A Poisoned Mind: A Trish Maguire Mystery (Trish Maguire Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Natasha Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Series: Trish Maguire Mysteries | Publication Date: June 24, 2008

“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 dilemma: 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 thought: 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Shortly after she has “taken silk” (meaning being appointed a Queen’s Counsel, or senior barrister, thus becoming more costly for her clients), Trish Maguire takes over a case from an injured associate at the eleventh hour. Representing Clean World Waste Management, whose exploding chemical tanks killed the man charged with monitoring them, she must trounce the feisty grieving widow, whose sole support comes from a fringe environmental group with a leader who arouses suspicion. The principled Trish, suspecting sabotage, soon veers from the course prescribed by both client and colleagues and follows her intuition and the money. At the same time, she is beset with domestic crises centering on the delinquent friend of her 14-year-old adopted half brother, David, a situation that allows exploration of social problems caused by severely dysfunctional families. The ninth in the Trish Maguire series, this is an accomplished and suspenseful tale with an unexpected final twist, its greatest pleasure coming from the evolution of the primary characters and their relationships. --Michele Leber

Review

“Simply gorgeous---a smart, complex, grown-up entertainment that rewards the reader on every page. Intricate in plotting, deft in characterization, [A Poisoned Mind] is one of the best legal thrillers I have ever read.” ---Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of What the Dead Know

“[Natasha Cooper] is one to watch.” ---Ian Rankin, Edgar award-winning author of The Naming of the Dead

“Natasha Cooper brings a keen emotional intelligence to bear on the dark side of contemporary life. Trish Maguire is a heroine the new millennium.” ---Val McDermid, author of The Grave Tattoo

“Cooper excels at depicting the effects of terror on the weak and the strong.” ---Kirkus Reviews

“Natasha Cooper [is] one of England’s best.” ---The San Diego Union Tribune

“Cooper’s tense psychological thrillers are noteworthy for their taut pacing, devilishly clever plots, and keen insights into the darker recesses of the human psyche.” ---Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312383665
• ISBN-13: 978-0312383664
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,428,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Hating anyone is such a waste of time and energy.", July 13, 2008

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Poisoned Mind: A Trish Maguire Mystery (Trish Maguire Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In Natasha Cooper's "A Poisoned Mind," Trish Maguire is a senior barrister who lives with her partner, George Henton, a London solicitor, and her half-brother, David. When Trish's boss and Head of Chambers, Antony Shelley, is seriously injured in an accident, she is assigned to take over his case--the defense of the Clean World Waste Management company. Her opponent is Angie Fortwell, whose husband was killed when CWWM's chemical tanks, which were housed on the Fortwell's farm, blew up in a spectacular explosion. Trish's clients allege that John Fortwell, who at fifty-five was depressed after spending twenty-five futile years trying to make his farm a success, purposely blocked the vents in the tanks. They claim that John caused the explosion that took his life and assert that CWWM should bear no responsibility for the disaster. Although there is evidence that John was upset over his mounting bills, Angie insists that her husband would never have committed suicide.

Since she is acting as her own attorney, Angie is worried that McGuire will make her look like a rank amateur. However, Frances Showring and Greg Waverly, two members of FADE (Friends Against the Destruction of the Environment), are providing Angie with much needed advice and financial support. Meanwhile, from his hospital bed, Antony urges Trish to keep her defense simple--to go for contributory negligence and mitigate the damages. However, as she delves deeper into evidence, Trish suspects that there is more here than meets the eye--perhaps a matter of conspiracy or even sabotage. Although the FADE advocates are passionate and tireless on her behalf, Angie resents Greg's controlling and manipulative manner. She is also chagrined that her estranged son, Adam, has not shown up to comfort her after John's untimely death. Not only does Angie have to cope with sudden widowhood, but her farm is now a wasteland, not fit for man or beast after the poisonous chemicals released by the explosion have seeped into the air and soil.

Trish has some personal problems, as well. David has taken up with an antisocial classmate, Jay Smith, whose mother is an alcoholic wastrel and whose brutal older brother, Darren, beats him regularly. Jay, like David, is fourteen, and is prone to sudden rages and acts of violence; Trish likens him to "an unlit Molotov cocktail." Still, George and David feel protective towards this young man and they are determined to give him the help that his miserable family has denied him. Trish is even willing to contribute to Jay's school fees so that he will at least have the benefit of a decent education. However, subsequent events cast doubt on the wisdom of allowing Jay to infiltrate their lives.

"A Poisoned Mind" is a literate and well-constructed mystery that explores the ways in which emotionally disturbed individuals release their own brand of toxicity into the environment. Although Trish and George get along well, Trish is surprised to learn that her partner has been keeping a childhood secret that may explain why he cares so much about Jay. Cooper is a skilled writer who has created an engrossing and nuanced novel that deals with timely issues and multifaceted relationships. Her characters are well-drawn, her dialogue is sharp and realistic, and she maintains a high level of suspense throughout. "A Poisoned Mind" is an engrossing and insightful look at the ways in which unhappy and emotionally stunted individuals destroy themselves and those unlucky enough to get pulled into their orbit.

1.0 out of 5 stars If you want a proper legal thriller, don't read it., May 18, 2011

By 

Herbert Chan (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Poisoned Mind: A Trish Maguire Mystery (Trish Maguire Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Although it's introduced as a legal thriller, there is hardly any court dramas here. I like John Grisham's legal thrillers a lot, and I thought this one would be similar to his. However, this one is truly lame. The court scenes are not tense. There are 2 to 3 plots that vie for your attention, but all of them aren't worth your time.

This is a very poor book. I am a legal thriller fan, but I won't try another Natasha Cooper. Such book should not be classified as legal thriller at all.

Truly disappointing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery without needless melodrama, November 23, 2008

By 

Lucy Bregman (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Poisoned Mind: A Trish Maguire Mystery (Trish Maguire Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This is a mystery, a legal drama and a psychological study of some very disturbed persons, whose sufferings are due to others, circumstances, and themselves. It is a page-turner, and yet there are no needless bodice-ripper type episodes of mortal danger for the heroine, no prologue where an obvious yet unnamed villain plans his/her crimes, and none of the fluff and violence that seem part of the "suspense" genre. It really is excellent, and I look forward to reading earlier volumes in this series.