The Scold's Bridle

Rating:
Summary: Walter's a mistress of suspense
Review: A very excellent example of british writing. Walters manages to involve classic poets in her work in a manner, that makes you go back and read up on your lit class edition of Sheakspear's Macbeth.

Rating:
Summary: An excellant read
Review: A very good book with plenty of twists and turns. If you liked The Scold's Bridle you should read Walter's book the Sculptress

Rating:
Summary: Murder Mystery! Who killed Mathilda?
Review: A very well written book, especially with the lines from Shakespear's plays. An attempt to solve a murder mystery using the theme of Shakespere's dramas such as King Lear and Macbeth. The main characters are Sarah Blakeney who was Mathilda's doctor.Mathilda, who got murdered and the first problems for the detectives was to find out if the dramatical death of Mathilda was a sucide attmept or a Murder. The suspects were Sahah, her husband Jack,who made a painting of Mathilda for £20000, Mathilda's daughter grand-daughter etc, etc. The story has many stories in it apart from the murder of Mathilda which keeps can keep a reader attached to the book. Very interesting aspects of Mathilda's life has been potrayed in this book. All in all the book is very interesting to read and very well written. Happy Reading!

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: After seeing "The Icehouse" on PBS, I was intrigued by this mystery author and wondered if her other works were as complicated in plot. I was not disappointed by the twists and turns in "The Scold's Bridle." With each new chapter, more skeletons dive out of the closets of this small town. Is Matilda's death just one last spiteful act from an evil woman, or did someone finally decide that she deserved a deadly end with her scold's bridle atop her head? It is this question that keeps the pages turning until the end. The only drawback is that the answer to the mystery is a little too neat and tidy for the warped little village.

Rating:
Summary: JUST A MILD SCOLDING
Review: Agatha Christie with good dialogue and a smallish dose of contemporary reality (ie violence, sex, etc) is how I'd describe Minette Walters on the strength of the Scold's Bridle and my earlier reading of the Dark Room. Its suitably complex in its plotting (although not as labyrinthine as the Dark Room, fortunately) with the usual (large) range of suspects. Ms Walters is also a competent user of language. This is why my review isn't scalding. The reason I'm inclined to scold Ms Walters however is because I just couldn't feel empathy with any of the characters -they are too stereotyped and one dimensional. Some of their actions I found totally unbelievable -when the doctor and her husband suddenly fell in love (parentally)with Ruth I nearly choked on my own incredulity -I thought I must be reading Barbara Cartland

Rating:
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!

Rating:
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!

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes an author gets it just right.
Review: Are there some authors that you hear good things about so you add them to your to be read list, but somehow you never seem to get around to opening one of their books? That's the way it was with Minette Walters and me until I finally took the plunge and read "The Scold's Bridle." Let me assure you that it won't be long until I read everything else she has written. This is a first rate novel and a top notch mystery full of surprises, wisdom and especially some very smart dialogue. Thank you Ms. Walters. Now who else is waiting in that "to be read one of these days" pile

Rating:
Summary: really good read so many twists and turns
Review: Book kept me reading. Not for the very sensitive though as has some sensitive themes. did not have a clue who did it until the end

Rating:
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.