my attention from page one, and I could not flip the pages fast enough. Alex’s sassy attitude and the glimpse into the behind-the-scene’s courtroom drama, along with all the intrigue and suspense you’d expect from a crime drama, make this book a winner!!
Tropical Delusions...... 