Prosecutor and novelist, Linda Fairstein, author biographies

Fairstein is a member of the American Trial Lawyers College and for 30 years headed the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. He left that office in 2002. During his tenure, he helped prosecute several controversial and high-profile cases, including Robert Chambers’ “Preppy Murder” case in 1986.

Linda was born on May 5, 1947, in Mount Vernon, New York. He graduated from Vassar College in 1969 with a BA in English Literature. After graduating from the University of Virginia in Law in 1972, he joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney.

In 2004, Linda was named in a $ 10 million lawsuit against New York State by Dr. Oliver Jovanovic. Dr. Jovanovic, a biologist, was convicted in 1998 of the kidnapping, sexual abuse and assault of a college student whom he had met on the Internet. His case was overturned in 1999 and an unfair trial was held.

Linda Fairstein draws on her legal experience for her serial character, Alexandra Cooper, a Manhattan prosecutor. Linda says she writes her series in the first person because “I want ‘the readers’ to see the victimization and hopefully the outcome in the courtroom from Alex’s perspective.” Linda’s first Alex Cooper novel, “Final Jeopardy,” was made into an ABC television movie starring Dana Delaney.

Linda says that people who are not very smart probably commit 90% of crime in this country. She says that in her books, she can make up the murders, but the motives for the murders come from the motives in real cases. He says he has never written about any of his actual cases.

Linda centers all of her novels in notable locations in New York City. She states: “I love having places that are real and very rich in history, and then I let my imagination run wild.” She says she wants each book to be an entertaining escapism and for the reader to come out learning something new. She said that for her, writing the first hundred pages is equivalent to having a root canal, but after 200 pages, it’s easy.

Linda loves to collect historical curiosities, antique jewelry, desks, and writing objects. Collect first-edition books, particularly in the criminal and mysterious genre. He also collects 19th century British literature. She loves to read mysteries and her favorite TV show is CSI Special Victims Unit.

Linda and her husband, Justin Feldman, live in Manhattan and have a house on Martha’s Vineyard where they go every year for four months. He has a separate cabin where he hatches and writes. Linda says that being a writer has been her passion since high school.

Linda is still a lawyer and takes some cases for victims of violent crimes, usually pro bono. She also consults and is a keynote speaker lecturing on sexual crimes and domestic violence.

Linda Firestein’s books:

Serie:

Alex Cooper:

Final danger (1994)

Probable to die (1997)

Cold Strike (1999)

The Dead House (2001)

Vault of Bones (2003)

The murders (2004)

Buried (2005)

Dance of Death (2006)

Bad blood (2007)

Killer Heat (2008)

Lethal Legacy (2009)

General:

Final Jeopardy / Likely to Die (2004)

Cold Hit / The Dead House (2005)

Novels:

I’d Kill For That (2004) (with Rita Mae Brown, Jennifer Cruise, Lisa Gardner, Heather Graham, Kay Hooper, Katherine Neville, Anne Perry, Kathy Reichs, Julie Smith, and Tina Wainscott)

Hell’s Gate (2010)

No fiction:

Sexual Violence: Our War on Rape (1993)

The Best American Crime Reporting 2007 (2007) (with Otto Penzler)