Gripping thriller (The Shape of Snakes - Minette Walters)

Member Name: byblox

Product:	The Shape of Snakes - Minette Walters
Date:	10/11/08 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Taut, very readable crime fiction

Disadvantages: Could be slightly draining

It really takes a book to grip me to get me to finish it, I've lost count of the books I've bought after reading the blurb that have lost me by the end of the first chapter. I have read quite a few of Minette Walters books, some I finished, some were abandoned but this one does stand out in my memory.

It is a brave step to write about a character that has mental illness as you run risks of making the character unbelievable or a caricature. This novel deals with the death 'Mad Annie', a mental health patient despised by her neighbours and regarded with suspicion in the community. What led to her death? Was Annie hit by a truck and left dying in the street or has someone nearby got away with murder? One woman decides to uncover the truth behind the death of this unmourned woman.

This is a gripping read and it has a twist at the end that literally brought tears to my eyes which is quite a feat. One of Walters best books, it will enthrall and also make you angry that such a case is all too plausible.

Summary: Well crafted crime fiction