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Linda Fairstein

Linda Fairstein is one of America's foremost legal experts on crimes of violence against women and children born in 1947. She served as head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002 and is the author of a series of novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.

Ms. Fairstein is an honors graduate of Vassar College (1969) and the University of Virginia School of Law (1972). She joined the Manhattan District Attorney's office in 1972 as an Assistant District Attorney. She was promoted to the head of the sex crimes unit in 1976. During her tenure, she prosecuted several highly publicized cases, including the "Preppy Murder" case against Robert Chambers in 1986.

Linda Fairstein left the District Attorney's office in 2002, and has continued to consult, write, lecture and serve as a sex crimes expert for a wide variety of print and television media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, and Larry King, among others. Ms. Fairstein is often called to provide her opinion on high profile prosecutions including: Michael Jackson's molestation charges in 2004, Kobe Bryant's sexual assault charges, and Scott Peterson's trial. She was the founder of the Domestic Violence Committee of the New York Women's Agenda. She is a frequent speaker on issues surrounding domestic abuse.

Fairstein is the internationally best-selling author of a series of crime novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper. The novels draw on Fairstein's legal expertise as well as her knowledge of and affection for the rich history of the city of New York.

During her tenure, she became well known for her groundbreaking work on the Central Park jogger case in 1989. As prosecutor, Fairstein worked to gain confessions from the accused perpetrators and secure the indictments of five teenage boys for the rape and assault of a jogger in the park. Despite the public outcry against them, the five men were acquitted after DNA evidence showed they were innocent of the crime. Unfortunately, her reputation was tarnished. Fairstein was accused of misconduct in the case and was the subject of much public criticism, and she eventually stepped down in 2002.

In the years since her departure from the Sex Crimes Unit, Fairstein has gone on to write several best-selling crime novels and has been an active advocate for victims of sexual assaults and other violence. She has served as a board member for several sexual assault victim organizations, including the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Consortium. In 2014, Fairstein was named executive vice president and chief legal officer of Safe Horizon, an advocacy organization for victims of domestic abuse and other crimes.

Despite the controversy surrounding her prosecution of the Central Park jogger case, Fairstein's impact on the criminal prosecution of sexual violence crimes is undeniable. She is credited with inspiring many to follow her lead in both the legal arena and in organizations that help provide hope for victims of sexual assault. Fairstein has had an impressive career and is a true inspiration to many in her field.

The titles are:

• Final Jeopardy (1996)
• Likely To Die (1997)
• Cold Hit (1999)
• The Deadhouse (2001) (Nero Award winner)
• The Bone Vault (2003)
• The Kills (2004)
• Entombed (2005)
• Death Dance (2006)
• Bad Blood (2007)
• Killer Heat (2008)
• Blood Oath(2019)
• Killer Look(2016)
• Terminal City (2014)
• Devil Bridge (2015)

She has also written a non-fiction book, Sexual Violence: Our War Against Rape (1993).