Keep Me Alive: A Trish Maguire Mystery

Natasha Cooper's new Trish Maguire mystery, "Keep Me Alive," is a mixture of intrigue, action, and psychological suspense. Trish is a talented barrister who, along with her head of chambers, Antony Shelley, is trying a case on behalf of Will Applewood and other British food producers. Applewood and his fellow plaintiffs are claiming that a large supermarket chain breached a verbal contract with them. It is a complex and messy case, and Trish becomes more emotionally involved in the outcome than she should. While her lover is away on holiday, Trish is living alone and loving it. However, her tranquility is shattered when she and a close friend, Caro, come down with a case of food poisoning. Trish gets off lightly, but Caro's case is quite serious and potentially life threatening. Trish also gets embroiled in the investigation of a journalist's mysterious death that may be tied to a scandal in the meat industry. Finally, Trish is asked to interview a little girl named Kim who may be the victim of serious abuse at home. Natasha Cooper skillfully balances all of her plot elements and she fleshes out her characters with care. Trish comes across as supremely confident and self-contained, but when she interviews Kim, she remembers her own sad and damaging childhood. Trish understands only too well how this terrified little girl feels. Will Applewood, the plaintiff in Trish's case, is a vulnerable man whose livelihood hangs in the balance. If his court case fails, he is in danger of losing not only his income but also his dignity. Cooper focuses a great deal on Will and she brings a feeling of immediacy to his story that makes it seem real and poignant. Cooper's dialogue is sharp, and whether her scenes take place in a courtroom or in a remote field with villainous thugs up to no good, she brings credibility to her writing. Natasha Cooper is a versatile author who is also a terrific storyteller, and "Keep Me Alive" is a fast moving and involving thriller.

In London barrister Trish Maguire works as Junior to Antony Shelley as they represent a group of small food producers in a "no win, no fee" breach of contract civil suit against the ruthlessly run giant Furbishers Food supermarket chain. The clients insist the chain tendered profitable contracts that led to the firms over extending themselves, but the supermarket giant acted in bad faith just enough to cause bankruptcy. Meanwhile Trish and her friend Caro Lyalt suffer food poisoning from tainted sausage. This sends Will Applewood, who has the hots for Trish, to investigate the bad bangers. He traces a trail of spoiled carcasses sent from Kent to Normandy for processing, but a reporter covering the scam is murdered. Trish begins to have doubts about one of her clienst who seems to have either gone over the edge, but to verify this may prove deadly even as she works a second case involving child abuse. KEEP ME ALIVE is an insightful look at the meat processing industry (at least in the European Union though America is probably similar) that will stun readers with the process. The story line is action-packed in and out of the court room so that the audience receives a solid investigative legal thriller in which the barrister may be the star but is not the prime investigator. Trish's second client adds depth as the barrister has to find time to do justice to both cases. Although allusions to Trish's past are sprinkled throughout the novel, these are never adequately explained so that the audience has no anchor. Still this is a fabulous exposé that will keep readers chewing long after finishing. Harriet Klausner