The Walker

Briony Williams #1

by Jane R. Goodall

9 audio cassettes. Read by Nicki Paull.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

For the primatologist, see Dame Jane Goodall.

Professor Jane Goodall (b.1951) is a researcher at the Writing and Society Research Centre of Western Sydney University, Australia.

Prof Goodall has written extensively on arts in the modern era, with a special interest in the relationship between the arts and sciences. She has taught undergraduate courses and supervised research projects in relevant areas of arts history, and has conducted local history research on the Parramatta Road. Her academic publications include Artaud and the Gnostic Drama, Performance and Evolution in the Age of Darwin (winner of the Australasian Drama Studies Association’s Robert Jordan Prize), and, with Christa Knellwolf, the collection Frankenstein's Science (Ashgate, 2008), which contextualises Mary Shelley's work in contemporary scientific and literary debates. She is the author of the popular and award winning novels The Walker (2004), The Visitor (2005) and The Calling (2007). Jane's book on Stage Presence was published by Routledge in May 2008.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be a surprisingly good thriller. Why surprisingly? Because it was a random freebie from an unknown to me author, because I don’t care for police procedurals or series for that matter, but mainly because it had such mixed reviews on GR. Then again my fairly low general opinion of the proverbial majority opinion led me to try this one anyway and once again, dissent is good. Thanks RBG. Always an inspiration. So anyway, back to the book itself…an award winner in its native Australia, it gathered some very good press. It also kinda led me to believe it would be Australia set, but no, the land down under is barely mentioned (it’s a place where one of the main characters spends a few offscreen years, specifically from 1967 to 1971). The rest of the book takes place in London. Moreover, it’s definitively British, the setting is all swinging 70s and the murders themselves echo both one of famous British artists and the infamous British serial killer. When Nell last was in London, back in 1967, she witnessed a murder on a train. She’s reluctant coming back 4 years later, but does so for school and experience, only to become inadvertently involved in a crime wave, once she resurges on the killer’s radar. Not to worry, though, Detective Inspector Briony Williams in on the case and, despite being constantly undermined by the sexist condescending attitudes of her colleagues (if fact in spite of it), she is determined to find the murderer. So there are several narrative angles, but the main one is Briony and she proves to absolutely deserve the attention, a compelling, driven character, navigating the casual sexism and chauvinism of the era with admirable aplomb, while trying to nail down a deviant killer in a time before DNA, mobile phones and internet. To the author’s (who sadly has nothing to do with apes whatsoever) credit, she creates a novel that’s more complex than it strictly needed to be, which is to say she expands it to include enough elements to make it a complex dramatic story in addition to being. A straightforward suspense thriller. She also throws the readers for a nice loop around 85%, just when you thought it was one of those books where you knew exactly what’s going on and was just waiting for the detectives to get up to speed and then lo and behold, the plot twist. But mainly I just really liked the setting, surprisingly so, because 70s was mainly a decade of terrible tastes and choices (with notable exceptions of some genuinely excellent music), but in literary form its very compelling, from the general attitudes of free love and self actualization to the counter culture and acid trips and cults/communes and all of that. Goodall throws so much of that in and utilizes it all very well. There’s even a very nice secret society angle and that’s just timeless. And tangential or not, it all ties together very nicely. All in all, quite an accomplishment for a debut. All in all quite an accomplishment for Briony, the woman with enough inner strength and tenacity to make a detective inspector so impressive (despite limited by modern day standards resources), in another time she might have been a formidable opponent to Jack the Ripper himself. To Briony, a character well deserving of her own series. I might even check out another one if it should float by in a freebie stream one day. Something different and exciting for all the mystery suspense and thriller fans out there. A genuinely clever serial killer novel. A genuinely entertaining enjoyable read. Recommended.

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Walker is the first book of a series that is set in London in 1970s and has as protagonist Detective Briony Williams. In this first book, Detective Williams and her team of all male detectives race through time to stop a serial killer who seems to be following the steps of Jack the Ripper. I like that the book is told by multiple perspectives: the killer, one of his victims, but especially by Detective Williams and by Nelle, an English student who witnessed one of the murders, so the reader is told the story from every point and doesn’t miss anything.

Intriguing, thrilling, and engaging, The Walker introduces the character of Detective Briony Williams on her first major case, while at the same time dealing with the fact that she is a woman in a male world.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good storyline

This book was difficult for me to get through. The plot of the story is intriguing and along the lines of a horror book with gruesome murder scenes. I think part of the reason is that the wording while English is British English and heavily so. I thought I could read anything in English but not do. The other struggle was that there were so many characters investigating the murders so there were a lot of theories and to who and why. Add in the mystical beliefs of Freemasons and other secret societies the book started jumbled for me until the exciting conclusion. Because the plot is so interesting I think this would make for an excellent mini series where all the guessing could be placed in a more coherent manner and sorted properly.

[Robert Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a complex and complicated police procedural with shades of Hogarth, Jack the Ripper, secret societies and a police team struggling to make sense of a series of seemingly random ritualistic murders.

It’s 1971 and fast track Detective Inspector Briony Williams is thrown in at the deep end to bring her special skills to the team – namely research and referencing. Yes, life in the police was a bit different in those days. Despite Briony’s class and insights, she struggles to make an impression on her more experienced colleagues. But this doesn’t stop her following her own leads and connections as the killer appears to be toying and taunting the police.

I took this story when I first discovered it 5 years ago, and enjoyed it just as much second time around. Though never fully developed, the characters and their relationships are strong, revealing the tensions and conflict that bubble to the surface when progress is slow and the bodies start to pile up. There’s humour, dead ends and sheer desperation at times.

Then there’s Nell, who may have witnessed The Walker’s first murder several years before. This makes her a target, creating another layer of tension and apprehension as the story unfolds and The Walker makes his presence felt.

Due to the complex nature of The Walker, a lot of pages are devoted to his history and development, including secret societies and a spell in a Californian hippy colony that slowed the pace of the story at times.

Otherwise, this is well written and researched, full of surprises and false trails and refreshingly different from your average police procedural. No detectives with major traumas, just police officers stretched to their limits as they struggle to catch a killer who’s three steps ahead.

Thoroughly recommended.

[elizabeth mcguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different take on the usual police stories

Boring Williams is fast tracking through her police career. She gets seconded to a small, crack team. Right away she is thrown into an extremely unusual set of murders. Some in the Ripper areas, but the carving up of the first body is definitely done by an expert. It is followed by the cut, thrust and slash of the Ripper on the next set of victims.
Bring feels she is being sidelined due to her fast promotions and not the usual climbing via being in uniform first. She fights for her right to stay on the case.
Each character is very distinct in their appearance and personality. You can almost see them as they interact with each other and the public.
Well written. While the story is very, very complex Jane manages to guide you through it without you feeling lost in everything that is happening to victims and the police and their hunt to track down a very nasty serial killer.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s London in the 1960s and there’s a serial killer on the loose, leaving ghastly tableaux. Newly promoted DI Briony Williams is determined to prove herself to the dour all-male team she’s been assigned to. There’s a lot to like here, especially the step back in time, the feminist themes, Briony’s character, and the exciting thriller / police procedural plot. Although the audiobook is narrated perfectly by Nicki Paull, it took me a while to sort through the scenes and multiple characters because the story jumps between the developing case and the potential victims’ lives. Well worth it!

[Ms Jeni Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many distractions

It was okay as a story goes, quite gripping in places, but there were too many distractions e.g. odd choices of words that are a distraction, pulling you out of the story, plus way too many typos. Don't people proof read any more? I found around ten definite errors in one read-through, including the wrong name used for a main character at one point. I'm not a proof-reader, so there were probably more. So, to summarise, a fairly decent story, marred by poor and sloppy writing.

[Asis Adit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate these kind of books, where there are hasty finishings. There are far more better books than this. Reviews seems to be paid ones. Only better to read when have nothing to do. Some cops in this story are dumb in real life they would have lost jobs before halfway of the book. They are lazy and unconcerned. Reader in the end will have more question than answers. What is the point in writing a 400page novel when ending is in less than 30pgs.

[Ernie Crofoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but-

A very good read, very creative plot, complex mix of characters, but I do not believe that the gross, microscopically detailed and gruesome descriptions of the victims is necessary. It really detracts from the pleasure of the read and does nothing to chance the story.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant surprise

I had no expectations when I began reading but couldn't put it down. The youthful characters were sometimes frustrating, but I look forward to seeing the characters develop.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

An erudite and compelling mystery, capturing the times in which it is set very convincingly and drawing on the past to create a page-turner of the first order for me. More, please!

[Sian Cheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well crafted story - am already reading the second book in this series

[Chris Bullock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much swearing!

[Helena Twells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go Briony!!
“Don’t get phased & keep coming back.”, this is the advice that keeps her on track & focussed on the case, with all its twists & turns.

[Sarah-Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I might try this one again in print. Didn't love the narration. A couple of the character voices were quite grating.

[Sally J Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Walker

An interesting plot. The story slowly builds. In the end everything comes together in a very nice way. A good thriller.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Page turner

It is definitely a page turner. With Interesting characters, one or two spelling mistakes that make you have to read the passage twice, but overall a good book.

[Kathleen Hagen]

The Walker, by Jane R. Goodall, b-plus, Narrated by Nicki Paul, produced by Bolinda Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

This is a debut novel and the first in the Detective Inspector Briony Williams series. Briony, a rooky, is assigned to a team of male cops who barely conceal their belief that policing is not for women, unless they’re willing to do the clerical work and interviews of secondary importance. But Briony is not to be put down. She incorrigibly moves forward, sometimes without permission, to help in solving murders. In this case, the police are called in because a professor is murdered, and his body is cut open. Then, other murders start to occur. There is some indication that the murders are related, and that the murderer is in some ways basing his acts on the Jack the Ripper murders a century earlier. This is a good book and a promising start to the series. I have already read out of sequence the second book, “The Visitor” where the writing gets even better.

[JTony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't do much for me. It is fair for what it is, a typical but slightly clichéd police procedural set in 60's London. I never really cared about who the killer was or wasn't, so also didn't care much about the search for him. In the end I was pretty confused about who the killer even was and how we'd figured it out, mostly because I'd lost the desire to concentrate on the case. Some of the characters I liked, though, and the author treats most of them pretty well, so it isn't all bad. I am mildly curious about the continuation of these characters in other books, but probably not enough to actually read them.

If you're interested in the doings of the London Police, this might hit the spot for you, though there are probably plenty of other books that do it much better and might be more fun.

[Gaby Meares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a surprise book! I picked it up at a community book exchange, just for something to read while having a coffee. I finished it the next day! I literally couldn't put it down. This is a fabulous crime novel, told from several points of view, including the murder's. It's set in 1970s London, where our main narrator, Detective Briony Williams, is finding it hard going in a very male work environment and has to fight to prove she's as good as the rest of the team. The murders are gruesome, with references to Jack the Ripper & Charles Manson. My only gripe is I felt the end was a bit rushed after such a build-up - but it's only a tiny gripe! If you're feeling like a cracking good crime novel, then this is it! I'm now in search of the next Briony Williams adventure to read: The Visitor.

[Nancy]

A young girl sees a murderer leave a train car, though at the time she does not know it. She goes through much upheaval and the criminal is never caught. Several years later she is returning to London to attend University. As she returns there is a new series of murders that are particularly bloody and violent. Detective Inspector McReedy(?)selects a new young detective Briney Williams. It was fascinating to watch the clues unfold and Briney learn to deal with her very male colleagues. I think that I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Jade17 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel quite reminded me of most Australian police tv shows. Slow, bland and totally uninteresting. I was rushing it by the end so that I would get the satisfaction of actually finishing it. However, I still gave it two stars because I liked the character of Briony Williams.

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping, very good.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason it is not a 5 star is the last 1/4 of the book did not seem to be as good as the first bits, but a brilliant read

[Kirstie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Walker is not the worst book that I have read/listened to. Had I listened to this novel in a tighter time frame I may have rated it slightly higher.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gritty, good storyline, hard to put down. 4 stars for story and character, 3 stars for sloppy proofreading. And I will probably read more in the series.

[donna hennebury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Very good read gets you hooked on the first few pages.
Enjoyed the character's very much especially Briony.
Hard to put down.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook