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The Chameleon's Shadow
When Lieutenant Charles Acland is flown home from Iraq with serious head injuries, he faces not only permanent disfigurement but also an apparent change to his previously outgoing personality.
Crippled by migraines, and suspicious of his psychiatrist, he begins to display sporadic bouts of aggression, particularly against women, especially his ex-fiancee who seems unable to accept that the relationship is over.
After his injuries prevent his return to the army, he cuts all ties with his former life and moves to London. Alone and unmonitored, he sinks into a private world of guilt and paranoid distrust . . . until a customer annoys him in a Bermondsey pub and he attracts the attention of local police investigating three murders which appear to have been motivated by extreme rage . . .
Under suspicion, Acland is forced to confront the real issues behind his isolation. How much control does he have over the dark side of his personality? Do his migraines contribute to his rages? Has he always been the duplicitous chameleon that his ex-fiancee claims?
And why - if he hates women - does he look to a woman for help?
Crippled by migraines, and suspicious of his psychiatrist, he begins to display sporadic bouts of aggression, particularly against women, especially his ex-fiancee who seems unable to accept that the relationship is over.
After his injuries prevent his return to the army, he cuts all ties with his former life and moves to London. Alone and unmonitored, he sinks into a private world of guilt and paranoid distrust . . . until a customer annoys him in a Bermondsey pub and he attracts the attention of local police investigating three murders which appear to have been motivated by extreme rage . . .
Under suspicion, Acland is forced to confront the real issues behind his isolation. How much control does he have over the dark side of his personality? Do his migraines contribute to his rages? Has he always been the duplicitous chameleon that his ex-fiancee claims?
And why - if he hates women - does he look to a woman for help?
527 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
72 people are currently reading
1152 people want to read
About the author
Minette Walters
94 books1,430 followersMinette 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
December 30, 2009
Bloody awesome.
Ok not bloody, there's no gore in it, no graphic details. But still awesome.
If you've been looking for a quality follow-up to the Stieg Larsson's Millenium series, something a bit like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and yet highly original - this is it.
Matter of fact style, incredible the psychological depth, keeps you guessing till the very end. For a moment there I was damn convinced my favourite character was the psychokiller. That gave me quite a high. Then you have great cast of characters. There's the female bodybuilder with brains, Quasimodo with a case of bad temper (which I found very twisted but more troubled than evil), Uma Thurman lookalike (that girl's got issues), a homeless duder, and then another one... You've got Iraq, psychiatrists, streets of London. Lesbians, homophobes and pure hatred. There's so much. (And there's much more than this but my lips are sealed, find out on your own.) What's not to like?
Great recommendation, Seth. Much appreciated.
Ok not bloody, there's no gore in it, no graphic details. But still awesome.
If you've been looking for a quality follow-up to the Stieg Larsson's Millenium series, something a bit like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and yet highly original - this is it.
Matter of fact style, incredible the psychological depth, keeps you guessing till the very end. For a moment there I was damn convinced my favourite character was the psychokiller. That gave me quite a high. Then you have great cast of characters. There's the female bodybuilder with brains, Quasimodo with a case of bad temper (which I found very twisted but more troubled than evil), Uma Thurman lookalike (that girl's got issues), a homeless duder, and then another one... You've got Iraq, psychiatrists, streets of London. Lesbians, homophobes and pure hatred. There's so much. (And there's much more than this but my lips are sealed, find out on your own.) What's not to like?
Great recommendation, Seth. Much appreciated.
July 18, 2015
Rating 2* out of 5. This is a book I chose not to pick up for years, although the author used to be one of my favorites. I wish I would have left this in the "let's not read" pile, but no, I had changed my mind.
The main problem with this book is the lack of sympathetic characters. Charles Acland returns from service in Iraq a changed man. His looks have been ruined and his temper is terrible. He's recent memory is shattered. His ex girlfriend Jen doesn't even hear that he's back and when they finally do meet, there is a fight that disintegrates into violence. Acland disappears into the anonymity of London, but promptly gets into trouble. He is also put on a list of suspects for several robbery-like murders.
It wasn't a difficult book to follow and I decided to finish, but my time would have been better spent elsewhere. Not recommended.
The main problem with this book is the lack of sympathetic characters. Charles Acland returns from service in Iraq a changed man. His looks have been ruined and his temper is terrible. He's recent memory is shattered. His ex girlfriend Jen doesn't even hear that he's back and when they finally do meet, there is a fight that disintegrates into violence. Acland disappears into the anonymity of London, but promptly gets into trouble. He is also put on a list of suspects for several robbery-like murders.
It wasn't a difficult book to follow and I decided to finish, but my time would have been better spent elsewhere. Not recommended.
May 12, 2011
My wife's a huge fan of Minette Walters. Ironically, I really haven't delved much into her work because the blurbs always make them seem really depressing. It's true that my own tastes in hard-boiled and noir crime fiction hardly makes for cheery reading. However, at some level, it's possible to rationalise these stories as exercises in existential despair situated in a Manichean parallel universe, a Planet: Sin City, only written by better authors than Miller. Walters' novels seem a little too grounded in real-world social problems and psychological issues. However, the one novel I have read, The Sculptress was a fascinating portrait of an ultimately noble personality, marred only by a romantic subplot that felt superfluous and I've always meant to read more. I'm glad I finally did, because The Chameleon's Shadow was a gripping read, a 500+ novel that was easily read in a single day, a day in which I also attended a meeting, worked on writing assignments, had a song-arrangement session with a bandmate, paid my electric bill and roamed around in the midday sun. It's the story of a British Iraq veteran who is invalided out of the army after he is blinded in one eye during an enemy attack. His behaviour during recovery gives cause for concern, pointing at severe anger issues. A series of brutal murders of gay men in London seems to coincide with his own visits to that city, and when a pensioner whom he has an altercation with later turns up in a grievous condition after a physical assault, it seems like child's play to join the dots. However, early on in the novel, a psychiatrist suspects that the soldier's case is one of 'the destruction of a personality'. What follows is a taut narrative peopled with memorable, well-rounded characters and a keen sense of the more twisted byways of human nature. Walter's prose is mostly on the higher end of the competent-but-not-special spectrum that so many British writers seem to fall into, but there are times when she turns a particularly effective phrase. Largely it's about getting the story across, something that her extensive use of passages couched as documents; police reports, emails and so on aids in. And a jolly good story it is despite a few meandering passages where the story just seems to be chugging along on autopilot and a surfeit of exposition towards the end; this may not have the stylistic hi-jinks and moral ambiguity of some of the crime fiction I generally prefer, but it's an excellent example of its genre and a highly effective and absorbing novel.
January 27, 2009
This is not just a mystery or thriller - Minette Walters has the ability to take current social & psychological issues and build a convincing story around them. The Chameleon's Shadow is a strong narrative of investigation from both a law enforcement & medical view point.
Lieutenant Charles Acland returns from Iraq with horrific physical and psychological scars. Recovering from serious head injuries received in a roadside bomb attack, he now suffers from debilitating migraines, sudden explosions of anger, is deeply resentful, dislikes physical contact and is intolerant of the unwanted attentions of women.
Lt Acland's inability to handle his anger puts him under suspicion for the the brutal bashing of an elderly man & the murders of 3 men bludgeoned to death in their own home. Charles Acland is scary & unpredictible but Walters manages to garner my sympathy for this prickly and initially unlikeable character.
Lt Acland is befriended by the (hmm)unlikely character Jackson, a weight-lifting lesbian GP who moonlights as a bouncer at her girlfriend's bar. This formidable woman is "incapable of mollycoddling anyone, tells it how it is, refuses to tiptoe around prissy sensibilities, and gains respect as a result." In other words she is quite adorable!
Walters also introduces a number of other key characters, Jen Morley, Charles's ex-fiance, Detective Superintendent Brian Jones lead investigator of the murders, an obnoxious teenage runaway named Ben and an alcoholic homeless veteran called chalky.
I thoroughly enjoyed Walters character development and her trademark use of newspaper reports, emails & memos throughout the book. There are no obvious giveaways, but a steady connection of coincidences & facts lead the police and the reader to the perpetrator. The number of coincidences becomes a bit much towards the end of the novel and there is very little suspense but Walters successfully conveys the frightening complexity of human relationships.
Lieutenant Charles Acland returns from Iraq with horrific physical and psychological scars. Recovering from serious head injuries received in a roadside bomb attack, he now suffers from debilitating migraines, sudden explosions of anger, is deeply resentful, dislikes physical contact and is intolerant of the unwanted attentions of women.
Lt Acland's inability to handle his anger puts him under suspicion for the the brutal bashing of an elderly man & the murders of 3 men bludgeoned to death in their own home. Charles Acland is scary & unpredictible but Walters manages to garner my sympathy for this prickly and initially unlikeable character.
Lt Acland is befriended by the (hmm)unlikely character Jackson, a weight-lifting lesbian GP who moonlights as a bouncer at her girlfriend's bar. This formidable woman is "incapable of mollycoddling anyone, tells it how it is, refuses to tiptoe around prissy sensibilities, and gains respect as a result." In other words she is quite adorable!
Walters also introduces a number of other key characters, Jen Morley, Charles's ex-fiance, Detective Superintendent Brian Jones lead investigator of the murders, an obnoxious teenage runaway named Ben and an alcoholic homeless veteran called chalky.
I thoroughly enjoyed Walters character development and her trademark use of newspaper reports, emails & memos throughout the book. There are no obvious giveaways, but a steady connection of coincidences & facts lead the police and the reader to the perpetrator. The number of coincidences becomes a bit much towards the end of the novel and there is very little suspense but Walters successfully conveys the frightening complexity of human relationships.
October 9, 2019
I quite enjoyed this who-done-it. I wasn't sure about a book with a returning soldier as a main character, but it worked well and I was in his corner even though he was a fair bit unlikeable, like most of the characters in this book. The body-building dyke mobile doctor? seemed a bit far fetched, but hey, there's one of everything in this best of all possible worlds.
March 13, 2022
Lieutenant Akland is wounded in Iraq and is disfigured and loses his eye. He also broke up with his girlfriend just before he went to Iraq. She visits him in hospital where their meeting descends into violence.
He then goes to London where he meets a weight lifting lesbian doctor called Jackson who takes her under her wing. Jen is an interesting character. The story takes us into the underbelly of London with Chalky the homeless alcoholic Falkland veteran and Ben a nasty young man.
The story revolves around three elderly men who were murdered with Akland as a suspect. The story investigates psychology and the complexity of human relationships.
He then goes to London where he meets a weight lifting lesbian doctor called Jackson who takes her under her wing. Jen is an interesting character. The story takes us into the underbelly of London with Chalky the homeless alcoholic Falkland veteran and Ben a nasty young man.
The story revolves around three elderly men who were murdered with Akland as a suspect. The story investigates psychology and the complexity of human relationships.
October 17, 2017
Minette Walters is a well known and awarded British author who always creates a well written story. In The Chameleon's Shadow, we meet British lieutenant Charles Acland who is returning home from Iraq after receiving a devastating and disfiguring injury during battle. He is uncharacteristically suspicious of everyone and often hostile. This is especially true of his relationship with his ex-fiancee and parents, but all who encounter him are on the receiving end of his aggression. Acland becomes involved as a suspect in series of murders and must fight to maintain his innocence.
November 27, 2023
Više 3.5 nego 4 ali u stvari jako dobar triler. I moram priznati da me je kraj iznenadio iako je bilo jasno da smjer u kojem spisatelica vodi radnju/i glavnog sumnjivca nije i točan odgovor. Neke stvari su mi malo nelogične ali to ne umanjuje užitak u čitanju. Ova knjiga ulazi i u područje traume i zlostavljanja i svih posljedica koje su rezultat takvih odnosa ali promatra te situacije više sa stajališta utjecaja na ličnost nego što se bavi krvavim scenama zločina što meni osobno puno više odgovara. A progovara i predrasudama prema drugima i drugačijima (homoseksualci, crnci, beskućnici, itd.) i kako ih lako koristimo kao žrtvene janjce.
October 13, 2009
I'm a latecomer and new fan of Minette Walters. I don't know how I missed her many award winning crime novels, but in the short time since I discovered them, all I can say is I'm hooked. Lucky for me Walters has written thirteen novels thus far so I've got lots to choose from. The latest, Chameleon's Shadow is a winner.It all begins when Lieutenant Charles Acland is sent home from Iraq after a bombing in which two of his friends are killed in action. Prior to his tour he broke up with his girlfriend Jen, who bears a striking resemblance to Uma Thurman As if these events are not enough to alter his life, the bombing has left him horribly disfigured and he is suffering from amnesia as well. It soon becomes apparent to the hospital staff and his psychiatrist that Ackland has problems with his parents, women, is experiencing guilt over the loss of his friends and sports a violent temper to boot. To add to the misery of his life, when he is finally released from the hospital the London newspapers begin reporting the deaths of several gay men. As Acland recovers he becomes a person of interest in the deaths and the reader must decide whether he is responsible. Walter's provides lots of other well drawn suspects who could be the murderer. The dialog between the main characters is tops and the location is right on. Acland is an excellently fleshed out character and the term chameleon fits him perfectly.
Walters uses some of the same tools to tell the tale as she does in many of her other books. Diaries, letters, news clippings; all appear in their original form as part of the story. It's makes me feel more part of the whole, like I'm truly present and involved in the story as more than a spectator. Chameleon's Shadow includes sexual violence, explores the mores of social breakdown in a gritty fashion and is a full of rich detail. Some fans feel this is not her best work. I only have a couple under my belt to judge by and this one was satisfying for me.
I like that Walter's has no series character so I can choose the order in which to read the stories without losing anything, except perhaps her growth as a writer from when she was first published in 1992 to today. I'm looking forward to trying another. While visiting her website I learned that her first 5 books have been made into BBC television movies, only to be disappointed to find out they were only released in Region 2 format and not able to be played on most dvd players owned here in the US. I'm hoping the BBC will consider re-releasing them so we can enjoy them or that I'm lucky enough to catch them in reruns on TV.
Walters uses some of the same tools to tell the tale as she does in many of her other books. Diaries, letters, news clippings; all appear in their original form as part of the story. It's makes me feel more part of the whole, like I'm truly present and involved in the story as more than a spectator. Chameleon's Shadow includes sexual violence, explores the mores of social breakdown in a gritty fashion and is a full of rich detail. Some fans feel this is not her best work. I only have a couple under my belt to judge by and this one was satisfying for me.
I like that Walter's has no series character so I can choose the order in which to read the stories without losing anything, except perhaps her growth as a writer from when she was first published in 1992 to today. I'm looking forward to trying another. While visiting her website I learned that her first 5 books have been made into BBC television movies, only to be disappointed to find out they were only released in Region 2 format and not able to be played on most dvd players owned here in the US. I'm hoping the BBC will consider re-releasing them so we can enjoy them or that I'm lucky enough to catch them in reruns on TV.
August 19, 2008
Minette Walters's books are more about psychological portraits rather than the crime itself. The tale of a UK soldier damaged in the Iraq War and then suspected of horrific murders in England sounds perfect for Walters. Alas, this is a little bit of a misfire.
Although she normally creates compelling characters, The Chameleon's Shadow is hampered by some less than believable characterization. The book has Walters's usual twists of the plot yet the ending, weighted with coincidences, is unsatisfying.
Nevertheless, this is still a pretty good book. Walters offers her usual trenchant observations about modern society and insights into the emotionally wounded. The book is necessarily ambiguous in spots, such are the mysteries of human mind, especially a damaged one. This isn't Walters's tightest book but it's still a page-turner.
Although she normally creates compelling characters, The Chameleon's Shadow is hampered by some less than believable characterization. The book has Walters's usual twists of the plot yet the ending, weighted with coincidences, is unsatisfying.
Nevertheless, this is still a pretty good book. Walters offers her usual trenchant observations about modern society and insights into the emotionally wounded. The book is necessarily ambiguous in spots, such are the mysteries of human mind, especially a damaged one. This isn't Walters's tightest book but it's still a page-turner.
October 6, 2007
I read this new Minette Walters in about 3 days. If I had have had more time - I would have finished in a few hours.
It is classic Minette Walters, she spins out the suspense from the first page to the last. You are never quite certain whether her main character "Lieutenant Charles Ackland" is what he appears to be - or if there are dark secrets lurking. I can't say any more or it would ruin the plot!
Walters also creates a very likeable character in "Jackson" the doctor/lesbian weightlifter! Who accompanies (unintentionally) on his many adventures throughout the book.
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend to those who already know Minette Walters and if you don't then this book is as good a place aany to start.
It is classic Minette Walters, she spins out the suspense from the first page to the last. You are never quite certain whether her main character "Lieutenant Charles Ackland" is what he appears to be - or if there are dark secrets lurking. I can't say any more or it would ruin the plot!
Walters also creates a very likeable character in "Jackson" the doctor/lesbian weightlifter! Who accompanies (unintentionally) on his many adventures throughout the book.
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend to those who already know Minette Walters and if you don't then this book is as good a place aany to start.
July 9, 2022
4 sterren- Nederlandse paperback
Het conflict in het Midden-Oosten speelt decor in dit boek.
Luitenant Charles Acland raakt ernstig gewond als hij tijdens een patrouille in Irak op een bermbom rijdt; zijn manschappen overleven de aanslag niet. Hij wordt naar Engeland gevlogen, waar hij moet leren leven met blijvende verminkingen aan zijn gezicht. Bovendien kan er van een terugkeer naar het leger geen sprake meer zijn. Dit is natuurlijk een gegeven wat vele veteranen overkomt. De lichamelijke en psychische klachten hebben natuurlijk een enorme impact op iemands leven en op degene om hem of haar heen. In dit geval hem.
Hij heeft dus nogal wat te verwerken en dat gaat bepaald niet ongemerkt aan zijn omgeving voorbij. Acland, die ooit als een sympathieke soldaat bekend stond, verandert in een ontoegankelijke man, die zich vaak maar moeilijk kan beheersen.
Opvallend genoeg is zijn agressie vooral op vrouwen gericht: verpleegsters, zijn moeder en zijn voormalige verloofde Jen.
Door toeval raakt hij ook nog eens betrokken bij een drietal moorden en de mishandeling van een bejaarde man. Wanneer deze hem zonder aarzelen als de dader aanwijst, wordt Aclands leven pas echt onaangenaam. Hoewel het moeilijk is het bewijs tegen hem sluitend te krijgen, blijft de politie hem lange tijd als hoofdverdachte zien. Het is natuurlijk makkelijk dit zo te zien. En er spreken natuurlijk ook een aantal zaken tegen hem.
De enige die nog in hem gelooft, is de lesbische huisarts Jackson, die hij tijdens een vechtpartij in een café ontmoet. Samen gaan ze op zoek naar wat er werkelijk is gebeurd. Hoewel ‘samen’ misschien wat teveel gezegd is. Want steeds is het de daadkrachtige Jackson die het voortouw neemt.
Acland heeft zijn vertrouwen in de mensheid verloren en dreigt compleet aan zijn grenzeloze cynisme ten onder te gaan.
Dit cynisme vond ik een goede vondst om dit boek en het personage Aceland meer te laten leven.
Erg spannend vond ik hun speurtocht niet. Ik had geen moment het idee dat Acland de moorden daadwerkelijk gepleegd had en voor een thriller is dat dodelijk. Ik vroeg me zelfs af of het de bedoeling was dat duidelijk was dat Charles Acland géén een moordenaar is.
Nee, dan is het mysterie van Charles’ onberekenbare gedrag een stuk boeiender. Volgens de artsen wordt het veroorzaakt door de traumatische ervaringen in Irak en schuldgevoel over de dood van zijn manschappen. Hersenletsel zou zelfs voor een heuse persoonlijkheidsverandering kunnen hebben gezorgd.
Maar ik verwierp dat vrij snel, er is teveel "donker" aan Aceland om het zo snel daarop te gooien. Er moet eerst room zijn voordat het opgeklopt kan worden; en daarvoor is de suggestie dat er meer aan de hand is, te sterk.
Charles verzwijgt iets, maar wat? Heeft het te maken met zijn dominante moeder of met zijn ex-verloofde Jen? Want dat de beeldschone Jennifer Morley niet helemaal fris is, dat is wel duidelijk.
Het zal duidelijk zijn dat ik dit boek als thriller niet zo geslaagd vind. Het predikaat ‘literair’ wordt veel meer waargemaakt in mijn ogen. Het is meer een literaire roman met een strafbaar feit als kapstok.
Het tekent een aangrijpend psychologisch portret van een jongeman wie alles ontnomen wordt wat het leven waardevol maakt. Zijn nukkige gedrag heeft enkel en alleen tot doel het laatste beetje zelfrespect dat hij nog over heeft, te behouden.
Daarvoor neemt hij zelfs een dreigende veroordeling voor moord op de koop toe; levenslange gevangenschap incluis. En a passant krijg je nog een doorleefd, rauw-realistisch beeld van het leven in de onderbuik van London. Waarmee deze schrijfster wederom haar vakmanschap toont.
Het conflict in het Midden-Oosten speelt decor in dit boek.
Luitenant Charles Acland raakt ernstig gewond als hij tijdens een patrouille in Irak op een bermbom rijdt; zijn manschappen overleven de aanslag niet. Hij wordt naar Engeland gevlogen, waar hij moet leren leven met blijvende verminkingen aan zijn gezicht. Bovendien kan er van een terugkeer naar het leger geen sprake meer zijn. Dit is natuurlijk een gegeven wat vele veteranen overkomt. De lichamelijke en psychische klachten hebben natuurlijk een enorme impact op iemands leven en op degene om hem of haar heen. In dit geval hem.
Hij heeft dus nogal wat te verwerken en dat gaat bepaald niet ongemerkt aan zijn omgeving voorbij. Acland, die ooit als een sympathieke soldaat bekend stond, verandert in een ontoegankelijke man, die zich vaak maar moeilijk kan beheersen.
Opvallend genoeg is zijn agressie vooral op vrouwen gericht: verpleegsters, zijn moeder en zijn voormalige verloofde Jen.
Door toeval raakt hij ook nog eens betrokken bij een drietal moorden en de mishandeling van een bejaarde man. Wanneer deze hem zonder aarzelen als de dader aanwijst, wordt Aclands leven pas echt onaangenaam. Hoewel het moeilijk is het bewijs tegen hem sluitend te krijgen, blijft de politie hem lange tijd als hoofdverdachte zien. Het is natuurlijk makkelijk dit zo te zien. En er spreken natuurlijk ook een aantal zaken tegen hem.
De enige die nog in hem gelooft, is de lesbische huisarts Jackson, die hij tijdens een vechtpartij in een café ontmoet. Samen gaan ze op zoek naar wat er werkelijk is gebeurd. Hoewel ‘samen’ misschien wat teveel gezegd is. Want steeds is het de daadkrachtige Jackson die het voortouw neemt.
Acland heeft zijn vertrouwen in de mensheid verloren en dreigt compleet aan zijn grenzeloze cynisme ten onder te gaan.
Dit cynisme vond ik een goede vondst om dit boek en het personage Aceland meer te laten leven.
Erg spannend vond ik hun speurtocht niet. Ik had geen moment het idee dat Acland de moorden daadwerkelijk gepleegd had en voor een thriller is dat dodelijk. Ik vroeg me zelfs af of het de bedoeling was dat duidelijk was dat Charles Acland géén een moordenaar is.
Nee, dan is het mysterie van Charles’ onberekenbare gedrag een stuk boeiender. Volgens de artsen wordt het veroorzaakt door de traumatische ervaringen in Irak en schuldgevoel over de dood van zijn manschappen. Hersenletsel zou zelfs voor een heuse persoonlijkheidsverandering kunnen hebben gezorgd.
Maar ik verwierp dat vrij snel, er is teveel "donker" aan Aceland om het zo snel daarop te gooien. Er moet eerst room zijn voordat het opgeklopt kan worden; en daarvoor is de suggestie dat er meer aan de hand is, te sterk.
Charles verzwijgt iets, maar wat? Heeft het te maken met zijn dominante moeder of met zijn ex-verloofde Jen? Want dat de beeldschone Jennifer Morley niet helemaal fris is, dat is wel duidelijk.
Het zal duidelijk zijn dat ik dit boek als thriller niet zo geslaagd vind. Het predikaat ‘literair’ wordt veel meer waargemaakt in mijn ogen. Het is meer een literaire roman met een strafbaar feit als kapstok.
Het tekent een aangrijpend psychologisch portret van een jongeman wie alles ontnomen wordt wat het leven waardevol maakt. Zijn nukkige gedrag heeft enkel en alleen tot doel het laatste beetje zelfrespect dat hij nog over heeft, te behouden.
Daarvoor neemt hij zelfs een dreigende veroordeling voor moord op de koop toe; levenslange gevangenschap incluis. En a passant krijg je nog een doorleefd, rauw-realistisch beeld van het leven in de onderbuik van London. Waarmee deze schrijfster wederom haar vakmanschap toont.
March 12, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this read - I was led up the garden path then back to the gate and wandered around the edges until finally arriving at the door.
I acknowledge that I'm rubbish at the 'guess whodunnit' game but it was so good to try anyway. I must have guessed wrongly at least five times - two of which were the same character.
The plot was easy enough to follow, and it had the right amount of maturity, grit and controversial characters to hold my interest and make me think.
I acknowledge that I'm rubbish at the 'guess whodunnit' game but it was so good to try anyway. I must have guessed wrongly at least five times - two of which were the same character.
The plot was easy enough to follow, and it had the right amount of maturity, grit and controversial characters to hold my interest and make me think.
February 8, 2025
There was no reason for this book to be over 500 pages long, it just dragged on endlessly and somewhere in the middle I forgot what the whole point of it even is.
February 6, 2017
Why did Minette Walters stop writing books? I wish she had not! In many ways this is my favourite - though I'd find it hard to say which of hers is my favourite - especially because of the many casualties of war (ex soldiers) I have met among street people and others over the years and the great support I feel for them. I am a pacifist but that doesn't extend to soldiers who the country has essentially abandoned. Lieutenant Acland does convince me. I found the ending a bit less so but overall I found this tale fantastic and compelling. It's also the first Walters I had not read before.
July 16, 2014
Walters is really good at creating unlikable characters and making them sympathetic and fully realized.
July 16, 2016
This is Walters being on top of her Game.
January 28, 2020
2020 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-the first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed.
What I liked about the book: The plot was great. There were so many elements that had to come together by the end of the book, and they did. Layer after layer was peeled back until there was a very satisfactory resolution.
What I didn't like: I didn't like most of the main characters. some of the very minor ones were fine.
So, a 5 for plot, a 2 for characters and it evens out to a 3.5.
What I liked about the book: The plot was great. There were so many elements that had to come together by the end of the book, and they did. Layer after layer was peeled back until there was a very satisfactory resolution.
What I didn't like: I didn't like most of the main characters. some of the very minor ones were fine.
So, a 5 for plot, a 2 for characters and it evens out to a 3.5.
January 8, 2019
I stopped reading Minette Walters because her books became too “out there” but ironically, this one was too linear. Nothing surprising, no twists or turns. Too bad.
August 26, 2023
Rather long.
A bit of a rambling story. Not as good imo as her other novels.
A bit of a rambling story. Not as good imo as her other novels.
September 12, 2021
My first Minette Walters and definitely not my last. A real page turner.
October 8, 2024
Hadn’t read Minette Walter’s in many years, so enjoyed her writing again. That being said, there were a few too many characters (mostly police) that made this a little confusing in parts. I appreciated the description of someone with head injuries and the resulting personality challenges.
April 17, 2015
this review refers to the audiobook version.
Walters is a master of the convoluted mystery: whodunit is not only a matter of the puzzle, but a matter of the person. the candidates' character and psychology are inextricable from motive, means, and opportunity. this is what makes her books such great reads.
in this book, our protag is a wounded iraq war veteran suspected of a string of vicious murders of middle-aged--and possibly gay--men. Charles Acland is a prickly fellow, prone to sudden outbursts of oddly controlled violence. the book begins with his slow recovery from terribly disfiguring wounds and his psychiatrist's attempts to understand this angry and disturbed young man.
it's a fitting if unusual opener for a mystery, because we cannot hope to guess whether Acland did murder the men if we don't understand his character and psyche. Acland isn't the most traditionally sympathetic of characters, but i have to say, having long experience of PTSD-damaged people, he's entirely accurate to the syndrome. that in itself is an accomplishment on Walters' part. and if the reader has ever known a war veteran, Acland is actually a profoundly sympathetic--and deeply moving--character.
i find this an interesting addition to the growing body of war literature. too little of it deals with what happens after the soldiers come home. in this novel, we get a feeling for the aftermath of extreme violence... not always pleasant, but quite enlightening.
and of course we get it wrapped up in an expertly-told mystery.
the narrator of this audiobook did a quite fabulous job of handling a number of different characters--my own personal fave is Jackson, which must have been an interesting conundrum for the narrator.
if it can be said that an audiobook can't be put down, well, i couldn't put this one down. i listened in an almost one unbroken stretch. now i'm going to start it again, and listen for the pleasure of watching Walters toss out clues and herrings and seeing the puzzle unfold.
Walters is a master of the convoluted mystery: whodunit is not only a matter of the puzzle, but a matter of the person. the candidates' character and psychology are inextricable from motive, means, and opportunity. this is what makes her books such great reads.
in this book, our protag is a wounded iraq war veteran suspected of a string of vicious murders of middle-aged--and possibly gay--men. Charles Acland is a prickly fellow, prone to sudden outbursts of oddly controlled violence. the book begins with his slow recovery from terribly disfiguring wounds and his psychiatrist's attempts to understand this angry and disturbed young man.
it's a fitting if unusual opener for a mystery, because we cannot hope to guess whether Acland did murder the men if we don't understand his character and psyche. Acland isn't the most traditionally sympathetic of characters, but i have to say, having long experience of PTSD-damaged people, he's entirely accurate to the syndrome. that in itself is an accomplishment on Walters' part. and if the reader has ever known a war veteran, Acland is actually a profoundly sympathetic--and deeply moving--character.
i find this an interesting addition to the growing body of war literature. too little of it deals with what happens after the soldiers come home. in this novel, we get a feeling for the aftermath of extreme violence... not always pleasant, but quite enlightening.
and of course we get it wrapped up in an expertly-told mystery.
the narrator of this audiobook did a quite fabulous job of handling a number of different characters--my own personal fave is Jackson, which must have been an interesting conundrum for the narrator.
if it can be said that an audiobook can't be put down, well, i couldn't put this one down. i listened in an almost one unbroken stretch. now i'm going to start it again, and listen for the pleasure of watching Walters toss out clues and herrings and seeing the puzzle unfold.
March 13, 2018
I love reading books by this author because they portray human interaction in all its forms. They bring out what most of us would prefer that it remained hidden the darkest corners of her hearts. The stories show how people are capable of kindness in the unlikeliest of situations. But they also show what we’d do when we think no one is watching. With issues like the mistreatment of transgenders, child rape, and oppression of women, these stories hit you like a sledgehammer. You realize there is nothing fictional about her fiction. This story is no different. It deals with the fragmentation of a person’s psyche after returning home from a war. War breaks something inside you, no matter which side you are on.
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December 13, 2012
Young soldier in Iraq is injured in a roadside bombing and his face is badly damaged. He isn't accepted back for active duty and is at loose ends, with both anger and terrible migraines plaguing him. His girlfriend has broken up with him, he doesn't have a job, and it looks like he may have some connections to some killings. This is the basis of the book.
I didn't think it was one of her better books. The bad guy was kind of obvious, and the good characters were also self-evident even if their outward appearances were alarming. The clues meant to throw you off most often were just kind of distrasting, I mean one might look twice but on second glance the clues were fakes. I read it quite quickly, it had the quality of being a page turner, but the end was full of explanations, pages of wrapping up, which I always consider evidence of poor planning on the author's part.
I didn't think it was one of her better books. The bad guy was kind of obvious, and the good characters were also self-evident even if their outward appearances were alarming. The clues meant to throw you off most often were just kind of distrasting, I mean one might look twice but on second glance the clues were fakes. I read it quite quickly, it had the quality of being a page turner, but the end was full of explanations, pages of wrapping up, which I always consider evidence of poor planning on the author's part.
July 29, 2009
This recent mystery novel by Minette Walters starts slow and takes its time to come into gear. The story is complex, almost jumbled at times, and the author may have been better off focusing on the main thread. There are a lot of sidelines, but instead of adding to the mystery and tension, I thought the story was unnecessarily protracted, only to reach a crowded and hasty end.
Furthermore I miss the smart humor I enjoyed in the author's early works, but which somehow got lost over the years, being replaced by an overly earnestness. While the Chameleon's Shadow still is a readable mystery novel, it lacks the personality of the first novels which attracted me to become a constant reader of this author.
Furthermore I miss the smart humor I enjoyed in the author's early works, but which somehow got lost over the years, being replaced by an overly earnestness. While the Chameleon's Shadow still is a readable mystery novel, it lacks the personality of the first novels which attracted me to become a constant reader of this author.
May 23, 2009
She's my favourite crime writer, and this was a return to form. I liked the main character, an angry, bitter and damaged returned Iraq veteran who gets caught up in the serial murders of old men who were paying for sex. It's got a really twisted conclusion, and while I'm not sure she exposed enough clues along the way for the reader to accept the perpertrator as revealed, I really liked the tension of the investigation. She's another writer who uses a lot of epistolatory text, but again, she manages to write in character very well.
October 2, 2017
Difficult to give a review of such a long, complicated but great story. A British background with a returning wounded Iraqi lieutenant, Charles Acland as the main character. Childhood background issues, former psychotic girl friend, migraine headaches as a result of his injuries along with being at the wrong time and place in murder investigations. A woman doctor takes him "under her wing", a police superintendent's belief in him, all make for a spell binding story. Keeps you in suspense and wondering until the last pages.
May 20, 2011
The mystery wasn't engaging and the writing was tedious. A character would do something, then we would spend 10 minutes reading about a policeman going thru mental gymnastics to figure out that the character.... (drumroll) um, did exactly what we read about 8 pages ago. Not a sympathetic character in the cast, either. I liked a Walters book I read a few years ago, but this one did nothing for me.
January 1, 2016
Very good psychological thriller, not at all what I was expecting, about a British soldier badly disfigured in Iraq, being investigated by the police for a series of brutal murders of gay men. There's a great heroine, clever twists and you spend the whole book wondering did he or didn't he. I definitely want to read more of her books.
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