The Fault Tree

A car mechanic is the only witness to the escape of a couple of killers from a small-scale robbery gone wrong. What the killers don't know is that the witness is blind. Not that it matters - she still can provide useful information to the police about their vehicle. As she dodges their attempts to silence her, she copes with long-term guilt that the accident that led to her blindness also caused her niece's death. The image of a fault tree - a form of analysis to see how failures in a system are interlinked - is a neat metaphor for the book. The hapless killers (particularly one of them) are portrayed sensitively, and the characters in general are well drawn. The "fem jep" nature of the plot is offset by the interesting character who show more has a strong independent streak (you'd have to, to work as a blind car mechanic) and the ending fuses those together so that it's not just over the top, it flies exuberantly right over Mount Everest. show less

I keep saying I don't really like thrillers and then I keep reading and enjoying the ones that come my way. I enjoyed [b:The Fault Tree|2345923|The Fault Tree|Louise Ure|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gfp1cpnnL._SL75_.jpg|2352633] primarily because of the spunky protagonist, a woman auto mechanic who has been blind for several years. When she is knocked down by a car on her way home from work one night, she is drawn into a murder investigation. With changing points of view and chapters of varying lengths, Ure blends the amateur sleuth with police procedural and gives us some insights into the mind of one of the criminals as well. I stayed up far too late finishing this book; I have to note that my spouse didn't care for it show more quite as much, partly because of the psychological problems of the protagonist. show less

I received this book as a contest prize.I'm going toLeft Coast Crime 2009, and they've been giving away books by some of the authors who will be attending.

I'd never read a book by Louise Ure before, and I was absolutely mesmerized. This is actually her second novel (the first was Forcing Amaryllis). Both are stand-alones, not part of a series.

The protagonist of The Fault Tree is Cadence Moran, an auto mechanic who has been blind since she was in a car accident eight years earlier. Her 3-year-old niece was killed in the accident, and Cadence has been unable to forgive herself.

Walking home from work late one evening, Cadence is clipped by a car. Although not seriously hurt, she is bruised and shaken, and her hand-carved cane is broken. show more Assuming it was just an accident, she doesn't report the incident, and goes on with her routine.

The next day, she is visited by homicide detectives who are investigating the murder of one of her elderly neighbours in a presumed robbery about the same time as she was hit. Initially reluctant to get involved, Cadence changes her mind when she is attacked again, presumably by the robbers who think she was a witness to the crime.

Cadence is a strong, self-sufficient woman, and her refusal to give in to whoever is stalking her is inspiring and riveting. This is one of those books that I could have read straight through without putting it down if my eyes hadn't kept trying to close. I'm definitely going to look for Forcing Amaryllis as well as Ure's third book Liars Anonymous, to be released April 14. show less

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 show more 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 be forth coming.

Entering the police station, accompanied by an officer, she counts the steps to the elevator. But upon exiting, there were too many turns to remember. Keenly aware, she focuses on voices, and cologne. The interview was short and sweet. Cadence new 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 over whelming. Just when the case is surly solved, they are back at square one. When they turn to Candace and her heightened senses for assistance, they discover more than they bargained for.

The Fault Tree is non stop action! show less

Cadence Moran is an auto mechanic that was blinded in a car accident. The accident also killed her neice. While leaving her job one night she was "witness" to murderers leaving the scene. They see her, but don't know she is blind. After two near misses of a hit and run driver, she realizes the killers are after her. They finally successfully kidnap her and one of her neices and the hunt is on for them.

dramatic good book. Wondered how accurate the description of the blind lady's behaviour was. But I only know 4-5 blind people.

Arizona auto mechanic Cadence Moran is no stranger to darkness. Eight years ago, she was blinded in a horrific car accident that also took the life of her three-year-old niece. When she is almost run down by a speeding car on the way home from work, Cadence at first thinks that she is the victim of road rage or a bad driver. The chilling truth is much worse: Cadence is the only witness to the murder of her elderly neighbor, and now the killer believes that she's seen the getaway car.