From Publishers Weekly
British author Cooper brings back her feisty barrister Trish Maguire (first seen in Creeping Ivy). Trish is in the midst of trying a harrowing child sexual abuse cases when Kara Huggate, a social worker who was supposed to testify on behalf of Trish's client, turns up dead. At first it seems as if Kara might have been the victim of a serial rapist at work in the Kingsford area, but as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that the woman was deliberately targeted by someone. Although Trish is reluctant to get involved, when a final letter from Kara inspires her to help a disgraced accountant named Blair Collons, she finds herself inexorably drawn into the circumstances surrounding Kara's death. Although sometimes stiff and awkwardly written, this book--part police procedural and part amateur detective story (Trish seems to accomplish more by stumbling into things than actually working through the problem logically)--manages to weave, in the end, an intricate puzzle. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Kingsford attorney Trish Maguire (Creeping Ivy, 1999) is in shock, grieving over the death of her friend Kate Huggate, a social worker who sometimes helped Trish with juvenile court cases. Kate has been brutally raped and murdered, in a manner reminiscent of a string of unsolved attacks over time on five victims who survived and one who didnt. Chief Inspector William Femur, drafted from the major Investigation Pool with his own staff, is determined to solve the case and perhaps nab the Kingsford Rapist as well. Meanwhile, Trish is trying to cope with ex-accountant Blair Collonsa neurotic, quivering mass of fear and grief, who loved Kate and had been helping with her investigation of local politics. Collons wants Trish to help him verify Kates suspicions of the Town Councils unsavory involvement in property sales and ground contamination. Kate had told him, too, of seeing Michael Napton, chief planning officer of the Council, in a huddle with Martin Drakeshill, shifty garage- owner, and Sergeant Spinel, a drug squad officer. By the time Femur, with much help, wraps up the case, Kates murder is solved; the Kingsford Rapist is brought to bay; and life in Kingsford is a lot healthier. The plotting is complex, with a convincing cast topped by the pathetic Collons. A few dull patches, but reasonably entertaining overall. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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 Kingsford 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 copy cat.

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.