The Echo

Excellent read. Intelligent, amusing, extraordinary character development. Not a dull moment. Can't wait to read more of her work.

I've read a lot of Minette Walter's books now, and I've enjoyed them all. The Echo was the first one I ever read, so I have a soft spot in my heart for it. I was intrigued by an extract of the first chapter, which prompted me to buy the book - something I've never regretted.The Echo starts with the death of a homeless man - a death by natural cases. I found it odd to read a murder mystery which, for most of the book, has no murder. Minette Walters weaves a large cast of interesting characters, locations and events into a harmonious and satisfying conclusion. A worthy investment, I read this book regularly.Do I recommend it? Indeed. Not only to anyone who may stumble across this review, but to all my friends and aquaintances. I have lent the book out to so many people, and all have said they enjoyed it. I wish she could write more quickly - there's too long to wait between her books, I find!

I found myself immersed in this book very quickly, and it was a very enjoyable read. The plot has numerous twists which keep you enthralled as you try to keep up with the plot and its mysterious characters. It is quite amusing and hard to put down until you reach the conclusion. NB to future readers - mark the mind map pages to return to later on in the book, it makes it easier to understand where the new evidence fits in!

Just put the book down for the first time since opening it. The investigator, journalist Mike Deacon, is a lovable cad and will remain with me while most mystery protagonists slip away. Tolerate a slightly slow start and be rewarded with a growing cast of characters just this side of outrageous. Thrown together and shaken, they produce pathos and humor. I laughed outloud at the result predicted by Deacon's mentor, "Dear, Dear. A latent homosexual who performs acts of gross indecency living cheek by jowl with a disturbed adolescent who will probably have no compunction at all about leading him on in order to blackmail him. You certainly have an appetite for trouble, Michael." And, breathed a real sigh of relief when I learned the fate of Barry's mother. Actually what Michael does have in abundance is compassion which is lovely to behold as the tale unravels. I enjoyed the use of contemporary London slang. The atmosphere is a strange melange of British cozy and modern social injustice coupled with a liberal dose of human evil. My only quarrel is with too benign police behavior. Odd, because in another work by Minette Walters, The Ice House, as potrayed in the recent TV production (PBS's Mystery series) the cops' persecution of their suspect seemed outside legal bounds. What's up? An intricate plot. Individual kindness contrasted with a background of depravity. The book holds you, the reader, at a slight remove. You learn the results of these folks actions and understand their motives in just the right order.

A real mystery, not a thriller like Walters' previous books, but just as good. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to solve this literary jigsaw puzzle while not ever getting scared like I tend to be by thrillers like Patricia Cornwell's books and Minette Walters' last one, the Dark Room. Michael Deacon turned into a nice character, and I really enjoyed the trio of friends he made along the way - particularly Terry and Lawrence, but even Barry was given enough human qualities to make him more than just a scary freak. In the end, all the pieces of the puzzle turned into one large complete picture, very cleverly done, but of course with the help of some facts that we as readers couldn't get at. Being a reader who tends to pick on details, I particularly liked that everyone involved in the crime(s) behind the mystery was accounted for in the end, even the female computer expert who was James's lover and partner-in-crime five years previously to the events of the book, still waiting for him every Wednesday at the same spot in South Africa...