Hidden Treasures

Lethal Legacy
Linda Fairstein
Doubleday (2009)
Hardcover, 384 pages
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible

Rare books, valuable maps, the New York Public Library, and a cast of eccentric characters kept my interest despite the formulaic nature of this entertaining mystery. District Attorney, Alexandra Cooper, investigating two murders, crosses paths with thieves determined to double-cross each other to end up with a valuable map which was printed in 12 sections. The different sections of the map are not conveniently all in one spot, however.  To complicate matters, there's not one living person who knows where all 12 pieces of the map were hidden.

Killer suspense and a fast-moving plot kept this mystery/thriller both interesting and entertaining right from the start to the very end. The characters were well-developed enough that they came alive for me during the time I was reading this book, and when I finished, I felt like I was leaving old friends behind as I closed the book for the last time. My very favorite aspect of this novel is how the threads of the mystery were inter-woven with the information about rare and valuable books and maps.

Recommended for mystery-lovers of all ages from 16 and up.  This review has been simultaneously published on Dragonviews and LibraryThing.