The Breaker [Paperback]

Minette Walters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

Why was Mary killed, and her daughter, a witness, allowed to live? Why weren't they together, and why had Mary willingly boarded a boat when she had a terror of drowning at sea? Police suspicion centres both on a young actor, and the murdered woman's husband.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The nude body of a 31-year-old woman washes up in a secluded cove on the Dorset coast; at the same time, her 3-year-old daughter is found wandering alone in the streets of a nearby town. The woman, Kate Sumner, was raped and choked before being thrown into the water, and traces of Rohypnol, the so-called date-rape drug, are found in her bloodstream. There are just three suspects in the crime: Kate's husband, William Sumner, a tortured and sexually frustrated man; a handsome, charming but also very disturbed young actor named Steven Harding; and Tony Bridges, a teacher whose friendship with Harding is complicated by jealousy and anger.

Out of these basic ingredients, Minette Walters--the reigning alchemist of the British psychological thriller--has spun another complicated story of passion and repression. In the introduction to the reviewer's edition, Walters says: "Each character is portrayed in depth, and the solution lies in understanding what goes on inside their heads." This is true, up to a point. But what Walters doesn't mention is the sly, slow, and occasionally devious way she doles out the information needed to reach that understanding. You have to weigh the evidence of tidal charts and forensic tests. You must also decide whether the little lies of the characters add up to a big guilt. It's a plausible ending, but you may feel a bit manipulated. Other examples of Walters's alchemy: The Dark Room, The Echo, The Ice House, The Scold's Bridle. --Dick Adler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Walters's novels (The Echo, 1997, etc.) depict complex, fallible people caught in intricate plots whose course and solution defy guesswork. Here, a woman's body washes up on the Dorset coast; then a toddler is found wandering alone in the nearby town of Poole. Initially, the investigation identifies two suspects, later a third, with both the police and the reader unable to establish definite means and opportunity, although all three suspects have motives. The dead woman, Kate SumnerAwho had been raped and strangled, her fingers broken before she drownedAwas chameleonlike: a greedy, malicious social climber, but an attentive wife and loving mother. Her husband may be a browbeaten yet adoring spouse, but his child fears him and his alibi is questionable. One suspect, Steven Harding, is a self-absorbed, sex-obsessed actor and a compulsive liar, but there's little evidence of his rumored affair with Kate. His friend Tony Bridges is a respected high school chemistry teacher with a heavy dope habit and a yen for his female students. The local constable, Nick Ingram, whose lack of ambition hides a probing mind and sharp insights into the human psyche, is immersed in the perplexing case. His investigation reacquaints him with stableyard owner Maggie Jenner, whose marriage to a confidence man shattered her family and its fortune, for which she unreasonably holds Nick responsible; Maggie and Nick's slow, witty courtship is one of the great pleasures of the novel. Each time the police develop a strong case against one suspect, the evidence shifts, pointing to another. Finally, a clever analysis of events and of human motivation leads them to the guilty party. This is psychological suspense at its best, engendered in a novel whose sinuous plot and enigmatic characters will captivate readers as surely as newfound love.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Jove; First Edition edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515128821
• ISBN-13: 978-0515128826
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Only for Fans, August 21, 2000

By 

kanga (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Breaker (Paperback)

If you have never read a Minette Walters books before, this is an excellent introduction to her writing. If you have read any of her other books, you will not be disappointed with "The Breaker".

From the moment you settle down and read the first chapter, you will find an exploration that you won't want to put down. The mastery of Walters' style is shown here as the story quickly devolves down to only two main suspects, yet the suspense is held to the very end.

Definitely a miss-your-stop commuting read!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my favorite of walter's books, so far...., August 25, 2000

By 

"jessica-bklyn" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Breaker (Paperback)

i have now read all of minette walter's books that i could get my hands on, and this was definitely my favorite. everytime you think you know who did it, something changes your mind. i also enjoyed how the different characters evolved throughout the novel. this one (like her others) i couldn't put down til i got to the end. i can't wait til she comes out with another book! one of my favorite things about her books is the way she writes statements in different typefaces, so you always differentiate who is narrating. another is that she always has a map at the front, which i tend to refer back to, just to keep a more accurate track of what's going on. i highly recommend this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well executed ....., August 11, 2001

By 

"janmcalex" (Humboldt, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Breaker (Paperback)

Minette Walters offers us the tale of a young woman whose nude and battered body is found washed ashore from the sea while her young toddler daughter is found wandering alone in a nearby village. As events unfold we learn about the suspects: her obsessive research scientist husband and the self-obsessed actor who summoned police to her body. Throw in pornography, drugs, scuzzy friends, and a blossoming romance for the local policeman and you've got the recipe for a well-rounded whodunit.

This was a relatively quick read, but, as with all murder mysteries, details were important. I confess I wasn't certain about the killer's identity until the end. The plot was evenly paced and the personalities of the various characters were well presented.