In 1972, when I joined the office of the
legendary New York County District Attorney as a young prosecutor, my awareness
of the great work of that institution was forged and informed while I was a law
student. But long before that, my
interest was reinforced by crime novels, film, and television, which
fictionalized many of the famous cases that had been handled by my
predecessors.
I had majored in English literature at an
elite women’s college in the 60’s, hoping to fulfill my childhood ambition to
be a novelist. By graduation, I
realized my father was right – I had nothing to write about. My second choice
was public service, so I went off to law school, never abandoning the dream to become
an author.
When Scott Turow’s great courtroom drama – PRESUMED INNOCENT – was made into a
movie, the director asked me to consult.
The victim was, after all, a sex crimes prosecutor, just like me. When LAW
AND ORDER:SVU was created, it was based entirely on the work of my unit. Each time Hollywood knocked on my door for
assistance, my desire to work on my own crime novels grew stronger. The screenwriters and directors were picking
my brain because the authenticity of my job experience was what they hoped to
bring to the project. The old adage –
write what you know – became more and more meaningful to me. I started to write the Alex Cooper series of
crime novels while I was still a prosecutor, anxious to capture the immediacy
and excitement of my job, giving that voice and spirit to my protagonist.
The first five Coop novels were published
before I left the office in 2002, after thirty years of work that was a
challenge every day, and that I loved more than I could ever have imagined when
I started out in the practice of law. I figured that when I stepped out of my
high-profile job - where I had been responsible for supervising sex crimes,
domestic violence, child abuse, and related homicides for more than 25 years – I
would be less likely to be exposed to all the cutting edge forensic
developments that had made my day job so unique. In 1986, for example, I was one of the first
five prosecutors in America to be introduced to DNA technology, which helped
our team solve a sensational murder case, even though the judge refused to
allow the jury to hear about this new science.
How could I possibly keep current enough to make Coop’s investigations
as timely as they were in the early books?
The transition was far easier than I had
feared. First, I had three decades of
insider information – technique, language, courtroom dynamics – that would carry
me a long way in my plotting. Second, I
thought the work was so interesting that I planned to keep my credentials as a
lawyer, and to this day I handle scores of cases pro bono and continue to consult on these issues – with
corporations, national sports teams, and universities which have seen sexual
assault cases increase in such dramatic numbers. Third is that the best perk of my job was the
friendships I made – the young lawyers who honed their skills on my watch, the
brilliant detectives who taught me how to investigate every kind of violent
felony, and the forensic pathologists who guided me through my first autopsies
and made me understand why DNA would become my three favorite letters of the
alphabet. I count on my beloved friends
every day to keep me informed and up to the moment on law and science. In exchange, my pals make cameo appearances
in my books – always good guys, of course – covering Coop’s back and helping
her make her way through capers and catastrophes.
In crafting DEVIL’S BRIDGE, one of the smartest cops I’ve ever known – Lt.
Jimmy West of the Cold Case Unit, who oversees the re-investigation of all unsolved murders in Manhattan as old as 40 years -
took me every step of the way through the NYPD’s manner of investigating the
kidnapping of prominent figures…the right way, and the rogue way. Both directions are always great for
fiction. I never pass up an opportunity to
spend a night tour in a patrol car, go to the morgue for a tutorial, or sit in
on a lecture at the D.A.’s Office – still working with my former colleagues on
reducing the backlog of untested rape evidence collection kits, a project I
started fifteen years ago when I still wore my prosecutorial hat.
I think the best surprise of my writer’s
life has been the great fun of mixing law and literature. I’ve had two careers, both of which I’ve
loved. The chance to use the raw, real
texture of my legal background to infuse Alex Cooper with authentic style is something
for I’m grateful every day. Need any
help with a courtroom scene? Just give
me a call.
Devil’s Bridge
by Linda Fairstein is published 18th February by Sphere, price £7.99
in paperback.
The
Manhattan waterfront is one of New York City's most magnificent vistas,
boasting both the majestic Statue of Liberty and the busy George Washington
Bridge. But Detective Mike Chapman is about to become far too well acquainted
with the dangerous side of the Hudson river and its islands when he takes on
his most personal case yet: the disappearance of Alex Cooper. Coop
is missing - but there are so many leads and terrifying complications: scores
of enemies she has made after a decade of putting criminals behind bars; a
recent security breach with dangerous repercussions; and a new intimacy in her
relationship with Mike, causing the Police Commissioner himself to be wary of
the methods Mike will use to get Coop back... if he can
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