Linda Fairstein has been dropped by her publisher as fallout continues for the former Central Park Five prosecutor over the wrongful conviction of five teens for the 1989 rape and beating of a female jogger.
On Friday, Dutton spokeswoman Amanda Walker confirmed a statement that the publisher’s customer service line has been giving to inquiring callers, saying that it had “terminated its relationship” with the best-selling crime novelist. The publicist declined further comment.
Fairstein’s most recent book, Blood Oath, came out in March. Her other books, many featuring the sex crimes prosecutor Alex Cooper, include Deadfall, Killer Look and Devil’s Bridge.
In a statement issued through Laura Rossi Public Relations, Fairstein said Friday that she and Dutton had “decided to terminate their relationship.” The statement also says that “Fairstein is the author of 24 books, including 16 New York Times bestselling crime novels, as well as a nonfiction work that was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.”
Reached on her cell phone Friday, Fairstein declined further comment.
There has been renewed outcry regarding Fairstein’s role in the racially divisive case following the release last month of Netflix’s When They See Us, a miniseries directed by Ava DuVernay that dramatizes the events surrounding the trial.