Book Review: Fault Lines

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Fault Lines     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Natasha Cooper
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Legal Setting
Series: Trish Maguire # 2
St. Martin’s, Apr 2000, $23.05, 352 pp.

Thirty-two years old London barrister Trish Maguire delays her latest case because her key witness fails to keep her court appointment. Trish learns why social worker Kara Huggate did not make her date when the police arrive to question the barrister. Someone tortured, raped, and murdered Kara in her home. Trish thinks the “Kingsford Rapist” has returned after a three-year absence to wreck havoc on the small village where six women were molested.

Trish soon receives a letter from Kara written just before she was killed. The note asks Trish to help Blair Collins on his wrongful job termination case. Reluctantly, but out of homage and loyalty to Kara, Trish decides to accept the case, but as soon as she meets Blair she concludes he is a paranoid individual filled with delusions. Trish begins to believe that Blair murdered Kara, a theory the police think is very plausible. However, when the truth behind Kara’s death is revealed nobody is prepared for the far ranging repercussions.

Natasha Cooper is a talented mystery writer who has gained much acclaim throughout England. However, American readers who are not conversant with British legal terms and law enforcement acronyms will find the story line jarring because the audience must stop reading and try to figure out the meaning of a phrase. The protagonist is a likable person who distrusts people, yet still goes the extra kilometer to protect her clients. This turns Trish into a heroic figure willing to risk her own safety. It is Trish that makes FAULT LINES worth reading for anyone who enjoys a courageous female protagonist, is an Anglophile, or wants to understand the vernacular of the British system. If your taste is apple pie not shepherd’s pie, this novel is not for you.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner