Linda Fairstein Books in Order – Complete List

New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein is best known for her Alexandra Cooper thriller series focusing on Alexandra, Manhattan Assistant DA, and her partner, Detective Mike Chapman. Apart from being a crime fiction author, she has also written a true crime series titled From the Files of Linda Fairstein, as well as a mystery series for children, called Devlin Quick, with 3 books currently published.

While the books can be read as standalone novels, it makes much more sense to read the series in order, to follow Alex and Mike’s relationship evolve. Here are the Linda Fairstein books in order for her popular Alexandra Cooper thriller series.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases

Alexandra Cooper Books in Publication Order

1. Final Jeopardy, 1996
2. Likely To Die, 1997
3. Cold Hit, 1999
4. The Deadhouse, 2001
5. The Bone Vault, 2003
6. The Kills, 2004
7. Entombed, 2005
8. Death Dance, 2006
9. Bad Blood, 2007
10. Killer Heat, 2008
11. Lethal Legacy, 2009
12. Hell Gate, 2010
13. Silent Mercy, 2011
14. Night Watch, 2012
15. Death Angel, 2013
16. Terminal City, 2014
17. Devil’s Bridge, 2015
18. Killer Look, 2016
19. Deadfall, 2017
20. Blood Bath, 2019

Alexandra Cooper Short Stories

• Surfing the Panther, 2015 with Steve Martini

Devlin Quick Mysteries Books in Publication Order

1. Into the Lion’s Den, 2016
2. Digging For Trouble, 2017
3. Secrets From the Deep, 2018

From the Files of Linda Fairstein Books in Publication Order

non-fiction books

1. Killer Charm: The Double Lives of Psychopaths, 2012
2. How Serial Rapists Target Their Victims, 2012
3. The Rape Scandal that Puts You at Risk, 2012
4. The Five Most Dangerous Places for Women, 2012
5. The Most Surprising Crime Zone, 2012
6. Why Some Women Lie About Rape, 2012
7. Killer Charm: And Other True Cases (omnibus collection), 2016

Standalone Novels in Publication Order

• I’d Kill For That, 2004

Anthologies and Short Story Collections in Publication Order

• The Plot Thickens, 1997
• Their World is Law, 2002
• The Best American Crime Reporting 2007, 2007
• The Prosecution Rests, 2009 (in the Mystery Writers of America Presents series)
• FaceOff, 2014

Non-Fiction Books in Publication Order

• Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape, 1993

Linda Fairstein Biography

Linda Fairstein was born in 1947 in Mount Vernon, New York where she also grew up. She attended Vassar College, from which she graduated with honors in 1969. Next, she attended the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating in 1972 with a law degree.

The same year she joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s office as an Assistant District Attorney (just like her Alexandra Cooper character) and in 1976 she became chief of the sex crimes unit.

Many of her cases were followed by the national and local media stations, especially since they often involved shocking crimes that lasted for a long time with the public. One of her more famous cases took place in 1990 during the so-called Central Park Jogger (called the Central Park Five) incident where five teenagers were wrongly accused of both assault and rape.

Following the brutal questioning that lasted 30 hours which led to false confessions, the five young men were jailed. Later, they admitted that their confession was done under duress. It was not until 2002 that Matias Reyes confessed to the rape after a positive DNA analysis.

In 2002 she left the District Attorney’s office, but she continued to serve as a sex crime and domestic crimes expert, lecturer, and writer for several media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, and Larry King Show.

She often speaks on issues of domestic abuse at various meetings. Linda Fairstein currently lives with her second husband, Michael Goldberg, in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.

Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Final Jeopardy, was released in 1996 and it became the first in her popular Alex Cooper series, which currently includes 20 books, with the latest one published in 2019 titled Deadfall.

The author’s novels have been so far translated into more than a dozen different languages. Linda Fairstein’s success is a combination of her long experience with the law and her interesting and gripping storylines. Her main character, Alexandra Cooper, is a prosecutor in New York, just like the author. Injecting autobiographical elements into her stories brings an extra layer of credibility to her books.

In addition, her edge-of-the-seat stories also depict the lively New York with all its hallmarks that make this city so attractive to people around the world.

Former sec crimes prosecutor turned New York Times bestselling author is once again in the news with her famous Central Park Five case. The four-part Netflix series “When They See Us” examines and dramatizes the wrongful conviction of those five teenagers back in 1989. The series also included Linda Fairstein since she was back then directly involved in the case.

Now the author is suing Netflix and the creators of the TV series for defamation, as various scenes in the series “depict her by name and portray her in a false and defamatory light,” since it shows her as a racial profiler who withheld evidence and coerced confessions. The trial will be held in June 2024. Netflix asked the jurors to watch “When They See Us” in order to form their own opinions on how Linda Fairstein is portrayed.

Following all the issues related to this major case, Linda Fairstein is currently not writing any new books, which is a pity because we are all still waiting for a new Alex Cooper novel.

Linda Fairstein Book Adaptations

• Final Jeopardy, the first book in the Alexandra Cooper series, was made into a TV movie in 2001.

Linda Fairstein Awards

Some of the awards received by Linda Fairstein touched not only her literary achievements but also her work as a sex crimes prosecutor.

• Federal Bar Council’s Emory Buckner Award for Public Service
• UJA Federation’s Proskauer Award
• Columbia University School of Nursing’s Second Century Award for Excellence in Health Care
• Glamour Magazine’s Woman of the Year Award
• American Heart Association Women of Courage Award
• New York Women’s Agenda 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award
• Nero Wolfe Award for Excellence in Crime Writing in 2008
• International Thriller Writers 2010 Silver Bullet Award

Following the controversy surrounding the Central Park case, additional awards have been taken back, such as the Grand Master award by the Mystery Writers of America, and Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year Award.