Review: Terminal City by Linda Fairstein

I was hovering between giving Terminal City by Linda Fairstein 2 and 3 stars. Obviously I've settled on 3-stars. 

Alexandra Cooper is back in the saddle with the Special Victims Unit because of a gruesome rape and murder of a woman in the Waldorf Astoria. What makes this case so pressing is that the POTUS is soon to be visiting that very same hotel. Cooper and company are in a race against time to ensure that motive for the crime isn't in some way political.

For those unfamiliar with Alexandra Cooper, she is an Assistant District Attorney who assists the police, in the SVU, with investigating all sexually motivated crimes. Similarly to the showLaw & Order: SVU. Sidebar: I'm a huuuuuuggge fan of that show.

Anyway, Cooper narrates as they travel into the darkest, deepest, smelliest depths in order to catch the killer as the body count rises. It is here that Fairstein rises above the rest. She knows the inner-workings of New York in a way that most thriller novelists ignore. She goes into detail about "Mole People" and the history behind Grand Central Station. It is during these moments I was interested and glued to the pages. And then... that ride pulled in at its final stop.

What didn't appeal to me this time around with this author is the flatness of the characters. Cooper isn't much better. I gave her a pass on the last novel I read by her because I didn't begin the series at the first adventure. But, there was nothing more given. Cooper is either following the police around as they present better ideas or worrying about her strange relationship with Mike Anderson. That was emotionally taxing for me because I just wanted the action to continue.

Long story short, Terminal City by Linda Fairstein is a fast read, loaded with information I never even knew I was interested in: The rails and its people. But, the police procedural is not enough to make me wholeheartedly give a recommendation simply because of what it lacks: thrills, interesting characters, or an exceptional killer. Surprisingly, I do look forward to this author's next book. 

Copy provided by Penguin Group via Netgalley