Synopses & Reviews
In each of her previous ten critically acclaimed and hugely popular novels, Minette Walters has explored the dark terrain of the human psyche to give us thrillers of exceptional psychological complexity and suspense. Now, in
The Devil's Feather, she gives us her most unexpected and electrifying novel yet.
In 2002, five women are discovered barbarously murdered in Sierra Leone. Reuters Africa correspondent Connie Burns suspects a British mercenary: a man who seems to turn up in every war-torn corner of Africa, whose reputation for violence and brutality is well-founded and widely known. Connie's suspicions that he's using the chaos of war to act out sadistic, misogynistic fantasies fall on deaf ears — but she's determined to expose him and his secret.
The consequences are devastating.
Connie encounters the man again in Baghdad, but almost immediately she's taken hostage. Released after three desperate days, terrified and traumatized by the experience — fearing that she will never again be the person she once was — Connie retreats to England. She is bent on protecting herself by withholding information about her abduction. But secluded in a remote rented house — where the jealously guarded history of her landlady's family seems to mirror her own fears — she knows that it is only a matter of time before her nightmares become real.
With its sinuous plot, its acutely drawn characters, and its blistering suspense, The Devil's Feather keeps us riveted from first to last. It is a dazzling reminder of why Publishers Weekly has dubbed Minette Walters "Agatha Christie with the gloves off."
Review
"Have current events finally caught up with Walters's unremittingly brutal imagination?...Genteel and horrifying as ever, with a particularly unsparing examination of the rage of traumatized victims." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Walters really knows how to write convincing, ever-escalating psychological suspense." Booklist
Review
"Walters successfully keeps the suspense high, using a complex structure that parsimoniously releases the details of Connie's abduction and eventual confrontation, though readers may still have questions at the end." Library Journal
Review
"[S]tylish and frightening....There are small town dramas and tangled family histories here, too, but The Devil's Feather is at its core a tricky, psychologically acute and thrilling novel about the effects of violence on human character." Anna Godbersen, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review)
Synopsis
When five woman are brutally murdered in Sierra Leone, Reuters correspondent Connie Burns suspects a British mercenary who seems to be using the chaos of war to act out sadistic, misogynist fantasies. Connie's suspicions fall on deaf ears, but she's determined to expose the man and his secret. The consequences are devastating. She meets him again in Baghdad but is taken hostage shortly afterward. Terrified and traumatized by the experience, Connie escapes to England, determined to protect herself by withholding information abouther abduction. In a remote rented house- where the dark, hidden history ofher landlady's family seems to mirror her own fears- she waits, knowing it's only a matter of time before her nightmares become real... With it's sinuous plot, it's vividly drawn characters, and its breathless, unrelenting suspense, The Devil's Feather keeps us riveted from first to last.
About the Author
Minette Walters is the author of eleven novels, two novellas, and a number of short stories. Her work, which has been published in more than thirty-five countries, has received several major awards, including two Gold Daggers from the Crime Writers' Association in Great Britain and the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Dorset, England. Visit her website at www.minettewalters.co.uk.