The Shape of Snakes - Hardcover

Walters, Minette

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399147330 ISBN 13: 9780399147333

Publisher: Putnam Pub Group, 2001

Synopsis

Twenty years after stumbling upon a black woman--an unpopular recluse known as "Mad Annie"--dying in the gutter, Mrs. Ranelagh continues to believe that the woman had been murdered and spends two deacdes trying to uncover the truth. By the author of The Breaker. 50,000 first printing.

About this title

Review

In 1978, a single black woman known locally as "Mad Annie" lies dying in the roadside. When a verdict of accidental death is recorded, residents of Graham Road, where she lived, breathe a collective sigh of relief. As far as they were concerned Annie Butts was a repellent alcoholic with a foul mouth. It is only Mrs Ranelagh, a young teacher who refuses to accept the court's decision. Something convinced her that Annie was murdered and 20 years later she returns from overseas with enough evidence to reopen the case.

Although the story is narrated by Mrs Ranelagh, the inclusion of much of the documentary evidence she has amassed including photographs, letters and e-mails, gives the reader the freedom to interpret characters and events for themselves. Motivation remains an endless source of fascination for Walters and the presence of several of Mrs Ranelagh's psychiatric reports, ensures that the reasons behind her commitment to the case also remain ambiguous.

Shape of Snakes is a masterful piece of writing that probes deeply into the mind of an isolated, bruised woman, showing remarkable psychological insight. Using her unrivalled talent for characterisation, Walters examines the ease with which we accept the public persona as an accurate representation of the true nature of an individual. In peeling back the layers of this public face, Walters has created a dark and uncomfortable novel--a compelling read that reinforces her position as one of this country's most skilful crime writers. --Sarah Crawford

Review

'A complex psychological story with hidden depths.' -- Maxim Jakubowski, Guardian

'Another intriguing mystery from this top crime writer.' -- Family Circle

'Breaking all the rules of popular fiction, Minette Walters asks as much of her readers as many literary novelists, and yet she offers them a book as gripping as any thriller.' -- Natasha Cooper, Times Literary Supplement

'In just under a decade Minette Walters has built up a reputation for dense, absorbing and intelligent crime fiction. Her seventh novel is as gripping as ever. . . . Watch this woman carefully.' -- Image Magazine

'Minette Walters' seventh novel is quite simply a tour de force . . . it succeeds admirably at almost every level.' -- Peter Guttridge, Observer

'This long-awaited novel from a bestselling pen is probably the most unsettling and complex in the whole, extraordinary Walters canon, stamped more clearly than ever with the hallmark of her furious compassion. The drama stays taut until the last page which may, by the way, make you weep.' -- Frances Fyfield, Sunday Express

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Pub Group
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399147330
• ISBN 13: 9780399147333
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 370