Book Review: The Shape of Snakes

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

The Shape of Snakes     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Minette Walters
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Macmillan; 2000; £16.99; 380 pp

Classification: Adult fiction (crime)

Minette Walters' newest novel is set in November 1978. A black woman, known as Mad Annie, dies in a gutter. Despised by her neighbours, nobody would have missed her, but when a young woman finds her, she believes that Annie was murdered. Why does she think Annie was murdered and why has she spent 20 years investigating the case?

Walters receives a lot of praise in the crime world for her novels and with this one, she is going to get a whole lot more. 'The Shape of Snakes' is easily her best novel yet and is excellent. Her characters are intriguing and she knows how to make them as human as possible, believable and with proper reactions and behaviour. They are truly interesting.

Her plotting is superb and she brilliantly creates a picture of a small British street gripped by racism and other discrimination. I liked the little touch of having photos in the book and letters, written in a font designed to represent handwriting. The identity of the killer is a surprise and one that I certainly did not see coming.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com