Wednesday, February 6, 2008

"The Fault Tree"

Louise Ure is the Shamus Award-winning author of Forcing Amaryllis.

She applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, The Fault Tree, and reported the following:
How do you catch a killer if you can't see him? How do you know he's not waiting beside you right now? We can all imagine that frightening scenario, thanks to Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark.

But I wanted to tell the story with a protagonist for the 21st century. A woman with more skills and less vulnerability. More grit and less guilt, even if she has to push herself to be brave every step of the way. A woman who could be the hero of her own story.

The Fault Tree tells the tale of Cadence Moran, a blind female auto mechanic in Arizona who is the only witness to a murder. And page 69 of the novel gives good insight to her character. It's a short page; the end of a chapter, and only seven sentences long. Cadence was almost run down by the killer's car as he fled the scene of the murder. In this scene, she's talking to her cousin, Kevin, who is worried about her being out on the street alone.

“I can't start using you as a taxi service; I'd never get comfortable out by myself again. And I don't think I'm in any danger. Juanita said the cops think it was a robbery gone bad. I'll make sure I keep the doors locked.” I didn't have the luxury of being afraid of the dark.

Kevin called the girls in to dinner, and they talked in whispers while I located each portion of the plate with my finger. I wish I could have found my courage as easily.
Watch the video trailer for The Fault Tree, and learn more about the author and her work at Louise Ure's website.

Visit the complete list of books in the Page 69 Test Series.

--Marshal Zeringue