Acid Row

Rating:
Summary: Not her best, but very enjoyable nonetheless
Review: A young girl, Amy, goes missing, around the same time it is revealed that a peadophile is living in the housing estate from which she disappeared. The people come out in force to protest at his presence. Slowly, the protests bud into riots, stretching the police force, breeding greater and greater acts of violence. The streets of "Bassindale Row" (dubbed "Acid Row" by its inhabitants) are thronged with angry citizens, some well-meaning, and some there just to further incite destruction. Events build to a crescendo, as the troubled housing estate is swept under the tide of a crowd whos slogan is "Saving Amy"...But, the rioters are unaware of the presence of Sophie Morrison, a young doctor called to the house of the "pervert" just before events erupted. Now she is trapped inside with a man she increasingly comes to believe is capable of great violence...

Minette Walters continues in the vein of her last book, bringing forth a novel once again full of deep social perception. This time, she writes about the events which recently swept Great Britain, with all the furore of exposing peadophiles, and the doubled-edged sword that doing so would unsheath.

The first thirty pages or so are just typical Walters. Accurate psychology, deep prose, great characters, realism in the writing, etc. However, once the riots begin, the book gets swept away with the pace. It moes too quickly. Character development, which was building so brilliantly at first, is sacrificed, and several of the characters introduced later on in the story come across as cardboard and cliched. The excitement of the events just takes the book too quickly. It does make it a great pageturner, yes. And i am sure that fact will win it praise, but at the expense of plot and character development, im not certainl it's worth it. Becuase her books are always pageturners ANYWAY.

So, the middle section of this book is underdeveloped. I think Walters probably got carried away. When a writer is penning an exciting plot, they are apt to get carried away. they rush it, eager to experience the action of the plot themselves. As such, the action and riots feel underdevloped and shallow, and the book doesnt always "feel" like a Minette Walters novel.

While the deep acurate psychology of character is lost after the first thirty pages, something does redeem that. Instead of individual character psychology, we are treated this time to an accurate representation of mob psychology. This does make up, mostly, for the fact that the plot is mostly underdeveloped.

The ending is very good. A great climax, with a nice twist, but considering what we know of how events like these conspired in England, some may find it predictable from quite a way off. however, that certainly doesn't spoil the enjoyment.

The final chapter has been criticised for being too "happy ever after-ey". Yes, it does contain that quality, but i don't mind. I prefer to look at it as a display of hope, and the fact that sometimes, good does win out over evil, and the sometimes bad events spawn good things. It is rather uplifting, and a lovely way to finish off the book. Leaves you with good, happy feelings about what has happened.

This book is still incredibly enjoyable. I finished it in two days. It's a pageturner, and contains some likeable, if at times 2d, characters. The central section is underdeveloped after a brilliant initial 30 pages, and the writing gets swept away in the excitement. However, the explorations of mob psychology at times make up for that, and the ending shines through with hope. As ever, the prose is very good.

This is a reccomended book, but perhaps not quite what we have come to expect from Walters.

("Fox Evil", her next book, looks set to be yet another full of social observancy (Soldier returns from Kosovo, only to find the community in which she lives has slid into hostility.) I have to say, i think two is enough. I would soon quite like her to return to the psychological mysteries which made her name, as enjoyable as these books are.)

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest by a modern master of suspense
Review: Minette Walters has put together a body of work over the last ten years that has rarely been equaled. THE ICE HOUSE is considered one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Books like THE SCULPTRESS are unforgettable in the power of the depiction of the title character. She now comes out with one of her best novels in years.
Bassindale Estates is a decrepit housing project in England. A sign off the road was vandalized and reads "Welcome to Assi d Row" Hence, the title of the book. Acid Row is "A place of deprivation where literacy was poor, drugs endemic and fights commonplace." Into this volatile mix is placed a pedophile. After a young girl disappears, angry residents hear of this and they organize a protest. Unfortunately, the protest quickly turns into mob rule with the possibility of violence and rioting just under the surface. By juxtaposing points of view, the reader is given access to all parts of this event. Sophie Morrison, a young physician from the local health clinic is unknowingly enters the apartment of the pedophile and is placed into the center of the maelstrom. The local police are helpless and must solicit aid from local residents. The individuals who try to help must become surprising heroes. While this event escalates, the police continue to work the case of the missing child.
Minette Walters examines the psyche of an unruly mob. Once she sets the stage for the confrontation, she does not let go of the thread of suspense. She ensures the reader's unwavering attention by use of a gripping narrative and skillful characterizations. There are several times that Ms. Walters loses some focus but these times are rare. ACID ROW is an excellent example of why Minette Walters is considered a modern master of the genre. This is a very worthy nominee of the CWA Gold Dagger Awards.

Rating:
Summary: Not her best
Review: This time out, Walters has chosen a housing project and assorted characters as a vehicle for social commentary. Unfortunately, the book is weighted down by so much exposition that it deprives the narrative of its punch. A child goes missing and simultaneously a disgruntled health worker informs a resident of a public housing complex that a pedophile has been moved in without the knowledge of the residents. The combined facts set off a firestorm within the complex. Meanwhile the narrative travels back and forth between the search for the child and the escalating lunacy among the complex residents. Of the two plot lines, the search for the child is by far more successful, being told in a straightforward fashion that doesn't have a bevy of outside performers offering "professional" insights into the pedophile and his father.

Caught in the center of the riot is a young doctor who is sympathetic to her many patients within the complex. Unfortunately, the effect on the reader of her experiences while trapped in a house under attack by a primarily teen-aged crowd is undermined by the above-mentioned professional insights. These off-scene discussions destroy the suspense of Sophie Morrison's possible fate. The book would have been far stronger without the distracting and unnecessary explanations of the behavior of the two men trapped in the besieged house with Sophie. And the search for little Amy ends with more of a whimper than a bang.

Not up to her usual standards.