Disordered Minds [Paperback]

Minette Walters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2004

When a local councillor and an anthropologist re-investigate the controversial murder conviction of a mentally retarded 20-year-old, they're unprepared for the disturbing facts that come to light--and the personal demons with which they must come to terms.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Walters (Fox Evil, etc.) delivers another complex tale of murder and deception. In 1970, 20-year-old Howard Stamp is convicted of brutally killing his 57-year-old grandmother with a carving knife; three years later, he commits suicide in prison. In 2002, London anthropologist Jonathan Hughes includes the Stamp case in his book, Disordered Minds, which examines infamous miscarriages of justice. The mentally slow Stamp may have been coerced into confessing to the murder. George (Georgina) Gardener, an elderly councilor living in Stamp's hometown of Bournemouth, has come to believe in Stamp's innocence herself and asks Jonathan for help in clearing the young man's name. The two get off to a rocky start, but they form an uneasy alliance that gradually grows into a deep friendship. Watching this relationship develop is one of the novel's more entertaining aspects. Walters uses to good effect the multiple viewpoints of her numerous characters, as well as flashbacks, letters, newspaper articles and e-mails to reveal the truth behind the decades-old murder. However, as in life, there are no easy answers, and although the ending may disappoint some, it caps perfectly all that has come before it.
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Review

"A powerful, acute, and vivid work from a staggeringly talented writer."
-- The Observer (London) (Doody Enterprises ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (December 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425199355
• ISBN-13: 978-0425199350
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "C+" Effort From an "A" Student, May 27, 2006

By 

A Discerning Reader (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disordered Minds (Paperback)

Walters is a passionate storyteller, and she always infuses her plots with complex social and family conflicts in an engaging manner. The characters in all her novels are quite interesting, and they each have a ring of truth and vulnerability that makes them appealing to us readers.

The reasons people might not call this their favorite MW book:

--Plot is too convoluted. There are so many characters telling so many different versions of these events! After a while, you get a little frustrated trying to keep it all organized in your mind (although you have to admire Walters for being able to keep it all straight herself).

--Weak ending. Although the pertinent questions in the novel are answered, they trickle in at the last few pages in as weak a manner as possible. There's no satisfying comeuppance for any of the guilty parties.

--Suspects' garrulousness. All the people who were present for the tragic events in 1970 Bournemouth feel compelled to answer our nosy protagonists' questions and accusations. If Roy, Priscilla, or any of the others had been sensible, they would have just said "Huh--I'd like to help, but I'm busy right now."

--Foolish political diatribe. For no reason whatsoever, Walters has one of her characters (George--was that ironic, Minny?) spew silly anti-Bush/Blair emesis on a few pages. It has nothing to do with the plot, and it just makes her seem like a foaming, impractical, and close-minded liberal.

She's Minette Walters, and she's great. Her books have psychological credibility and almost always grip you with an unshakable chill of foreboding until you reach the last page. This one wasn't one of her best, but I'm still keeping my eye out for her next release, The Tinder Box.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Monotonous and verbose - not the usual Minette Walters fare!, October 12, 2005

By 

Linda A. Widmer (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disordered Minds (Paperback)

I agree with those in the majority who have reviewed this book. It was a terribly boring story and hard to follow at times. I am a huge Minette Walters fan. In my opinion, she's right up there with Ruth Rendell. She normally writes very captivating stories with a true storyteller's touch but this veered off in quite a different direction than anything else I have read by her. The word by word e-mails from one character to another were dreadful. I found myself skimming over them. It appeared to me that they were put there to take up page space because they certainly were not there to enrich the story or provide anything of interest. There wasn't even really a mystery here. It was obvious what was going on right away. I did not care for this book one bit. The two star rating is because I do love this author and one star would just be shameful (although two stars seems generous).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading, weak last 3rd, May 10, 2005

By 

Paul S "Paul" (Portland OR area) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Disordered Minds (Paperback)

As has been said, this isn't Walter's best book or top third. But it's worth reading for the interplay between Jon and George, who could be further pursued as characters in the future. But the last third of the book leaves much dropped or weakly resolved and lacking in drama. So read it for the characters and the change in writing styles. It's not boring, just a disheartening ending.
Sure doesn't compare to Elizabeth George..