Fault Lines
Natasha Cooper
19 February 2016
9781509835751Synopsis
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 Kinsford 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 copycat.
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.
I'm delighted that Trish Maguire will be available to readers again, I'm a great fan. Natasha Cooper is a compelling crime-writer; her stories always start with an intriguing premise and lead us through to a satisfying conclusion. But she's more than an assured story-teller. Cooper is fascinated by the nature of evil and each story is a contemporary fable, exploring the roots and the consequences of violence.Ann Cleeves
