Fox Evil

by Minette Walters

When local gossips brand him a killer despite his wife's death by natural causes, wealthy British colonel James Lockyer-Fox draws the concern of his attorney, who discovers that his reclusive client is also being accused of far worse.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, British Literature, Suspense

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Minette Walters (born 26 September 1949) is a British mystery writer. After studying at Trevelyan College, University of Durham, she began writing in 1987 with The Ice House, which was published in 1992. She followed this with The Sculptress (1993), which received the 1994 Edgar Award for Best Novel. She has been published in 35 countries and won many awards.

The Sculptress has been adapted for television in a BBC series starring Pauline Quirke. Her novels The Ice House, The Echo, The Dark Room, and The Scold's Bridle have also been adapted by the BBC.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minette Walters writes excellent books, all free standing , all full of interesting characters and all with great storylines. Fox Evil is no exception.
Set in the English country side this book takes us into the lives of both the gentry in their big houses and the 'travellers' in their buses with no fixed place of abode. There are murders and thefts, some animals and children suffer cruelty and a couple of people take leave of their senses. Throughout the whole there are a few voices of sanity in the three main characters, James, Mark and Nancy.
This one of those books which turns it own pages. Once I had started it there was no stopping until I got to the end. Great stuff!!!

[Bonnie Hill]

Do you ever get a real feeling of utter satisfaction when you finish a book? You find yourself savoring the book, not wanting it to end and planning the reading of the last page in a special place, like an outdoor swing or a favorite chair. Well this book I am about to recommend gave me such an experience. It was a great mystery set in rural England in the 2000s with the proverbial twists and turns that held my ADD in check for long stretches of time. I may be late to the game, this may be a book that most of you have read, or at least you may have read other books by this author. At any rate,I loved it and hope you get same reader high that I got. The book: Fox Evil by Minnette Walters.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner with lots of twists and turns in rural Dorset. Nancy the no nonsense illegitimate great grand daughter, Mark the to good to be true solicitor and the cantankerous elderly Colonel. Walters weaves a great tale with murder, a psychopath, ill treated children and meddling busy bodies.

The Colonel is subject to a campaign of terror of abusive phone calls, the murder of his wife, Vera the senile housekeeper and travelers invading a copse near his manor.

I did think as the reader the sudden introduction of Julian as the coconspirator was unexpected. Although the clues were there with his mistress, extravagant lifestyle and limited means. Fox evil was a nasty character and his tools of choice a razor and hammer gruesome.

Overall a good read.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Walter sprinkles an ample amount of clues and red herrings to keep you constantly guessing who and what is going on. The only gripe I have is near the conclusion when it seems the real culprit comes out of nowhere and relies on some facts that we, as the reader, never saw. Part of me feels as if that's cheating!

However, after reading the ending, it does make sense and is reasonably satisfying. Please note, there are some descriptions of animal cruelty.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Minette Walters.

[Ubik 2.0 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedio e sbadigli nel Dorset

Nutrivo scarse aspettative su questo romanzetto e purtroppo non sono stato smentito: è un libro privo di personalità, presentato dall’edizione italiana con un titolo e una copertina che sembrano alludere a un giallo classico, che poi si rivela una specie di sconclusionato thriller con personaggi di rara antipatia (buoni e cattivi…) e uno pseudointreccio prolisso e tentennante per buona parte del suo svolgimento fino al finale pasticciato che sto già cominciando a dimenticare… Avrei dovuto fidarmi del precedente altrettanto scadente di “La scultrice” per evitare un nuovo incontro con questa scrittrice.
In definitiva, l’unico vero mistero rimane il motivo che mi ha indotto, non so quanti anni orsono, ad acquistarlo!

[Maria Altiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
Αρκετά καλή γραφή, ωραία υπόθεση, ικανοποιητική η επίλυση της και αρκετά στοιχειοθετημένη. Κλείνει όλες τις παραμέτρους που έχει ανοίξει στο βιβλίο και μαθαίνεις την κατάληξη του κάθε ήρωα που έχει χρησιμοποιήσει. Δεν το λες φυσικά αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα αλλά είναι ένα ωραίο βιβλίο μυστηρίου. Νομίζω ότι θα ξαναδιαβάσω βιβλίο της Walters κάποια στιγμή στο μέλλον.

[Mario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly generous to give three stars but I found this is an intriguing story with plenty of Minette Walters’ psychological tension and I certainly don’t regret reading it.

Unfortunately though I found it very dated, much more than I would have expected from a book written in 2002, it being filled with stereotypical characters and very outdated portrayals of men and women in particular.

5 out of 10

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Fox Evil was well-named. He used women and children until he lost interest in them, then he killed them. He was the worst kind of predator. He killed for pleasure."

Minette Walters has the uncanny ability to write her characters and plots into a wide range of social situations. She believes in writing stand-alone novels. She never returns or makes any reference to, any of her previous fictional worlds. This is unusual for the crime/mystery writer but probably owes much to the fact that she was previously published in the generic romance genre.

I have read every novel written by Minette Walters. The Ice House was published in 1992. It won the John Creasey Award for Best First Novel. Since then she has written The Sculptress ,Scold's Bridle, The Dark Room, The Echo, The Breaker, Shape of Snakes and Acid Row. She has received the Edgar Award and The Gold Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers Association.

I loved The Ice House and The Sculptress most of all. I enjoyed the others. I looked forward to Fox Evil, but like, Acid Row her previous novel, it failed to captivate me. I’m not sure why but I suspect it has something to do with her trying too hard, going on to ever more complex plots, when maybe she should linger a little longer on well created characters and situations.

This time she travels to Shenstead in Dorset. It is not a village as much as a collection of tensions that come to the surface in Fox Evil. The foxhunting community feels threatened by outsiders. Ailsa Lockyer-Fox is found dead in her garden. Her husband, a brute, is the suspect. He is cleared at the inquest but suspicion remains and his London lawyer, Mark Ankerton, attempts to unravel the secrets harboured in the past. We discover children cut out of wills, an illegitimate grandchild once put up for adoption and a campaign of whispers. Walters, as always, weaves a careful plot.

[Stuart Aken · Rating 4 out of 5]

• FOX EVIL by Minette Walters, Macmillan
415 pps. 32 chaps. 135,000 words.
Written from multi-viewpoint (Some God’s Eye view) using narrative with some reports from TV, papers and internet and some letters. Centres on the relationship between an adopted woman and her real grandfather with her relationship with the grandfather’s lawyer as the love interest. The many characters are individuals and are well drawn, credible but interesting. The crimes are, of course, murders, including the killing of the woman’s grandmother and the killer’s part time wife and child. The killer is a psychopath with the manipulative charm of such a breed and he is also a ruthless killer – the body count reaches thirty by the end of the book. A cruel man, totally without morals, he preys mostly on women and the weak. Blackmail, false accusations, theft, and animal cruelty are set against a background of rural life including hunting and farming. The heroine is brave, intelligent, resourceful and kind. The lawyer is gentle, thoughtful, a little naïve in some areas, but knowledgeable where it counts. Other characters include a senile and vindictive housekeeper, a shiftless gardener, an evil philanderer and fraud, two malicious gossips and a couple of self-serving blonde lovers. A good tale, well told and gripping enough to keep my attention. I enjoyed reading this and found the ending wholly satisfying. Recommended.

[Jackie Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Minette Walters, so a 3 star review for me is disappointing. Her average books are still usually better judging just by her talent at writing such evocative, seductive prose; she’s really exceptionally good for the British/tramping about in the picturesque woods/moors, etc. wearing the oh-so British required Wellington’s GENRE. (Yes, I took a long way about in that particular sentence!) But, unfortunately, so does the plot and pacing of Fox Evil. It takes a truly dedicated reader to plunge through doggedly trying to get all the characters and the perhaps? relations to each other, so, I was disappointed at the ending. It seemed we took the long way ‘round to get to the picnic site, and then the picnic was no picnic.
Recommend reading one of her earlier titles if your new to this author.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several books by Minette Walters and have enjoyed them all. My usual preference in mysteries are for cozies, but I find Walters' books engrossing and this one was no different. I like the way many of her characters exhibit keen intelligence. Many are always thinking. She gets into the heads of most of the main characters. She was great in this book at making the incidents believable. And as always there is a twist at the end that is rather unexpected. She leaves tantalizing clues and keeps you guessing about who is telling the truth and who is lying. Finally, I appreciate that the police in this book are presented as competent and intelligent. So often in mysteries, they are represented a bumbling and stupid.

[Kaylol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely great! After the first 100 pages i had to abandon most of the work I was supposed to be doing and keep reading till the end.

It's incredible how the author manages to go into the depth of what people were thinking. It made me see a couple of things differently. The only thing I didn't love was the last chapter. It was good, but in comparison with the great chapters it could have been better.

[Gaije · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minette Walters is compared to Ruth Rendell all the time. Yes, they're both female, British, mystery writers, but that only means so much. Walters is so, so, so, much better than Rendell - and I like Rendell. Walters' books are just smarter and tighter in every way, her facility with language is worlds beyond Rendell's, her plotting more surprising, but never outlandish.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, though I really didn't expect to. A random find in a book sale, but the best $3.50 I've spent in a long time. The characters walked straight off the pages and onto the stage, they were so real. The story swept along, with each subplot as interesting as the next. There were no dull patches, just thundering to a gripping finish.

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually love Minette Walters, but I couldn't get into it after the first 50 pages so I dropped it. Maybe it gets more interesting later.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

hunting, adoption, travelers

[CLM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

[Effie Saxioni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Άνετο και χαλαρό ανάγνωσμα,χωρίς αυτό το "κάτι" που θα δικαιολογούσε τον χαρακτηρισμό του οπισθόφυλλου "συναρπαστικό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ".Ένας αναγνώστης-λάτρης των μυστηρίων θα καταλάβει πού οδεύει η υπόθεση εκεί γύρω στα μισά του βιβλίου,οπότε το υπόλοιπο διαβάζεται διεκπεραιωτικά,με μικρές διακυμάνσεις αγωνίας.Δεν είναι κακό,δεν είναι καταπληκτικό.Θα έβαζα 4⭐ απλά για τους αρκετά καλοδουλεμένους χαρακτήρες και την ωραία συντροφιά που μου κράτησε,όμως θα πάρει ένα 3⭐ (κι αυτό δύσκολα,γιατί η εισαγωγική σκηνή με το βασανισμό και το θάνατο του ζώου,ήταν παντελώς αχρείαστη.Η αναλυτική περιγραφή της κακοποίησης έγινε απλά για τον εντυπωσιασμό του αναγνώστη,μιας και η πορεία της ιστορίας εξελίχθηκε πιο πολύ σε οικογενειακό δράμα.)

[Adriaan Oosterkamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5
Het is een ingewikkeld verhaald waar ik, vooral aan het begin, moeilijk in kon komen. Ook weinig spanning in de eerste helft van het boek. Uiteindelijk wordt het wel een spannend verhaal met een aantal gekke plottwists. Al met al is het wel een lekkere weglezer, alleen een erg complex verhaal naar mijn mening.

[Charitaki Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Αντί για ένα "καθαρόαιμο" αστυνομικό, διαβάσαμε στη Λέσχη μας αυτό. Ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ κατά βάση με πολλή ένταση και ανατροπές. Ενδιαφέρον παρουσίασε και η εξέλιξη της ιστορίας. Περιττές ισως οι τελευταίες 10 σελίδες που μπορούν να χαρακτηριστούν και γλυκανάλατες. Σε γενικές γραμμές ένα ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα για όσους τους αρέσει η αστυνομική λογοτεχνία.

[Chelsea Hauser · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have this book 2 stars because I mainly found it hard to follow and confusing with all the different people introduced and evidence ushered into the plot. I did like how the book gave detailed descriptions but I found it hard to connect with the characters for some reason. Maybe I was reading it too quickly and not processing enough, but I just found it hard to follow, and a bit slow in some sections. I did respect how well the author created potential suspects and made certain people appear to be the one before revealing them not to be in the form of plot elimination, but it was still quite hard to follow! A vintage crime novel for sure!

[allother · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too many Foxes. A character named Fox, A Lord Fox, A fox hunt and a fox hunt protest. The murdered victim was totally incidental. The plot could have been written more succinct with less pages, less back story and less foxes.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not the best of thrillers but it does make you think about the repercussions of gossip. In fact, gossip and slandering deteriorated one of the characters so emotionally that it affected him physically. It also drew importance to the negativity of purposely isolating yourself from people. Colonel Luckyer-Fox is mourning the death of his wife. With the coroner passing her death off as natural causes, it's his neighbours that set the malicious rumour-mongering of him murdering her and of having an incestuous relationship with his own daughter. He assumes that it's his son, using a distorted voice, out of the 3 callers and therefore does not react to it. Instead, he asks his lawyer to find his granddaughter who was given up for adoption to hide the result of a teenage pregnancy by their own daughter. Hence, the rumour of the colonel giving up the child to remove the stigma of him fathering the child. Nancy, the granddaughter, is reluctant to begin a relationship with her biological family but is intrigued by her grandfather's character - she is also in the army just like him and shares many characteristics with him. On top of all this, travellers arrive and settle on unclaimed land which is a nuisance for the "rich" folk of Dorset. The rest of the novel is Mark and Nancy trying to piece things together as to why Ailsa Luckyer-Fox died and why the neighbours are so adamant in blaming the colonel for her death. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a short mystery with not too much of suspense.

[Ian Mapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an infruiating book. Sometimes, I liked it a lot, other times it bored me rigid and eventually, it all comes crashing down under the weight of its own stupity.

The plot - complicated, unlikely and sillt. The lockyear foxes are middle class, retired ex-military living in a small dorset community and with secrets to hide.

The old lady died in mysterious circumstances, having seemingly frozen to death on the patio. Thus starts a whispering campaign by the other village residents and also the invasion of a group of travelling making a stake for the common land that has no registered owner.

Their daughtor previously got pregnant and adopted the child and the old man starts proceedings to find her. She is no in the army and after great initial reluctance, unexpectedly gets involved in the strory.

So lots going on - when it is good, it reminds me of Daphne Du Maurnier. When its bad, such as the cheesy newspaper articles with photos, it very bad.

Very mixed reviews on amazon - not sure whether i will read another one of hers to be honest.

[Julian Edge · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story starts quite horrifically and builds a worryingly unpleasant setting for what follows. It's difficult to explain why I found what follows disappointing without giving away too many details of the plot. I guess I'd have to say that the details I would be giving away seemed sufficiently formulaic and the resolution of the whodunnit element enough of a cop-out that I only just made it to the end. I never quite believed in, or cared about, the characters beyond their role in carrying the plot along. I found some elements of the back-story more interesting than the main narrative itself and was sorry that they were only glimpsed. Hmmm. Pretty flat review that reflects my reading experience.

[Bruce Retallack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this quite a while ago, and hung onto it because I like Minette Walters enough to retain all her books for eventually rereading. In many ways, this is vintage Walters - a whiff of pure evil permeats the whole thing as a comlex, twisted plots does a slow burn to a relatively surprise climax. On the other hand, there are few likeable characters, and the unlikeable ones are largely unlikeable in the same way. This wouldn't be too much of a problem, except that we spend a great deal of time with the latter, and I sometimes wanted to yell 'enough, already, I get it.' So, not my favourite of her books, but interesting on the reread.

[Chad Bunch · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was far from the greatest book I've ever read. Ms. Walters breaks many "writing rules", including switching points of view in between chapters and making the reader very confused during blocks of dialogue and when trying to determine whose thoughts she is trying to convey.

There was also not much mystery to this mystery. The antagonist is revealed fairly early and there is very little tension. The ending is very undramatic.

Not a recommended read.

[Sue Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great page-turner with convoluted twist at the end.

[Sue Corbett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t quite add up. Solution already discounted. Apparently she lets the book decide whodunnit.