Part of Alexandra Cooper, book 8
First published 2007
Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper receives an urgent call when world-famous ballerina Natalya Galinova disappears backstage at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House during a live performance. Cooper partners with NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace to investigate the dancer's sudden vanishing. Their search pulls them deep into New York's theatrical underworld, from the Met's maze-like corridors to Broadway's power centers. Galinova had been involved with Joe Berk, the influential head of the Berk Organization that controls Broadway's legitimate theaters. The aging ballerina was using this connection to resurrect her fading career. The investigation reveals bitter family feuds, ambitious starlets, and ruthless theater moguls who will eliminate anyone blocking their path to success. Meanwhile, Cooper pursues a separate case against Dr. Selim Sengor, a physician who drugs women before assaulting them. She faces a complex legal challenge about using DNA evidence from previous cases to prosecute new crimes. Cooper must convince a judge that public safety outweighs the suspect's civil rights as both cases converge in unexpected ways.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation
Setting: Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Opera House, Broadway
Period: contemporary
512 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket Books
Content warnings: violence