Night Watch by Linda Fairstein is the 14th book in the “Alex Cooper” legal thriller series. Publisher: Dutton, July 2012

In her thirteen bestsellers, Linda Fairstein has taken millions of fans inside sinister worlds that most of us can’t even imagine. Thanks to her extensive experience as a New York City prosecutor, she creates situations that are stunning for both their compulsive readability and their authenticity. Taking Alexandra Cooper into the fascinating world of New York City’s most beloved and storied restaurants, Night Watch continues her tradition of breathtaking suspense storytelling.

Forty-eight hours after Alexandra Cooper arrives in France to visit her boyfriend and famed restaurateur, Luc Rouget, her vacation in paradise is cut short when a young woman from the village is found murdered. The only evidence discovered on the body is one of Luc’s matchboxes promoting his new restaurant in New York. But before the investigation begins, Alex is summoned back to New York to handle a high profile case.

Mohammed Gil-Darsin, the distinguished and wealthy Head of the World Economic Bureau, has been arrested and accused of attacking a maid in his hotel. As the world watches in fascination to see how the scandal will unfold, Alex finds her attention torn between preparing the alleged victim to testify and a murder case with ties too close to home. A second body is found with Luc’s matchbox—this time in Brooklyn—and Alex begins to fear that the two cases may not be as unrelated as she thought, and that uncovering the sordid secrets of the city’s most wealthy and powerful could cost her and her loved ones everything they hold dear.

Murder can never escape Alex even when she is vacationing abroad. Summoned back to NY for a separate case, another body turns up and again her boyfriend Luc is connected. Once again, the team of Alex, Mercer and Mike are on hand to solve these murders. This was a good read that kept me glued to the pages in this action-filled drama. The story moved at a good pace despite, at times, being a bit more descriptive than I like. The ending left me hoping for new possibilities for Alex with members of her team and I look forward to the next book in this series.