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Summary: The Scold's Bridle Review
Review: All in all, I only gave this book a 4 because of the underdeveloped characters. I'll start with the bad stuff, then the good. The characters in my opinion were underdeveloped and undetailed. The ending, definitely unforseable, left you thinking, "Huh? How'd that person jump from having 2 lines to being the murderer?" Had it been less misleading towards just one or two characters, but more misleading towards all the characters, then I think the book of would been better. You would of never guessed the suspect cuz the suspect's barely mentioned in the book! Anyhow, the ending was nonetheless great with the developed characters, and the plot itself was excellent. Another page-turner! This is definitely a murder-mystery book!
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Summary: What could have been ...
Review: Elements of this book are terrific; a great setting; cast of characters and Minette's attention to detail. But unfortunately Minette chops and changes between protagonists leaving the reader with no character to root for and is prone to make her characters contradictory - they serve the plot line rather than act as you would, in truth, expect them to behave.
The overall effect was disappointing; with such a clear story world there should have been more for the reader to enjoy.
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Summary: Not Her Best Novel
Review: Having read The Sculptress and The Ice House, I looked forward to my next Walters book. I like the fact that she creates fresh characters with each story, rather than relying on a "serial" detective.Having said that, The Scold's Bridle was not the best example of Walters at work. The story was slow to develop, and the characters were not as well-drawn as they could have been. The red herrings were too obviously that, and almost everyone in the story comes out as unlikeable. I am usually a quick reader, but found myself slowed down by the side plots. Although the last few chapters were compelling reading, it did not make up for what went before. If you like Minette Walters, as I do, it is worth reading, but don't expect The Scold's Bridle to be her best novel.
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Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I discovered Walters by accident about 4 years ago when I found a copy of "The Sculptress". I loved it and I haven't enjoyed anything quite like it until now. The Scold's Bridle is wonderful. The characters are dark, complex and quirky. You are never really sure that you know any of them. And yet you can't stop reading about their predicaments. This book was impossible to put down. I think Walters has some of the best mystery characters I have ever read. I did figure out "the murderer" about 2/3 through the book, so I can't give it 5 stars. But the story alone is terrific. Buy & read this book you won't be disappointed!
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Summary: A dark and edgy saga
Review: Minette Walters is a terrific writer and certainly deserves the comparisons to Ruth Rendell and PD James. Yet, it's hard to know what to make of this compelling yet flawed book. Elderly Mathilda Gillespie, wealthy, eccentric and misanthropic, is found dead, gruesomely, with wrists slit and an ancient torture instrument on her head. Suicide, or murder? And what about that will? Each chapter is prefaced, brilliantly, with an excerpt from Mathilda's diaries. Literate and erudite in a period where women of her social position were destined purely for domestic ornamentation, her decades of vindictive bitterness all but spit at us from the pages. There's a much more interesting and less homogeneous than usual cast of characters, and the wonderful dialog perfectly captures their varying classes, ages and personalities. The book is supposedly set in or near the present but apart from the occasional f-word and references to heroin and abortion, has a sort of otherwordly timelessness of most classic British mysteries. The motive behind the killing turns out to be weak, the final reconciliation of the main characters mawkish, and the intergenerational torture and other goings-on is laid on heavily enough to be almost slapstick in the end. But so assured and precise is the telling that The Scold's Bridle remains an enjoyable book. If you like British whodunnits, then read it, it's darker and edgier than most of them. I'll definitely be reading more Minette Walters.
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Summary: Other Walters novels worked better for me
Review: Minette Walters, The Scold's Bridle (St. Martin's, 1993) A woman is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, with a medieval torture device strapped to her head, a garland of flowers straight out of Shakespeare wrapped around it. Did she commit suicide, or did she have help? Sounds like the basis for a bang-up mystery, no? Combine with one of today's hottest mystery writers, Minette Walters, and you have a surefire recipe for success. And yet, something doesn't quite gel. I'm not sure what it is, really, but The Scold's Bridle lacks the twists and turns of The Breaker, the wicked humor of The Ice House, and the subtlety of The Sculptress. While it's still a decent mystery and keeps the pages turning, it seems a cut below average for Walters. ***
Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Walters Title.
Review: Scold's Bridle is my favorite of all Minette Walters books. Her characters aren't totally sympathetic, or good, or evil for that matter. You never know who to root for or who to hate, in the next plot twist a good guy becomes bad or vice versa. There is alot of suspense and action in these novels, and Ms. Walters really makes the reader think. These are not mindless quick mysteries, although I read them quickly. Read them all, so far there isn't a bad one in the bunch!
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Summary: Cat Got your Tounge? Not When It Comes To Minette Walters!
Review: The Scold's Bridle is one of Minette's best! When the old lady that everyone in Fontwell hates dies a myesterious death in her bathtub - people breathe a sigh of relief. Not so for her doctor Sarah Blakeney, she sees more to the death than meets the eye and takes it upon herself to discover the truth behind Mathilda Gillespie's gruesome death. What the reader finds beyond the main plot is ingenious writing, rich characters and wonderful story telling. This is one page turner that I tried desperately not to read in one sitting - I really wanted to savor it. All in all a fabulous book!
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Summary: One of Walters' Best
Review: THE SCOLD'S BRIDLE, in my opinion, is one of Minette Walters' best mysteries--at least one of her best I've read so far! Her characters are well-developed, and the reader doesn't know from one page to the next who the murderer could be--NO ONE liked Mathilda, it seemed. Throughout the police investigation, readers are faced with learning of Mathilda Gillispie's abusive and haunting background of secrets, lies, and deception. Mathilda's character, though dead as the story begins, is developed more fully through her diary entries interspersed between chapters. Having left all of her money to an unlikely person, her doctor Susan Blakeney, Mathilda's daughter and granddaughter are brought into the story assuming they would inherit Mathilda's wealth. Readers find that Mathilda's daughter and granddaughter have experienced much of the intense emotional and physical abuse as Mathilda had. This part of the story, no doubt, leaves readers pondering how abuse often perpetuates itself through generations. Walters doesn't let on who the murderer is, and I'll admit, I was a little disappointed in its resolution given that the novel seemed more focused in a different direction. Overall, I enjoyed this novel moreso than THE ICE HOUSE or THE SCULPTRESS, but they are all very good books, and I would wholeheartedly recommend Walters to readers wanting a good mystery.
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Summary: Good Character Development Makes Good Reading
Review: This was the most enjoyable mystery I have read this year. What makes it exceptional is the slow introduction of characters and how the reader gets to know them through other people and also through the action. In movies, one knows who the bad guys are-- they are always smoking. The bad guys are quickly and easily labeled so that we can get on with the movie. However, in "The Scold's Bridle", as in real life, the characters do not stick to their good or bad labels. This humanizes them and humanizes the protagonist because in real life we are often blinded by our first impressions and prejudices. The character development and the complex and page-turning mystery makes this book a good read. I also read Ms. Walters' other books and enjoyed this one second to "The Ice House".
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