Amazon.com info for 'The Bone Vault: Linda Fairstein'

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Back to reviews and details of The Bone Vault: Linda Fairstein

Amazon.com reviews:

Rating: 5 Summary: Sad I ever left
Comment This book presents such a realistic picture of life in Manhattan that it makes me really sad that I no longer live there. The mystery, constantly unfolding in different dimensions, generates a high degree of curiosity as to what will happen next. I am becoming a real Fairstein fan. Definitely underpriced.

Rating: 2 Summary: A Thriller Lacking Thrills
Comment I don't know how I got through this book. It was not until about page 270 of a 369 page book (where the character of Clem is introduced) that anything interesting happens. Also, for a "thriller" there is about 2 pages of any real tension where the main character (Alexandra Cooper) gets locked in a storage closet.

The book does some light exploration of three major New York City Museum (History, Met and the Cloisters) but unlike a good Lincoln Child and Preston Douglas novel, you no feel of any of the museums. I was very surprised because the outside of the book's jacket had some very high praise from some very acclaimed authors.

Another thing that I didn't really follow is the main character (Alexandra Cooper) is an assistant DA that prosecutes sex crimes. In this book she is leading a police detectives investigating the murder of a woman found in an Egyptian sarcophucus (no hint of sex crime). I have lived in New York my whole life and have never heard of a DA leading an investigation.

The redeeming things in this book (the reason I gave it any stars at all) is that it raises the moral questions of the museum collections. Would the treasures have been in danger had they remained in their country of origin or is it better that the treasures were "plundered" and sent to a foreign country where they can be protected and available for all to see?

Rating: 2 Summary: Good but not a real mystery
Comment Lots of interesting details about what goes on behind the scenes at the Metropolitan & the Natural History Museum, but a really weak mystery plotline. _NO_ knowledge of Africa at all, just New York PC views. They're two different things. Willem van der Post's death is pure Hollywood -- anyone with any knowledge of Africa would just burst out laughing. The author also knows nothing about Continental names. 'Van der' is Dutch & any name which contains it is perfectly ordinary. 'Von' is Austrian & is always part of an aristocratic name. Also note that 'van der Post' would be listed under 'P', _not_ 'v'. I mention this because it's a significant point in the plot at the end. But this is a book written by an American for fellow-Americans.

Rating: 5 Summary: Another top-notch suspense novel
Comment I enjoy all of the books in this thoughtful, intelligent series. I enjoy Fairstein's high level of detail...clearly she knows her stuff. Highly recommended if you like fast-paced, entertaining mysteries.

If you like this book, check out a new author I've recently discovered. I highly recommend Thirst by Dania Deschamps.

Rating: 3 Summary: A LOT of detail for a little ending
Comment I love Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper series. I love all of the characters, how they interact, and how their shared history is included and advanced in each book. Generally speaking, I like the plots of these books as well. This book was a bit of a letdown, however, as the payoff didn't quite make the journey to get there worthwhile. The settings for the crimes in this book were The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. The book included copious details about the layout, architecture, contents, hsitory, etc. of the museums. Interesting? Yes...to a point. Unfortunately, the crime that led the book to these places was weakly developed and got lost in the details. There was no opportunity for the reader to "bond" with the victim, so it was hard to maintain interest in the outcome, particularly as the storyline became more and more mired in the museum details.

When I read an Alex Cooper book, I want to read about her and her fellow characters and be drawn into the crime, the investigation, and the outcome...not get lost in inconsequential details that don't really serve the story. In my opinion, Linda Fairstein would've been better served -- as would her readers -- if she'd chosen to satisfy her obvious fascination with the museums by writing a non-fiction book about them. Trying to include that level of detail in this type of book distracts from the story and disappoints the reader.