Lethal Legacy written by Linda Fairstein, read by Barbara Rosenblat

I listen to mysteries or adrenaline reads—titles and authors that I probably wouldn’t choose to read while sitting in my living room or in the doctor’s office—while walking or driving. My murderous listens occupy my brain and motivate me with their engaging plots lines to get listening and moving.

Lethal Legacy certainly filled this need for me. The story line follows Alexandra Cooper, NYC Assistant DA, and her detective sidekick, Mike Chapman, as they seek a murderer within the rarified world of rare map collectors and NYC Public Library’s collection of priceless maps.

A lot of plot development in Lethal Legacy takes place within Manhattan’s 42^nd Street Library. I was fascinated to learn there was once a seven room duplex apartment for a staff member’s family in the library and that the library was build on the foundations of the Croton Distributing Reservoir, a large above ground reservoir built during the 19^th century. Fairstein describes the library’s conservators (who care for and mend the oldest and most valuable items in the collection using their very specialized and personalized tools) duties and introduces us to some of the library’s (fictional) curators of maps and rare books.

Fairstein’s plot arcs are not what attract me to her books. It is her in-depth research into NYC’s social and architectural history that fascinates me. One of her books centered in the Museum of National History (The Bone Vault), another used Gracie Mansion as a location (Hell Gate). Last trip to NYC, I enjoyed walking through the Museum of Natural History. Now I can hardly wait to get back to NYC so I can walk through the 42^nd Street Library, locate the old well near Gracie Mansion, and peek at the New York Marble Cemetery on Second Avenue (not to be confused with the Marble Cemetery on Second St.).

A side note on the narrator: Barbara Rosenblat’s voices are varied and convey the personalities of each character. Her timing is excellent, her reading professional. If you haven’t listened to any of her recorded books, make sure that you give her a try. She has narrated books for Kathy Reichs, Diane Mott Davidson, Elizabeth Peters, Nevada Barr, and Lisa Scottoline, among others. You can find all of her audio work by typing her last name in the catalog’s “Author’s Last Name Begins With” search.

If you love New York, check out some of Fairstein’s novels. I think you’ll be as eager as I am to explore the Big Apple.

Reviewed by Anne Shirako, Reference Librarian, Ukiah Branch, Mendocino County Library, 12/2012