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Trish Maguire #2
Fault Lines
The brilliant and idealistic Trish Maguire returns in a devastating case of corruption and conspiracy.
In a particularly difficult case of alleged child abuse, Trish knows that the jury's decision hinges on the persuasive testimony of her friend and star witness, Kara Huggate. When Kara doesn't appear at the trial, she realizes that something must have gone terribly wrong.
She returns to her chambers after court to find the police waiting for her with some horrifying news: Kara has been brutally raped and murdered. At first it seems as though her attacker was the Kingsford Rapist - a serial rapist and killer who has managed to elude the police. Then several inexplicable clues indicate that the murderer may have been a copy cat.
Trish receives a letter from Kara, posted the night of her death, asking her to help a suspicious man named Blair Collons. Although Trish decides to help him out of loyalty and affection for her friend, she cannot understand why Kara cared so much for the paranoid and strangely obsessive Blair. Soon Trish finds herself mired in his unhappy story, with potentially devastating consequences.
Fault Lines is a tense and disturbing examination of the power of corruption and the lengths to which people will go to protect themselves.
In a particularly difficult case of alleged child abuse, Trish knows that the jury's decision hinges on the persuasive testimony of her friend and star witness, Kara Huggate. When Kara doesn't appear at the trial, she realizes that something must have gone terribly wrong.
She returns to her chambers after court to find the police waiting for her with some horrifying news: Kara has been brutally raped and murdered. At first it seems as though her attacker was the Kingsford Rapist - a serial rapist and killer who has managed to elude the police. Then several inexplicable clues indicate that the murderer may have been a copy cat.
Trish receives a letter from Kara, posted the night of her death, asking her to help a suspicious man named Blair Collons. Although Trish decides to help him out of loyalty and affection for her friend, she cannot understand why Kara cared so much for the paranoid and strangely obsessive Blair. Soon Trish finds herself mired in his unhappy story, with potentially devastating consequences.
Fault Lines is a tense and disturbing examination of the power of corruption and the lengths to which people will go to protect themselves.
- GenresCrime
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 13, 2017
Trish Maguire is upset at the murder of a social worker friend, Kara Huggate. Kara's last letter to Trish before her death asked her to help out Blair Collons, who believes he was fired from a town council because he was getting too close to a conspiracy involving the acquisition of land that could be contaminated with chemicals. Or something. Blair thinks this is the reason Kara died too! Except Kara's death seems tied to a string of rapes years earlier. And Blair himself is a creepy man that Trish doesn't like at all! Throw in a vice cop and a local crime lord and you have the recipe for a total yawnfest!
This was slowly plotted. Dialogue was terrible - it didn't feel like real people talking! The chapters about Sandra and Michael were close to pointless. We get a chapter where we're introduced to about twenty cops, but thankfully only about four of them seem to have any plot importance. I was just bored, bored, bored the whole way through! There are no real surprises in the plot, it just ambles along until the full, unexciting truth is revealed. It then has the audacity to end with a big part of the plot unresolved! Boo! I was so glad when I finished it. Now I never have to think about it again!
This was slowly plotted. Dialogue was terrible - it didn't feel like real people talking! The chapters about Sandra and Michael were close to pointless. We get a chapter where we're introduced to about twenty cops, but thankfully only about four of them seem to have any plot importance. I was just bored, bored, bored the whole way through! There are no real surprises in the plot, it just ambles along until the full, unexciting truth is revealed. It then has the audacity to end with a big part of the plot unresolved! Boo! I was so glad when I finished it. Now I never have to think about it again!
September 8, 2017
Trish Maquire mystery
May 30, 2011
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
I haven't read the Trish Maguire books in sequence, because i haven't been able to find them at my local library in sequence.
It is fun, though, to sequence them in my mind on the basis of salient details.
I deduce this one is fairly early in the saga as:
1) Barrister Trish has a huge fall-out w. George (which happened early in their relationship, later novels
say)
2) Trish's little half brother isn't yet on the scene (he arrives and becomes a fixture in later books)
3) Trish meets police officer Caroline Lyalt for the absolute first time (later, they're good friends)
[I can't remember the proper British title - is she a constable?]
4) Trish reaches out to her dad for the first time in years {father and daughter are closer in later books)
Nut of the book is solving the murder of Kara Huggate, who is Trish's friend, a social worker and scheduled as a star witness for one of Trish's child abuse cases. Lots of twists, turns, missteps. It all revolves around government corruption in a real estate deal involving chemically contaminated land that will be used for public housing.
This one was a bit unsatisfying for me compared to my more favorite Maguire mysteries (for example, I love "Out of the Dark," in which Trish meets her much younger half brother David as result of the crisis of his mom's murder).
Specifically, "Fault Lines" disappointed me when the weird-acting bloke named Blair Collons commits suicide for thinking people believe he killed Kara. He's innocent of that crime, but book ends on the tantlizing suggestion that he may have in fact been the Kingsford Rapist -- never identified, never caught, reformed in behavior but imprisoned by guilt. The event is meaningful, though, in that it points up to Trish how she and the police made light of Collons' theories because they were so put off by his persona.
Another thing I was sad about -- all the infidelity. Kara was in a secret affair w. a married American and there's a separate plot line about one of the guilty city planners cheating on his wife.
It was really sad for me (and therefore, a tribute to Cooper's characters and her writing) when George and Trish were in the throes of their dispute.
I haven't read the Trish Maguire books in sequence, because i haven't been able to find them at my local library in sequence.
It is fun, though, to sequence them in my mind on the basis of salient details.
I deduce this one is fairly early in the saga as:
1) Barrister Trish has a huge fall-out w. George (which happened early in their relationship, later novels
say)
2) Trish's little half brother isn't yet on the scene (he arrives and becomes a fixture in later books)
3) Trish meets police officer Caroline Lyalt for the absolute first time (later, they're good friends)
[I can't remember the proper British title - is she a constable?]
4) Trish reaches out to her dad for the first time in years {father and daughter are closer in later books)
Nut of the book is solving the murder of Kara Huggate, who is Trish's friend, a social worker and scheduled as a star witness for one of Trish's child abuse cases. Lots of twists, turns, missteps. It all revolves around government corruption in a real estate deal involving chemically contaminated land that will be used for public housing.
This one was a bit unsatisfying for me compared to my more favorite Maguire mysteries (for example, I love "Out of the Dark," in which Trish meets her much younger half brother David as result of the crisis of his mom's murder).
Specifically, "Fault Lines" disappointed me when the weird-acting bloke named Blair Collons commits suicide for thinking people believe he killed Kara. He's innocent of that crime, but book ends on the tantlizing suggestion that he may have in fact been the Kingsford Rapist -- never identified, never caught, reformed in behavior but imprisoned by guilt. The event is meaningful, though, in that it points up to Trish how she and the police made light of Collons' theories because they were so put off by his persona.
Another thing I was sad about -- all the infidelity. Kara was in a secret affair w. a married American and there's a separate plot line about one of the guilty city planners cheating on his wife.
It was really sad for me (and therefore, a tribute to Cooper's characters and her writing) when George and Trish were in the throes of their dispute.
July 18, 2009
I consider myself to be very well rounded when it comes to my mystery writers and I'm wondering how I never managed to read a Natasha Cooper book before! I was lured in by the quote on the cover of the book, "Trish Maguire is a heroine for our times!"- Val McDermid- Now Val is one of my favorite writers ever, so if she gives someone high praise, it must be good! The plot line was excellent and kept me guessing until the end. I am excited to read more Trish Maguire books now!
March 29, 2011
One of the books in the Trish Maquire series - as usual, well written - an entertaining read ending with a bit of a cliff-hanger!
July 10, 2015
A good story spoiled only by a rather convoluted police interview bit at the end
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews