Saxton Reads! & Reviews

****reviewed by CarolK

I'm a latecomer and new fan of Minette Walters. I don't know how I missed her many award winning crime novels, but in the short time since I discovered them, all I can say is I'm hooked. Lucky for me Walters has written thirteen novels thus far so I've got lots to choose from. The latest, Chameleon's Shadow is a winner. It all begins when Lieutenant Charles Acland is sent home from Iraq after a bombing in which two of his friends are killed in action. Prior to his tour he broke up with his girlfriend Jen, who bears a striking resemblance to Uma Thurman As if these events are not enough to alter his life, the bombing has left him horribly disfigured and he is suffering from amnesia as well. It soon becomes apparent to the hospital staff and his psychiatrist that Ackland has problems with his parents, women, is experiencing guilt over the loss of his friends and sports a violent temper to boot. To add to the misery of his life, when he is finally released from the hospital the London newspapers begin reporting the deaths of several gay men. As Acland recovers he becomes a person of interest in the deaths and the reader must decide whether he is responsible. Walter's provides lots of other well drawn suspects who could be the murderer. The dialog between the main characters is tops and the location is right on. Acland is an excellently fleshed out character and the term chameleon fits him perfectly.

Walters uses some of the same tools to tell the tale as she does in many of her other books. Diaries, letters, news clippings; all appear in their original form as part of the story. It's makes me feel more part of the whole, like I'm truly present and involved in the story as more than a spectator. Chameleon's Shadow includes sexual violence, explores the mores of social breakdown in a gritty fashion and is a full of rich detail. Some fans feel this is not her best work. I only have a couple under my belt to judge by and this one was satisfying for me.

I like that Walter's has no series character so I can choose the order in which to read the stories without losing anything, except perhaps her growth as a writer from when she was first published in 1992 to today. I'm looking forward to trying another. While visiting her website I learned that her first 5 books have been made into BBC television movies, only to be disappointed to find out they were only released in Region 2 format and not able to be played on most dvd players owned here in the US. I'm hoping the BBC will consider re-releasing them so we can enjoy them or that I'm lucky enough to catch them in reruns on TV.