From Publishers Weekly
If this fourth offering in Cooper's series featuring British barrister Trish Maguire (after 2000's Prey to All) maintained its initial oomph, it would be a superb mystery. Alas, it comes up short in the end, as if the author was in the dark about how to wind up the busy plot. Responding to screeching tires and a woman's cry for help, Trish dashes from her London flat to find the driver hysterical and a seriously injured young boy pinned beneath the car. After an emergency team rushes the youngster to a hospital, Trish checks on his condition and discovers not only that she and the lad have an uncanny resemblance but that her name and address were sewn inside his clothes. Terrified, the boy refuses to divulge any information, so Trish does some investigating on her own. Trish's violent and philandering father, Paddy, left Trish and her mother while Trish was still small. Could this be his child? The relationship between Paddy Maguire and his daughter, only reestablished a few years earlier, is still rocky, but Trish must know the truth even if it means destroying still-fragile ties. A stressful court case, a miscarriage and a significant other muddy an otherwise excellent brew. Doing further damage to the story are the absolute tunnel vision of Chief Inspector Lakeshaw, who investigates the brutal murder of the boy's mother, and late and implausible developments involving the thuggish Mikey Handsome and his dear old granny, Lil. (Aug. 26) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
London family barrister Trish Maguire (Fault Lines) struggles to learn the identity of a boy injured in a car accident outside her building. It seems he looks just like her and has her name sewn in his clothing. A riveting read. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
When a child is hit by a car in front of Trish McGuire's home, the London lawyer is naturally upset. But the accident has nothing to do with Trish . . . or has it? Her name is sewn into the boy's clothes, and he claims that his mother told him Trish would take care of him. He won't say more and seems terrified of everyone except Trish. With the biggest case of her legal career just days away, this complication is the last thing Trish needs. Still, she's determined to learn more about the boy. But her investigation screeches to a halt when her father is accused of murder. Eventually, Trish begins to suspect a disturbing connection between her dad and the injured child, and she suddenly finds herself in a world where her previous beliefs are challenged, and the people she trusted betray her. Reminiscent of Ruth Rendell's psychological thrillers, Cooper's latest is dark and compelling, with mesmerizing plot twists, a compassionate but tough-minded heroine, and a surprise ending. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
An eight-year-old boy comes running out of the dark to find barrister Trish Maguire one wet Sunday night. Just before he can reach her, he's knocked over by a skidding car. Fighting to save his life, the rescue team finds Trish's name and address sewn into the boy's clothes. The police are convinced that he must be her son-but Trish knows he can't be. Is he connected with one of her clients? Could he be a blood relation? And who has sent him to Trish?

Recovering from a miscarriage, about to go to court with a career-changing commercial case, and missing her partner, George, who is 5,000 miles away, the last thing Trish wants is responsibility for a lost boy. But there is no one else. Her search for the boy's identity takes her to a brutal inner-city housing project, where she has to confront not only the reality of life for the poor and destitute, but also many of her own fears. News of a particularly brutal murder reaches her, and within hours she learns that her erratic father is the chief suspect. It will take all her resolution and integrity to pick her way through this maze.

The gulfs between rich and poor-and between the heroically honest and those for whom life and the law are always negotiable-rip off the last of Trish's self-protective blinders. There are choices to be made and lives to be saved.

Out of the Dark is a touching and gripping novel that looks unflinchingly at crime's most devastating consequences.



About the Author
Natasha Cooper lives in England, where she has served as chairman of the Crime Writers' Association. She reviews books for several newspapers and journals in London, and she is the author of the Willow King mystery series.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"An eight-year-old boy comes running out of the dark to find barrister Trish Maguire one wet Sunday night. Just before he can reach her, he's knocked over by a skidding car. Fighting to save his life, the rescue team finds Trish's name and address sewn into the boy's clothes. The police are convinced that he must be her son - but Trish knows he can't be. Is he connected with one of her clients? Could he be a blood relation? And who has sent him to Trish?" "Recovering from a miscarriage, about to go to court with a career-changing commercial case, and missing her partner, George, who is five thousand miles away, the last thing Trish wants is responsibility for a lost boy. But there is no one else. Her search for the boy's identity takes her to a brutal inner-city housing project, where she has to confront not only the reality of life for the poor and destitute, but also many of her own fears. News of a particularly grisly murder reaches her, and within hours she learns that her erratic father is the chief suspect. It will take all her resolution and integrity to pick her way through this maze." The gulfs between rich and poor - and between the heroically honest and those for whom life and the law are always negotiable - rip off the last of Trish's self-protective blinders. There are choices to be made and lives to be saved.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

If this fourth offering in Cooper's series featuring British barrister Trish Maguire (after 2000's Prey to All) maintained its initial oomph, it would be a superb mystery. Alas, it comes up short in the end, as if the author was in the dark about how to wind up the busy plot. Responding to screeching tires and a woman's cry for help, Trish dashes from her London flat to find the driver hysterical and a seriously injured young boy pinned beneath the car. After an emergency team rushes the youngster to a hospital, Trish checks on his condition and discovers not only that she and the lad have an uncanny resemblance but that her name and address were sewn inside his clothes. Terrified, the boy refuses to divulge any information, so Trish does some investigating on her own. Trish's violent and philandering father, Paddy, left Trish and her mother while Trish was still small. Could this be his child? The relationship between Paddy Maguire and his daughter, only reestablished a few years earlier, is still rocky, but Trish must know the truth even if it means destroying still-fragile ties. A stressful court case, a miscarriage and a significant other muddy an otherwise excellent brew. Doing further damage to the story are the absolute tunnel vision of Chief Inspector Lakeshaw, who investigates the brutal murder of the boy's mother, and late and implausible developments involving the thuggish Mikey Handsome and his dear old granny, Lil. (Aug. 26) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal