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Trish Maguire #9
Poisoned Mind
“I don’t know how you’ve survived at the Bar this long,” Anthony said to Trish. “Caring for your clients to the point of derangement is bad enough; but to start fretting over the opposition. . . . ”In spite of the barristers’ rule that any suitably quali?ed member of the Bar who is free to take an offered case must do so, QC Trish Maguire can’t quite understand how her head of chambers, Anthony Shelley, can accept a case defending the corrupt Clean World Waste Management company. So when the brilliant and cynical Anthony is nearly killed in an accident, Trish is faced with a painful Does she take over the company’s defense, or threaten her hard-won career by refusing to appear in court against Angie Fortwell, the impoverished widow of a hard-working farmer? As Trish delves deeper into the case, she grows more and more troubled by a nagging Was the explosion that killed Angie’s husband really an accident, or the result of sabotage?With all this going on at work, the last thing Trish needs is the possibility of explosions at home. Yet she can’t simply walk away from Jay, the clever but damaged fourteen-year-old boy who has attached himself to her family---especially when his mother is found beaten and close to death. A brilliant novel of crime and its consequences, A Poisoned Mind demonstrates the full range of Natasha Cooper’s emotional intelligence and storytelling powers.
371 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Natasha Cooper
62 books17 followersaka N.J. Cooper, Kate Hatfield, Clare Layton, Daphne Wright.
Natasha Cooper was Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in 2000/2001. She reviews books in THE TIMES, THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT and the NEW LAW JOURNAL. She is the author of, among others, FAULT LINES and PREY TO ALL.
Natasha Cooper was Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in 2000/2001. She reviews books in THE TIMES, THE TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT and the NEW LAW JOURNAL. She is the author of, among others, FAULT LINES and PREY TO ALL.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 13, 2018
Had I not realised earlier than page 120ish that the author of this was the same lady who writes I.O.W.-set crime as NJ Cooper, I would've given up (having found books by her other alter-ego to be somewhat annoying and not my kind of thing), but in truth this was reasonably readable and I only paid 25p for it, so I wasn't too miffed with this.
The story follows a female lawyer involved in a case where a chemical explosion killed a farmer - which was kinda intresting - but it ended up a deeply unconvincing novel. The lack of proper legal jargon in conversations between members of the profession rang very untrue, the number of strange co-incidences required to drive the plot was laughable, and I just found the heroine and her running all over the place solving the mystery very prompting of eye-rolling. For a legal thriller there was a ridiculous lack of any courtroom drama, it was mainly concerned with this woman and her do-gooding and tedious family, and the drippy widow of the killed farmer. Oh, and everything they were thinking about, wearing, eating and drinking.
Keep me away from books by this author in future - I'm sure her work is very enjoyable for readers wanting something different, but it's not my kind of thing, this.
The story follows a female lawyer involved in a case where a chemical explosion killed a farmer - which was kinda intresting - but it ended up a deeply unconvincing novel. The lack of proper legal jargon in conversations between members of the profession rang very untrue, the number of strange co-incidences required to drive the plot was laughable, and I just found the heroine and her running all over the place solving the mystery very prompting of eye-rolling. For a legal thriller there was a ridiculous lack of any courtroom drama, it was mainly concerned with this woman and her do-gooding and tedious family, and the drippy widow of the killed farmer. Oh, and everything they were thinking about, wearing, eating and drinking.
Keep me away from books by this author in future - I'm sure her work is very enjoyable for readers wanting something different, but it's not my kind of thing, this.
June 26, 2010
What a load of unmitigated rubbish, Set a computer to write about a newly qualified QC and Chemical dumping, damaged families, and a mix of stupid story lines. you get this sort of C**P
Sorry Natasha must do better. 2/10
Sorry Natasha must do better. 2/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2022
Actual rating: 3.5 stars rounded down for obvious culprits and extremely unlikely court testimony. This was a pleasant surprise after my great disgust over the only previous book I have read by this author: GAGGED AND BOUND, which barely scored a 2 star-rating. In this entry in the Trish Maguire series, her brother, David, is now 14 and far more believable as a teenager than he was an overly sensitive preteen. Also, the policewoman, Caro, played only a tiny peripheral part, which helped, and Trish's boyfriend, George, was very much front and center to both the plot and the background of Trish's home life.
The premise of the book was tight, with Trish inheriting an important litigation against a large hazardous waste company as her client. In the beginning, one is outraged by the circumstances of the death of John Fortwell and is firmly on the side of his care-worn wife, Angela. As the case develops, however, several worrying threads appear that weaken Angie's case. It is quite well done, especially in the chapters dealing with other injuries stemming from careless dangerous waste disposal. I would have enjoyed even greater depth in following up on those harrowing cases.
One thing that really perturbed me was that during questioning in the courtroom, Angie Fortwell's doctor admitted to discussing her medical problems and treatments with her husband! I feel sure that the UK has similar patient confidentiality laws to the US, and am sure that even if he had consulted inappropriately with the husband of a patient, he would be unlikely to admit such a glaring error in public!
The mystery here is secondary to the issues of psychological effects on people going back to childhood and the lifelong ramifications of perceptions rather than actual reality on the formation of character. Therefore, the question of who did what to cause the horrible injuries and death that are the core of the book, becomes quite apparent, so that the final outcome of the trial is no surprise.
Readers of Deborah Crombie police procedurals will find much familiar ground here in the domestic situations of the main character's mixed families as well as the cerebral approach to murder.
The premise of the book was tight, with Trish inheriting an important litigation against a large hazardous waste company as her client. In the beginning, one is outraged by the circumstances of the death of John Fortwell and is firmly on the side of his care-worn wife, Angela. As the case develops, however, several worrying threads appear that weaken Angie's case. It is quite well done, especially in the chapters dealing with other injuries stemming from careless dangerous waste disposal. I would have enjoyed even greater depth in following up on those harrowing cases.
One thing that really perturbed me was that during questioning in the courtroom, Angie Fortwell's doctor admitted to discussing her medical problems and treatments with her husband! I feel sure that the UK has similar patient confidentiality laws to the US, and am sure that even if he had consulted inappropriately with the husband of a patient, he would be unlikely to admit such a glaring error in public!
The mystery here is secondary to the issues of psychological effects on people going back to childhood and the lifelong ramifications of perceptions rather than actual reality on the formation of character. Therefore, the question of who did what to cause the horrible injuries and death that are the core of the book, becomes quite apparent, so that the final outcome of the trial is no surprise.
Readers of Deborah Crombie police procedurals will find much familiar ground here in the domestic situations of the main character's mixed families as well as the cerebral approach to murder.
December 11, 2017
Another mystery set in England! It was a fast read- loved that the book was not just about the mystery, you also delve into the lives of all the characters.
June 11, 2024
(Audio) Very intriguing plot as Trish juggles home life with the case she is working on
April 17, 2013
middling & haven't even finished it yet. NJC will never be my favouite author, we're miles apart on the moral value list. but she does something special: attempts to portray the vicious world of big business. trouble is, suspect she doesn't have direct shared experiences with any of her leading characters, so there's an artificiality to their thoughts and actions which can be trying for the reader. essentially a barrier to intense involvement in the plot. but the plots are good!
my horrid english teacher drummed it into us @ school, don't portray your ignorance. butternut squash doesn't cause flatulence, & its outer skin is pale coral, not flaming red. i doubt the vegetarians would have such a limited diet & surely would include dairy food.even beans can be soaked until starting to sprout, before cooking. making them hugely digestible. hopefully not all successful Londoners drink so heavily or cook exotic meals twice a day. there's no difference diet wise between a toasted cheese sandwich & a lump of finest cheddar eaten with crusty bread. it's almost as though she's stating her belief in government dietary guidelines, but not understanding the basic principles because she doesn't cook much herself. or has she an eye on posterity? now that's dangerous.clothes descriptions sometimes meaningful, as in Angie's discomfort in court. but i almost became a barrister and am certain my bushy eyebrows & lack of makeup would have gone largely unnoticed by judge, court members or the juries.
my horrid english teacher drummed it into us @ school, don't portray your ignorance. butternut squash doesn't cause flatulence, & its outer skin is pale coral, not flaming red. i doubt the vegetarians would have such a limited diet & surely would include dairy food.even beans can be soaked until starting to sprout, before cooking. making them hugely digestible. hopefully not all successful Londoners drink so heavily or cook exotic meals twice a day. there's no difference diet wise between a toasted cheese sandwich & a lump of finest cheddar eaten with crusty bread. it's almost as though she's stating her belief in government dietary guidelines, but not understanding the basic principles because she doesn't cook much herself. or has she an eye on posterity? now that's dangerous.clothes descriptions sometimes meaningful, as in Angie's discomfort in court. but i almost became a barrister and am certain my bushy eyebrows & lack of makeup would have gone largely unnoticed by judge, court members or the juries.
August 23, 2016
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
A farmer ends up killed in an 'accidental' explosion of a chemical tank that a chemical co. is leasing at a spot on the farmer's land.
What could have been a sickening act of retaliation by an estranged son turns out to be a sickening calculated act by business opportunists, who want to damage a competitor's reputation.
The farmer's wife - aided by same opportunists, who have disguised themselves as environmentalists - represents herself in court. She's up against Trish Maguire, who has to step in last minute, as colleague Anthony gets badly injured while crossing a busy street.
As usual, Trish earns the respect and friendship of numerous people -- incl., in the end, the farmer's wife! -- as she handles the case w. her usual integrity and aplomb.
Been some weeks since I read it, so I don't recall all my reader 'sensations.' I do recall some v. tense moments connected w. Trish having to master the case's technical content and persuade the corporate to NOT settle on the basis that the explosion was an unfortunate accident, but to pursue the theory of deliberate tank sabotage.
A farmer ends up killed in an 'accidental' explosion of a chemical tank that a chemical co. is leasing at a spot on the farmer's land.
What could have been a sickening act of retaliation by an estranged son turns out to be a sickening calculated act by business opportunists, who want to damage a competitor's reputation.
The farmer's wife - aided by same opportunists, who have disguised themselves as environmentalists - represents herself in court. She's up against Trish Maguire, who has to step in last minute, as colleague Anthony gets badly injured while crossing a busy street.
As usual, Trish earns the respect and friendship of numerous people -- incl., in the end, the farmer's wife! -- as she handles the case w. her usual integrity and aplomb.
Been some weeks since I read it, so I don't recall all my reader 'sensations.' I do recall some v. tense moments connected w. Trish having to master the case's technical content and persuade the corporate to NOT settle on the basis that the explosion was an unfortunate accident, but to pursue the theory of deliberate tank sabotage.
April 3, 2016
A bit boring
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews