Rating: 
Summary: interesting, if a bit underbaked
Review: I particularly enjoy mysteries set in the UK, written by women, e.g. Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George, Agatha Christie, so I was intrested when a friend suggested Minette Walters' "The Breaker". I enjoyed her rather segmented format even though it seemed like a TV mini-series. But I was ultimately unconvinced by her attempts to explain the motives and character of the murderer. Yeah, I figured it was probably him, but the why of it just didn't wash. However, I like her style enough to begin at the beginning and read all her mysteries. And I suppose that's really what it's all about...
Rating: 
Summary: Heading Downhill
Review: Starting with "the Sculptress", and "The Ice House", Minette Walters established herself at the very top of distinctive mystery writers. That seems like a long time ago. Since then, either she no longer has the time, the will, or the inspiration to maintain that initial burst of quality. Each successive book takes her further away from her great start and closer to the general pool of mediocrity inhabited by the vast majority of authors in this genre. "The Breaker" was, by far, the worst book of her career.
Rating:
Summary: Well written but unsatisying mystery
Review: Walter's characters and settings are well developed and intriguing but the book starts to go downhill at the middle. There are only two major suspects and basically the author just flip flops between the two making each suspect appear to be the most likely culprit. This grows quite tiresome by the end and although Walters does a fantastic job at character development, the book could have benefited by being cut by about 100 pages. Most of the major intiguing elements of the story, such as why the victim had her fingers broken, turn out to mean nothing at all. Most mysteries have me racing toward the end of the book at the last 100 pages. It took me three nights to finish this one because I was so tired of these characters. Definately not one of the author's best.
Rating:
Summary: What happened to Minette Walters?
Review: From the ICE HOUSE forward, I have looked forward to all Minette Walters' books, but this one really turned me off. There was not one character that I could relate to, like or even understand. It was even hard to empathize with the toddler. I'm not afraid of gritty books, but there was something about this one that was creepy and disgusting in the extreme. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: I usually love Minette Walters, but the Breaker....
Review: Truth is that I don't know how to rate the Breaker - it might deserve 1 star or 2 or 5...? I have read all of Minette Walters' novels - and I have loved them. My sister and I have bonded over these books - and they have a special meaning to our friendship. Last Christmas we both received the Breaker from our Grandmother. And my sister immediately picked it up and read it - she loved it. But I have read the first 30 pages over and over and I simply don't find them very good. I think it is a lot like trivial literature - just like the Danish translation of the the Echo - but when I read that novel I thought it was the translator... but after having tried to read the Breaker I have found out that perhaps it is not... I am really sad if it is the case that I don't like Minette Walters anylonger... I am afraid she has been replaced by Patricia Cornwell - who is an amazing writer. But perhaps I should give the Breaker another chance - afterall there should be room for two fabulous writers in my heart...
Rating: 
Summary: Did I miss something?
Review: I thought this the best of Walters' books, and hated to have it end. In fact, though I generally dislike series, I'd like to read more about these detectives. But: the title, the victim's thoughts, some of the clues all bring up a subject that is, at the end, dropped by both the confessed killer and the police--and the author. Did I miss something here?
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: This was a very well crafted mystery; gripping, suspenseful, horrific in parts. As Walters narrowed the suspects down very early in the book, I found that I spend the rest of the book enjoying her development of the characters. A nice twist!
Rating:
Summary: Taut thriller?
Review: From the opening chapter of Kate trying to swim, wondering why he broke all of her fingers, I truly expected good things from this book. Wrong. Walters tries to keep you guessing between the two men, but telegraphs which one is the killer. At one point its hinted that it could be the third guy, then the case is built strongly at the end for this unexpected turn of events -- only to dissapoint the reader by revealing that the murderer was the obvious choice all along. The victim was totally unsympathetic. The sexual perversion was far from "shocking." The rape -- if that's what it was -- was not "brutal" but closer to consentual sex. And the broken fingers really had nothing to do with the story -- the reason revealed in an "oh, by the way," fashion by the author. The love story (and Maggie's marital history) was so uninteresting, its inclusion was an annoyance. The "twist" with the 15 year old was thrown in at the end for no reason that I could see. No one in the book was likable, interesting, or compelling in any way. I was glad to reach the end, not to find out the killer, but so I could move on to something else. I bought this in hardback based on the NY Times and Kirkus reviews, which were good. The book is a mere shadow of the story described in the reviews. Next time I'll rely on your readers before wasting my money.
Rating:
Summary: another winner from Minette Walters
Review: Not quite as intriguing a plot as some of her other works, but still a well-written page- turner. The end is predictable, but I still couldn't put it down. Worth the read, and I hope the author will continue the character of Nick in one of her next books.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: I am a big fan of Minette Walters and her latest book does not disappoint. From the opening scene in the novel I was hooked.The title - The Breaker comes from one of the opening scenes - where a woman is murdered and the killer breaks her fingers. Her body then washes up on shore and I just can't stop imagining her broken fingers waving in the surf. I still get chills. I just can't wait to see what Minette brings us next!
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