A NYC fashion thriller; fixer returns in ‘Guilty Minds’
“Killer Look”
By Linda Fairstein
(Dutton)
Linda Fairstein’s novels about Assistant District Attorney Alexandra “Alex” Cooper take readers behind the scenes to New York City’s often hidden corners and crevices, as well as its industries.
In “Killer Look,” Fairstein explores New York’s fashion industry, which ranks with Milan, Paris and London. But beyond the glamour and glorious clothes lurks a business that can be rife with corruption, bad deals and jealousy.
While this perceptive view of the fashion industry and its history is vintage Fairstein, “Killer Look” reveals a side of Alex never seen before. Instead of the confident, secure, fearless Alex, the assistant district attorney is paranoid, doubts her skills and is fearful of everything. Her fragile mental state is the fallout from being kidnapped and held captive (2015’s “Devil’s Bridge”). To cope with these newfound fears, Alex’s drinking is out of hand.
The novel briskly navigates the fashion industry, Savage’s scheming family and Alex’s fragile mental state with acumen. Fairstein shows Alex at her lowest state without glossing over her problems. Alex’s refusal to acknowledge a drinking problem and her paranoia about her professional and personal issues are believable.
“Killer Look” is Fairstein’s most intensely personal look at Alex and, as usual, there’s always time for that final “Jeopardy” question, a tradition in this series.
— Oline H. Cogdill
“Guilty Minds”
By Joseph Finder
(Dutton)
Corporate fixer and private intelligence operative Nick Heller returns in a tale of scandal and manipulation in Joseph Finder’s “Guilty Minds.”
Heller lives in a world of separating lies from the truth, and this latest case has him scrambling both with deception and a ticking clock. A gossip website is about to report that a chief justice of the Supreme Court has had secret liaisons with a high-priced escort in a prestigious Washington, D.C., hotel. If the story leaks, it will destroy the judge’s career and reputation.
Nick Heller is a breath of fresh air in the world of private investigators as he will go to any length to succeed for his clients. His background and skills are an asset, making him almost a superhero. Finder provides background into the operation of internet news and online media along with the world of corporations and politics and how they mix and clash. “Guilty Minds” is a compelling thriller.
— Jeff Ayers
Best-Sellers
Week ending July 10, 2016.
Hardcover Fiction
1. “The Black Widow” by Daniel Silva (Harper)
2. “Magic” by Danielle Steele (Delacorte)
3. “First Comes Love” by Emily Giffin (Ballantine)
4. “The Games” by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan (Little, Brown)
5. “The Girls” by Emma Cline (Random House)
6. “End of Watch” by Stephen King (Scribner)
7. “Aftermath: Life Debt” by Chuck Wendig (LucasBooks)
8. “Here’s to Us” by Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown)
9. “After You” by Jojo Moyes (Viking Dorman)
10. “Tom Clancy Duty and Honor” by Grant Blackwood (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
Hardcover Nonfiction
1. “Crisis of Character” by Gary J. Byrne (Center Street)
2. “Bill O’Reilly’s Legends and Lies: The Patriots” by David Fisher (Holt)
3. “Freedom” by Jaycee Dugard (Simon & Schuster)
4. “Hamilton: The Revolution” by Miranda/McCarter (Grand Central Publishing)
5. “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates (Random/Spiegel & Grau)
6. “Wake Up America” by Eric Bolling (St. Martin’s Press)
7. “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi (Random House)
8. “Grit” by Angela Duckworth (Scribner)
9. “The Field of Fight by Flynn/Ledeen (St. Martin’s)
10. “White Trash” by Nancy Isenberg (Viking)
— Publishers Weekly