Likely to Die [Paperback]

The real-life work of sex-crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein brought riveting authenticity (Vanity Fair)to her bestselling debut novel,Final Jeopardy.Now Fairstein's fictional counterpart -- smart and savvy assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper -- returns in [a] Grisham-esque page turner (Time)that puts Alex in the line of fire.
New York City's oldest and largest medical center is the scene of a ghastly attack: top neurosurgeon Gemma Dogen is found in her blood-soaked office, where she has been sexually assaulted, stabbed, and designated by the cops as a likely to die. By the time Alex has plunged into the case, it's a high-profile, media-infested murder investigation with a growing list of suspects from among those who roam the hospital's labyrinthine halls. As Alex's passion to find the killer intensifies, she discovers this hospital is not a place of healing but of deadly peril -- and that she is the next target for lethal violence.
A high-style thriller that sweeps from Manhattan to London to Martha's Vineyard,Likely to Dieis an exhilarating tale from a justice system insider and provocative novelist.Chapter One
The answering machine kicked in a fourth irritating echo from the insistent caller. I listened to my recorded voice announce that I was not available to come to the phone right now, as little hammers pounded furiously inside my head. The last Dewar's of the evening had been unnecessary.
I cocked an eye to glance at the illuminated dial glowing an eerie shade of green in the still dark room. It read 5:38 A.M.
If you're screening, Coop, pick it up. C'mon, kid.
I was unmoved, and mercifully not on duty this morning.
It's early and it's cold, but don't leave me dangling at the end of the only working phone booth in Manhattan when I'm trying to do you a favor. Pick it up, Blondie. Don't give me that 'unavailable' stuff. Last I knew you were the most available broad in town.
Good morning, Detective Cl“.