Tangled Web UK Review December 2007
The Chameleon's Shadow by
Minette Walters
hbk out September 07
Published by Macmillan
at £17.99
This is the twelfth novel from the pen of a distinguished author dubbed by her
publishers as 'England's bestselling female crime writer' (which puts her ahead not
only of Christie but also of Rendell and James.) As often, her book opens with a
newspaper clipping, this time reporting the murder of a 71 year old retired civil
servant, beaten to death in south London. We are then immediately transported to
Iraq, where a roadside bombing results in death, and the serious disfigurement of Lt.
Charles Acland. We follow Acland's slow and agonising adjustment to life back in
England; he is a complex character who puzzles his medical advisers and it seems
that, shortly before the bombing, he endured an acrimonious and violent parting from
his girlfriend, Jen Morley, a small-time actress who bears a resemblance to Una
Thurman. When Acland becomes embroiled in a pub brawl, he is helped by the pub's
co-owner, a bulky lesbian weightlifter called Jackson who happens to be an out of
hours locum doctor. As the police investigation into a series of murders, possibly
motivated by homophobia, gathers pace, Acland enters the frame. Yet Jackson can't
help feeling a strange sympathy for him, and the relationship between this odd couple
is the heart of the book. The plot is soundly constructed and involves neat
misdirection, although the culprit is guessable at a relatively early point. This is a
novel where the characterisation of Acland, Jackson and Jen Morley takes centre
stage, and it is – as usual with Minette Walters – very readable indeed.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
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