The Fault Tree

A blind person as a witness? Not possible...or is it? Cadence Moran felt confident in her position as an auto mechanic. She often worked after hours when the shop was quiet. It had been a long day and Cadence was ready to go home and relax. A wave of Arizona heat rose from the sidewalk as she locked the door. Cadence followed the familiar routine, while listening for traffic and footsteps. Something curious caught her attention-a voice pleading for help, running footsteps, laughter, doors slamming.... Suddenly an idling engine roars to life. Cadence, in the center of the street, hears the vehicle speed in her direction. With only seconds to spare, she leaps for the curb, breaking her cane as she falls. Trembling, her world of darkness is invaded with pain and fear. Would they be back? Cadence soon learns that someone in her neighborhood had been murdered, stabbed to death, near the time she was coming home. She decides to stay out of it. Besides, what could a blind person offer? However, when she finds out it was a well-known and beloved senior citizen, she decides to come forth. Entering the police station, accompanied by an officer, she counts the steps to the elevator. Keenly aware, she focuses on voices, and cologne. The interview was short and sweet. Cadence knew by the patronizing tone of voice that the police officer didn't think the information she offered could help. What was she thinking-the sound of the engine, the smell of antifreeze, running footsteps, a call for help? She felt useless. Unawares that a perilous journey lay ahead, Cadence returns home.... The trail is difficult for the over-worked detectives to follow. Pressure to get information and come up with suspects is overwhelming. Just when they think the case is solved, they are back at square one. When they turn for assistance to Candace and her heightened senses, they discover more than they bargained for. Armchair Interviews says: The Fault Tree is non-stop action!

This book has a great protagonist, and very unique, an auto-mechanic who is blind AND female! As tough as they come, Cadence Moran, is a heroine you won't forget easily. She helps solve the crime and puts herself in jeopardy and her friends too! The "bad guys" are reminiscent of Bonnie & Clyde. Naïve, stupid, and keep making matters worse and worse trying to get out of trouble. This is a sure winner and will keep you reading to the very exciting end. Her first novel, Forcing Amaryllis, was a winner and her second book is even better!

When Louise Ure's first Arizona mystery, Forcing Amaryllis, debuted in June 2005, I was impressed with the compelling story and the stunning cover. It went on to win the Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award for Best First Novel. The Fault Tree, the second book in Ure's Arizona trilogy, was just released, and it won't disappoint any of her fans. Hopefully, it will introduce a whole new audience to this talented author. Cadence Moran is thirty-one, and an auto mechanic who works nights at Walt's Auto Shop in Tucson. Walking home from work one night, she hears a scream, laughter, and a car tear away. Cadence has just heard the end of a murder. Although Cadence is a witness, she's blind, and can only depend on her other senses to tell the police what she "knows". Cadence is reluctant to get involved. Eight years earlier, she was the driver in the accident that blinded her, and killed her niece. She's lived with her blindness, and her blame every since. One of the officers on the case is reluctant to believe her, but Detective Dupree has a feeling that Cadence is reliable. As the police blindly search for killers who seem to have no connection to the victim, the killers are searching for Cadence. She's suddenly a target, a witness to a crime that the killers don't realize she never actually saw. Ure increases the tension, telling the story of Cadence's fear and her clues, the police investigation, and the killers' attempt to eliminate any witnesses. Cadence's clues lead the police in the wrong direction, while the killers make serious mistakes. The three storylines increase the suspense, driving the three groups together. Louise Ure has written a powerful story of disfunctional families, blame, and responsibility. It's a mystery that starts on a somber, but riveting, note. "At the end, there was so much blame to spread around that we could all have taken a few shovelfuls home and rolled around in it like pigs in stink." The rest of The Fault Tree captures the reader, and doesn't let you go until the final sentence. It's early in the year to predict another award winner, but I predict that Ure's The Fault Tree will once again vie for the mystery awards. Readers interested in a fascinating character, or one of the best mysteries you'll read in 2008, should pick this one up.

Louise Ure captures an honest humanity in her writing. The characters and place are so alive in THE FAULT TREE. When you're 'with' Cadence, the protagonist, it's like talking with a best friend about the stuff you don't normally discuss with others. It's akin to being inside someone's head. That name also goes wonderfully well with the rhythm of the author's prose. I found the idea of a blind woman working on cars to be most intriguing (but then, some production workers at facilities that manufacture light sensitive products are required to work in the dark). The only quibble I have is Cadence dwells a bit on things that have happened in her past -- and I probably don't want to feel guilty myself. The gift Cadence receives at book's end leaves you with a comfortable sense of "all is right with the world" and some things should just be. This is Ms. Ure's second book. I have thoroughly enjoyed both, and she is on my list of must reads. I hope you'll agree.

THE FAULT TREE is an especially good book, one of the best I've read in the past year. Louise Ure's use of language makes you stop and reread the last sentence or two. Often. She builds word structures which swirl about your mouth like chocolate-the flavours burst-the shock makes you feel as though you'd been asleep. You eye the words with a new kind of respect. By the time you're well into the book, you're in love with the wordmaster. But it isn't just the clever words which keep you there. I don't read book covers, book flaps or the middle of most book reviews because I don't want to know anything about the characters or the plot-I think the author deserves a blank page with which to entice me into her story. THE FAULT TREE proves the point of this premise: when it's well done, it's magnificent. Within a few paragraphs I was fooled one way and then another, as the author introduced me to the protagonist. THE FAULT TREE has a fine protagonist: acute, sympathetic and determined-and plenty of angst. Louise Ure's fine writing exposes the protagonist's history, along with current storylines, laying out the threads of each tale in long simple strands, then she weaves them into a tapestry rich with colourful motivation, patterns of behaviour, blame and resolution. THE FAULT TREE is not too cozy. Cozy mystery readers don't want to be upset by misfortune falling on people they care about-they want to know this to be true before they start reading. However, a good tale is one which keeps you on the edge of your seat worrying about the safety of people you just met. You will worry about dangers to the protagonist and the people close by. THE FAULT TREE is not too dark. People do die senselessly (after all it is crime fiction) but the story isn't gruesome. Most importantly, the reader doesn't feel ashamed to be human. THE FAULT TREE is just right. Theresa de Valence, Mystery Fiction Reviewer