Customer Reviews

The Shape of Snakes, a Mystery Novel.

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I've enjoyed the dramatizations of British mystery writer Minette Walters' previous novels, and I was, therefore, looking forward to finally reading one; I must say, I was not disappointed. The Shape of Snakes is a well-written and, frankly, unputdownable novel. The story captures the reader's attention and interest right from the start. As it progresses, the characters take shape and the mystery becomes increasingly complex with a good many twists and surprises before the final pieces are in place.

The story takes place in the first person. Briefly, and without giving anything away, the narrator (known to us only as M. Ranelagh) had in 1978 discovered the body of her neighbour Annie (a disabled black woman) as Annie lay dying in the gutter in front of M's house. Not satisfied with the coroner's verdict, we find that M has spent the last 20 or so years amassing evidence in support of her belief as to what really happened to Annie.

Though the story is told through the less-than-objective eyes of one of the characters, Walters has counterbalanced this obvious bias in a highly effective (and indeed original) manner by including "copies" of letters, newspaper clippings, e-mails, reports, and so on in between most of the chapters.

Lest anyone be offended or upset, I ought to mention that there are, unfortunately, fairly graphic descriptions of cruelty to cats which some may find quite distressing (I certainly did and frankly skipped over much of the description). If you are able to withstand the cruelty, however, this is definitely a novel worth reading, for it is an extremely satisfying and masterfully-written mystery. At the core of the story are the related issues of racism, ignorance and intolerance, and Walters succeeds in evoking her readers' emotions and making us think; yet she manages to do so (at least in my opinion) without making us thoroughly depressed in the process. Don't misunderstand me. This novel is somewhat disturbing, not to mention unsettling, and many of the despicable attitudes and actions (toward both humans and cats) can only be described, quite frankly, as evil. Nevertheless, there is still that ever-so-important redeeming element of good that occasionally manages to punctuate the darkness--even if it is only a feeling of remorse or a simple act of kindness.

In conclusion, if you enjoy intelligent, realistic, thought-provoking mysteries--if you enjoy the Prime Suspect television series for example--you'll enjoy this novel. It's certainly one of the best mysteries I've read. Highly recommended!

Minette Walters writes an absorbing mystery that revolves around the death of a woman in the late 70's in an English neighborhood. There is only one person who is convinced that the death is not an accident, but a vicious racially motivated crime of hate. This main character nearly looses her mind in the following days, and weeks. To save her marriage and her mind, she moves out of the country, but she never forgets about the woman who died. Twenty years later she and her family return to England, and her purpose is to prove that it was murder and catch the killer. She has spent the twenty years carefully gathering information and evidence, and now begins to move her information and those involved like chess pieces in order to attain her goal. Was the investigation done improperly due to the racial prejudice of the police in charge? Was the murderer one person or several? Who was involved in trying to cover up evidence ranging from theft, animal cruelty, adultery, rape, child abuse and more. The question arises, is she in it for justice or for revenge and why? Minette Walters includes letters, notes and e-mails and other correspondence in each chapter of her novel, which while at first glance was a bit disconcerting, began to make you feel a part of the discovery process. Bit by bit each character is revealed in an ever changing light, revealing their past, their motive and their part in the death of the neighborhood woman.

The near obsessive need to solve a murder and see that justice is done is the premise for Minette Walters' latest thought-provoking novel. The murder is that of a local black woman known by her neighbours as "Mad Annie". She was an alcoholic who also suffered from Tourette's syndrome and was the victim of her neighbours hate and derision because she was different. Although her death appeared to be accidental, one neighbour isn't convinced and begins a quest that almost costs her marriage, her sanity and, certainly, her job.

This is not a cheery, happy-go-lucky, breezy mystery full of feel-good moments. Some pretty polarising issues are highlighted in the telling of this story. Racism, animal cruelty, child and spousal abuse and ignorance towards mental illness are all dealt with. It's a provocative mystery that examines the darker human failings that most of us would prefer to ignore by pretending they don't exist, and no apologies are made.

On top of the social commentary is a very well put together mystery with a long list of possible suspects. Like all good mysteries, the murderer could be just about anyone and isn't revealed until right at the end. The twists in the case are typical Walters as we're fed information, one tantalising piece at a time.

The death of Ann Butts "Mad Annie", a black woman with Tourette's Syndrome in November of 1978 is the fulcrum of this tale told twenty years later by the narrator, Mrs. Ranelagh. Though death was ruled "death by misadventure," Mrs. Ranelagh is certain it was murder. Her obsession with the death of a woman she barely knew leaves the reader doubtful of her credibility and sets the tone of this ambitious novel.

Ms. Walters is the past master of designing all of her well-drawn characters with shades of deniability. We are never allowed to assure ourselves that any one character is the hero and has right and might on his or her side. The neighborhood of Graham Road where Miss Butts lived and died was a mixed bag of up and coming young couples, retirees, and a few families that were on the dole. We come to know them well. Some are vicious, violent bigots or appear to be, some are secret and not-so-secret philanderers, and all have reasons to not be forthcoming about the events leading to Miss Butts' death. Mrs. Ranelagh seems the most straightforward, but we doubt her stability and motives.

The cruelty and persecution that Miss Butts endured is hard to stomach; I was wrenched with pity. In this respect, the book is difficult to read. However, Ms. Walters wends her way in such an absorbing manner, giving us a new puzzle or twist every few pages that we constantly have to shift our preconceptions and let her lead us where she will. Once involved in her tale, she has you hooked.

"The Shape of Snakes" meets and sometimes exceeds Ms. Walters' previous fine books. She takes on social issues and makes them an integral part of this story. For new readers, you are in for a fine read. For those familiar with Ms. Walters' excellent work, you will not be disappointed.

I picked up "The Shape of Snakes" at the library yesterday afternoon. I thought I would sit down and read a few chapters before I started dinner. At 9:00 my daughter came in and said "I'm hungry. Are we EVER going to eat?" I told her she could dial the phone as well as I could.
I literally did not put this book down until I finished it. I have always liked Minette Walters' books, but this one is by far the best. I won't synopsize the plot, as that has already been done - but it is riveting. I've rarely read anything as disturbing as this book, and it is a credit to Walters' skill as a writer that it is so disturbing. It brought to my mind Hannah Arendt's quote about the banality of evil. I've read many novels where the crime was more vicious and the characters more twisted, but I've not read many novels that affected me so deeply. The title is perfect - you will change your mind about almost all the people in this novel, including the protaganist "M", at least once before the end.
One thing that I have found interesting about the reviews I've read is how many people were deeply put off by the cruelty to cats in the book. When you think about other very popular novels, like those by Thomas Harris, where humans are flayed, eaten, tortured and generally mutilated beyond recognition, you realize that a truly good writer does not have to go over the top to shock, and that evil starts with small acts. I would recommend this book not only to mystery fans, but to anyone interested in a great novel about the nature of justice, the need for revenge, and the difference between bad behavior and evil behavior.

Minette Walters is undoubtedly a very talented author, and her ability to write a truly chilling crime mystery which keeps you guessing to the end makes all of her books very entertaining.

And I must say I enjoyed the style of writing in this book very much. I like the way she intersperses the story with letters, e-mails, medical and police reports and the like. It all adds texture and interest to the story. But then we are faced with the choice of the topic, and this is no simple murder mystery. In this book she deals with all the horror of things that human beings can do to one another, and strong medicine it is too. As such, I have given this book 3 stars instead of 5 that I would normally have given for style and skill in narration.

The subject matter is vile. There is prejudice, bigotry, hatred and violence in all of its ugly glory, and it sickened me. I have read many books with equally graphic horrors without bother - perhaps it is a testament to Ms Walter's writing skills that it got to me so effectively. The end of the book is utterly heart rending and shocking and stayed with me for days.

Well, you might say, it is a murder mystery. Surely all such stories are ugly by definition? Perhaps, but with this one Ms Walters has outdone herself, and despite her undoubted writing skills and ability to tell a tale, this is quite a difficult book to read and feel comfortable with.

I found this to be of no literary value. The dialogue was so presumptuous and strait out of a bad soap opera.
The plot was silly and I really did not feel any sympathy for any of the characters. The animal cruelty was ramptant through out the book and most of it was very unnecessary to the plot, but the author seems to have the need to go on and on with the subject of torturing cats and uses this as shock value but it only makes her as a writer and a person appear to be mentally disturbed. I can not recommend this book.

As much as I have liked all her other books, I had to put this one down without finishing. The animal abuse made my blood run cold. I just hope I can get the images out of my mind. Do NOT read this if you are an animal lover.

Walters is an unusually good writer in the genre, she creates beleivable characters who stay with you, and her plotting is simply excellent. That said, a serious warning for cat lovers--there are pages and pages of grotesque, gratuitous cat torture in this book. It's essential to the plot, but the author's semi-pathological relish in detailing all the torture over and over makes this book impossible reading for anyone who truly cares about cats. (The author also unintentionally reveals her rather warped moral sensibilities by having the heroine happily put her teen age children in harm's way, and has both heroine and hero- husband use physical violence as evidence of their upstanding character. Very odd woman, this Walters. I would much rather read her than meet her.)

Need to find a book for the summer that features a strong and resilient female protagonist and with plot premise that will not only blow your mind, but whose resolution will leave you literally reeling for quite a while? Then definitely, "The Shape of Snakes" by Minette Walters is the book for you. This novel is on my list of the best mystery novels that I've read so far, along with "The River of Darkness" by Rennie Airth, and "A Place of Execution" by Val MacDermid. One of the reasons why I found this novel so wonderfully remarkable is because this book boasts of one of the most intriguing and compelling of heroine-investigators that I've ever come across. We know her only as 'M' and little else, not much of a physical description (though we do learn that she is quite good looking), not much of a character description (although we do learn to admire her drive and determination), and very little historical background. So that her almost obsessive quest to discover what really happened to poor Annie Butts (the murdered black woman), not only makes us respect her but makes us question her agenda. At one point in the novel, another character describes her as a rather frightening woman, and I quite understood this character's point-of-view: I for one would never want to be on the wrong side of M!

The plot is a deceptively simple one. In 1978, Annie Butts is found dead in front of the street she lives on. Everyone is keen to pass the death off as an accidental one. Only M refuses to join the ranks; she's sure that poor Annie was murdered. However the hostile reaction of M's neighbours, the police, and her own husband's lack of support, together with the strain that all this hostility and harassment is having on M's own mental well-being, causes M to back down. However, M never forgot what happened to Annie or to her, and slowly, bidding her time, M waits for the perfect opportunity to reinvestigate Annie's death. Twenty years later, M's patience pays off. Armed with all the information that she has slowly been collecting over the years, and with a new sense of inner peace and determination, M openly starts asking questions and rattling her old 'friends' and her own husband's sense of well-being. Why does M need to discover what really happened to Annie? As the novel and investigation unfolds, we come to understand part of the reason why M is so determined to uncover the truth. But just when you think you know everything and what motivates M, Minette Walters punches you in the guts by ending the novel in a truly poignant manner, that is almost soul ripping (at least it was for me).

"The Shape of Snakes" is a hard and honest look at hatred and fear, and how people who would never think of themselves as prejudiced, allow for such emotions to flourish is society, because few are willing to stand up and take a stand. The novel is masterfully written novel, and is a truly excellent and haunting read.