- Paperback: 9999 pages
- Publisher: Pan; 6 edition (2 May 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1865081620
- ISBN-13: 978-0330373265
- ASIN: 0330373269
- Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11.4 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 253,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Breaker
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
When Kate Sumner's corpse is discovered naked, bruised, prone and violated on the rocks of a sleepy South Coast town by two curious young boys and her tiny, traumatised daughter is found wandering alone several miles away, police are instinctively drawn to two suspects. William Sumner, Kate's husband, and Steven Harding, a handsome would-be actor, find themselves at the centre of the investigation and as police suspicions grow, their fatally flawed personalities are gradually disembowelled in the search for the truth. The clever presentation of part of the evidence in the form of bland witness statements, stylishly contrasting with the fast-paced narrative that swoops between the two prime suspects, is an ingenious tool which allows the weaknesses of each man to be gradually revealed.
The Breaker is an example of the crime novel at its very best, with characters and situations so carefully judged that they become all the more believable as the story is pushed towards its chilling climax. Minette Walters has more than proved her exceptional talent for mystery and suspense in the award-winning The Ice House, The Sculptress and The Scold's Bridle and here merely confirms her unquestionable standing as the true Queen of intelligent crime writing. --Susan Harrison
Product Description
An example of the crime novel at its very best with a new cover treatment
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read all of Minette Walters' earlier books and thoroughly enjoyed them, and I was looking forward to reading this one as it sounded very interesting. I was a bit disappointed by it though. It was very readable but as earlier reviewers have pointed out, it was hard to care about any of the characters. The ending of the book was a bit of an anti-climax, as there were no real surprises and no compelling motive for the killer. I would recommend someone new to Minette Walters to start with another one of her books.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Plot wise I thought this book was very weak indeed. It just didn't hang together well enough to convince me that it was real. In some ways it reminded me of a bad rehash of the film "Dead Calm". I was extremely disappointed as I enjoyed her first three novels hugely. I thought "The Dark Room" was quite weak too and I was really hoping for a return to form here. Usually her characters are quite interesting although the dialogue is not always convincing, but the strength of the plot usually carries it off. Here, not only was the dialogue poor, the characters were fairly unsympathetic and the plot was silly. Nothing to recommend it.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is just terrible. It reads more like a journalistic account of events than a novel and, although police reports and other 'source' material can add to a book's authenticity if done properly, this simply read like a dreary bundle of evidence. The characters were poorly developed and I thought that if I read the phrase, 'he smiled wryly' once more, I would throw the book out the window. Avoid this one at all costs.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A non-event
Am I missing something here? I've read several of Ms Walter's novels, and most seem to be complete let-downs. I appreciate she's a competent writer, but her plotting is abysmal. Read more
Published on 25 April 2010 by Dr Garry
Great at first then flopped at the end!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I did enjoy it to begin with. But then it just sort of dragged on without the usual surprises that leave you wanting to read... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2010 by M. Islam
FIRST TASTE OF MINETTE WALTERS
This was the first novel that I had read of Minette Walters, and like all new authors I have not read before I purchased my copy from the charity shop, so I did not waste too much... Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2009 by bibliophile
Not terrible but by Minette Walters' standards not very good
I am a big fan of Minette Walters, but this book disappoints.
Essentially, she needs her killer to be both sexual predator (for some threads of the plot) and sexual... Read more
Essentially, she needs her killer to be both sexual predator (for some threads of the plot) and sexual... Read more
Published on 3 April 2008 by Isafish
One of her best
Once again Minette Walters gives her fans a rollicking good yarn. As usual a thriller that never stops holding the reader's interest. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2007 by P.M. Wood
Feels researched
A young woman's body is washed up on a beach. The pathologist quickly establishes that it was murder.
There are two basic stories:
One story is the story of the investigation. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2004 by Francisco
Dull and snobbish
I have to second the sentiments of everybody else who found this very dull. It didn't grip me at all. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2002
If you want a good holiday read, look no further.
Are people ever what they first appear to be? It would seem not from reading this gripping tale of murder, lust and greed. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2002 by Busy Busy
Thriller? No, a very boring read.
I begrudge this book even one star. Poorly drawn characters so that you forget who's who halfway through the book, a lack of plot and complete absence of suspense make me wonder... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2002
What sort of men really commit crimes like rape?
I found this book to be very good. A womans body is washed up on a shore. The books explores the crime of rape. The prologue is an extract from the mind of a rapist by Helen Barry. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2001
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