Tangled Web Interviews Linda Fairstein
Following the publication of her latest book, The Kills,
best-selling crime novelist Linda Fairstein, talks to Tangled Web about the
changes in her life and writing since her "retirement" as Assistant District Attorney and head of the Manhattan Sex Crime
Unit...
What
made you leave your job as chief of the Manhattan district attorney's sex crimes
unit?
2002
marked my 30th year as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District
Attorney’s Office, 25 of them in charge of the pioneering sex crimes unit.
Throughout my tenure, I witnessed extraordinary charge – legislative reform of
archaic laws that previously made it impossible for victims of sexual assault to
have their day in court; changes in societal attitudes that for centuries had
stigmatized women who had made allegations of sexual assault; and the
introduction of scientific techniques like DNA and genetic fingerprinting that
revolutionized the investigation of homicides and sexual assault cases.
I was very comfortable with the progress we had made and comfortable also
to pass the reins to my very talented colleagues, many of whom had been trained
under my leadership and shared my passion for doing this work well.
With the success of the crime writing, I have been able to combine my two
loves – the law and literature. While
writing, I also continue to work on the issue of violence against women –
representing (pro bono) victims of violence who have no access to the system,
and serving on a number of non-profit boards which do victim advocacy.
I’m still a consultant to many police departments and prosecutors’
offices, as well as to the media, so although I stepped down from my office,
I’m still involved in the work that was my driving interest.
How
has "retirement" affected your day-to-day life and your writing?
As
I say quite defensively to my mother when she remarks….”when you used to
work….”, I certainly did not retire. I
prefer to think of my move as a career change.
And yes, the effect on my life has been profound.
As much as I loved the prosecutorial job, I am delighted that I am no
longer working for the government – the freedom to make my own decisions to
and to decide how to best spend my time is an absolute joy after thirty years
working in a bureaucracy. In regard to my writing, I think that the books written after
I left the office – both The Bone Vault and The Kills
– reflect the uninterrupted time dedicated to them – they are, I believe,
better crafted and more tightly paced, which are both important traits in this
genre. The writing career has definitely benefited from my full
attention to it.
You
continue to serve as a consultant on sex crimes - can you tell us something
about this work?
Many
victims of violence feel powerless and don’t know how to gain access to the
criminal justice system. Right now
I am working with two young businesswomen, both of whom are being stalked. I have gotten the police involved with their investigations
and suggested steps that would keep the women safe and perhaps identify their
stalkers. Last summer, I helped a
family investigated the death of their daughter, who had been involved in an
abusive relationship. The local
police department – which had never handled a murder case – treated the
death as a suicide without ever considering a legal and medical investigation.
In these cases, I offer my services to victims or families who don’t
know where to turn. I also serve on several non-profit boards – one is New York
City’s fabulous Safe Horizon, which provides counselling services of every
kind to crime victims; and other is Mt. Sinai Hospital’s Sexual Assault
Violence Intervention Unit, which specifically deals with survivors of rape and domestic
violence, and the third – the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science
– is perhaps the foremost lab in the country, working on advances in
cutting edge forensic scientific techniques, with America’s largest DNA
databank. I also do a lot of work
for the national media as background or commentary when high profile trials
revolve around the issues that have been my areas of expertise.
During
your 30 years in the job, you became America’s best-known prosecutor of sex
crimes. Can you tell us something about some of the more memorable cases you
worked on? Which cases have been the most interesting/fulfilling to you? Do you
miss your work as a prosecutor?
I
have no regrets about leaving the DA’s office when I did, with thirty solid
years of accomplishment behind me. I miss being in the courtroom, and I certainly miss the
collegiality of the job, which I have great fun recreating in the relationships
between Alex Cooper and her partners in crime.
The writing is very solitary work, and I loved the chance to work as
closely as I did with other lawyers and the great detectives of the NYPD.
Many of my cases were ‘high profile’, so the public learned about them
through press accounts and media coverage.
Most of the ones that meant the most to me are those which moved more
quietly through the system, and therefore seemed to be more personal to me.
The cases that were most fulfilling always involved making reluctant
victims and witnesses more
comfortable in the criminal justice system, earning their trust in a very
emotional and complex set of circumstances, helping restore their dignity, and
using the forum of the courtroom to help them triumph over their attackers –
often a key factor in their recovery.
What
are your plans for Alex?
No
end in sight for my plans to keep Alex working hard.
I’d like to see her in a more stable social relationship but I know how
hard it is to find a guy who can deal with her 24/7 schedule and the often
all-consuming nature of her work. I
think she might need to travel and become embroiled in events in some foreign
locale, for a change of pace and place. In
her next caper – Entombed – Alex becomes immersed in a current
crime investigation which steeps her in New York City’s rich literary history,
and puts her in the path of the great master of detective fiction – Edgar
Allan Poe – who spent much of his adult life in Coop’s jurisdiction.
And
your own plans? Do you have any
other writing projects in the pipeline?
My
immediate plans are to keep up with Alex Cooper and Mike Chapman, who seem to
have a lot of stories to tell and adventures to live. Somewhere down the line,
I’d love to do a stand-alone thriller with other characters, and even
write another non-fiction book, since the one I published in ’93 is a bit
outdated. I love being in this
world – with people who love books and reading, bookshops and libraries –
and writing novels seems to be a great way to stay here.
Crime – the motives of criminals and the cutting edge techniques that
help law enforcement keep up with their misdeeds – fascinates me.
I hope to be writing crime fiction for a long time to come.
Thanks!
Interview by Liz Lees
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