Readers Write

Alexander, in the US

Just a quick note to say – nice work! I got into your work back in 1999 when I accidentally saw The Ice House in the British Council Library in Sofia, Bulgaria, where I am from. Then I started looking for the other tapes on purpose and read the books that haven’t been televised. I only recently had time to read for pleasure rather then for information (I just started a PhD degree in Anthropology and we get far too much scientific papers to read) – and the book that I read was The Breaker. Finished it quickly and am now onto The Shape of Snakes.

I see that your latest book, The Devil’s Feather, is published in the UK and the Harvard libraries do have it already on the shelves but the US edition, it seems, is not out. I was wondering if there is one in the pipeline do you have any plans to do signings over here in the US (Boston or indeed Cambridge, where Harvard is – would be very nice!)?

Anyway – your site is lovely too and your stories are really very thought-provoking. Really cool to be able to send emails to contemporary writers like this!

Editor's Note: The Devil's Feather will be released in the US by Knopf in mid-2006. For more details and to be the first to hear about Minette's tour plans, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

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Esther, in the US

Just wanted to tell you how I "met" your books. I'm Cuban and had never heard of you until, on a trip to Australia I saw The Sculptress on TV. As we all know, the book is usually better than the movie, so I bought the book. That was 1997. Today, I live in USA and just have finished reading The Devil's Feather. The book is awesome! I couldn't put it down and have only one word to say: MORE!

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Pam, in the US

I want to start off by apologizing that I don’t have any good DIY tips as requested in your contact information! I do want to say that I’m glad I suddenly had the inspiration to visit your website. I have been a fan of your books since The Ice House was recommended to me some time ago. Being a rebel of sorts however, I started off with The Dark Room instead. Then I proceeded to read all of your titles I could find and I’m now caught up to The Devil’s Feather which I’ll be anxiously awaiting for publication here in the United States. If I had to pick favorites to-date I’d have to say Acid Row and The Shape of Snakes. I can’t pick just one favorite.

I don’t know why it took me so long to check for a website for you but now that I have, it’s marked as one of my ‘favorites’. I found it very informative and interesting. I like the personal aspect that it has with the family photos and the information about the charities you are involved in. I look forward to reading the new book!

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Anouk, in Holland

I love your books and am pleased to say that I've read them all, including The Devil's Feather. I have to thank my mother-in-law for getting me started on your books as she bought me my first copy. I live in Holland and am Dutch but I prefer to read English books. My husband is English and my mother-in-law gets me your books in England as I haven't been able to find them in any bookshops in Holland as yet, neither in English nor Dutch. The books I don't own I've managed to borrow in the Dutch library.

Editor's Note: Please check the International Publishers section to locate the name of Minette's publisher in your country. Please contact them directly for sales information.

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Obed, in the US

I am a huge fan of your writing. I think you are a great writer, and are definitely an inspiration for me. Your hard work and dedication to writing has paid off for you, and this just motivates me to work hard and be the best I can be in no matter what profession I choose! You are definitely an inspiration to many of us! Keep up the great work!

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Tina, in the US

My husband, Peter, is a bookseller and over the years has introduced me to many mystery writers, that being my primary book addiction. I have read all your American editions. I have just discovered the Amazon UK site and your newsletter, which now allow me to buy English editions when they are first published.

I am a psychotherapist and so often get to experience the many sides of the people I meet. Your books have captured my mind because they are so clearly reflective of the human condition. I really enjoy that there is no single character that moves from one story to the next, although, I do read other mystery writers that have a fondness for a main character. Thank you so much for keeping my mind occupied with the riddles and glimpses into the lives of your characters. It is a sincere pleasure to be one of your readers. I have also enjoyed the BBC productions of your books. Many, many thanks.

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Virginia, in the US

As a soup-kitchen coordinator who has studied everything from anthropology to debt-management and ethnic conflict to astronomy, I would just so love to thank Minette for putting into words a poetic and eloquent version of the feelings that I have every day. It is not so easy to see the ugly things that people do and the repulsive thoughts they have while still seeing beauty in their lives and the complexity in their backgrounds. I fail even now to describe it!! I wish that even ten more people in this world could at once portray things admirable and depressing on macro- and micro- levels, inspiring the same amount of compassion and incite to action that she does. I could only hope that those ten people could bring a thousand times more peace to us all.

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Dana, in Australia

Finally! Someone has been brave enough to state HOW they approach writing. You haven't pretended it's a great "art", which I deeply believe it to be, but not in the way for inflating the ego, but the possibilities of the amazing human capacity for imagination!

I've been a subscriber to your newsletter for some time but I have only now found the courage to contact you...After reading through all of your words of practical encouragement and advice for writers, and having taken part in a writers' workshop (in Australia) that was led by a woman who closely resembles you in strength and drive, I now feel galvanised toward my own efforts. I dearly wanted to share my deep, genuine gratitude for my long awaited turnaround.

'Reaffirming and empowering' - thank you for your help, Minette - it DOES make a difference, to more people than you could ever know.

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Bob, in the US

My wife's book club was about to undertake The Sculptress when I found it on the couch. I started reading it and was smitten immediately. In a few days I had The Ice House and devoured that one as well. Since then I have read all your mysteries in order of publication, with only Disordered Minds left to read [and rented the video of The Ice House]. Acid Row was definitely my favorite, a certified page-turner. I have since seen a review that claimed Acid Row was not up to your usual standards, but I disagree. While it was complex with a community full of characters, the individual stories were gripping and warm, and the suspense surrounding Sophie's entrapment kept me rapt.

I like your stories because you do not describe the police as inept [except perhaps in Acid Row where the police were outflanked] but always treat them with respect and they are endowed with tremendous insight into the human condition, drawing inferences from the slightest body language or turn of phrase. In our society [the USA] with its rampant cynicism, the police [as with much of authority] rarely are treated fairly or respectfully.

Thanks for maintaining a website and filling it with interesting and current information.

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Lynn, in the US

I have been reading a lot of mysteries, and I am still recommending your novels to people I know who either just want a good read or are looking for another good mystery author. It is not easy to find new quality mystery writers. They are out there ,however, and it is worth the trouble to find them. I realize this gives you more competition, but I think it also whets people's appetites for mysteries in general when they read a good story!

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Norbert, in Austria

It was about one month ago that I chose your book Fox Evil in the bookshop. Now 4 weeks later I have read: The Shape of Snakes, The Echo and The Dark Room. I just want to say: THANK YOU! You gave me a wonderful time during reading your books and I am looking forward to reading your other books.

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Patrizia, in Italy

This is the first fan email I have written, especially in another language. You surprise me every time I read your books...I am so fascinated by the tension of your plots and the acute psychological insight into your protagonists that the final resolution is quite secondary. In my opinion, you have a special ability to draw female characters: Mathilda Gillespie and Mrs. Ranelagh are two extraordinary women painted with all degrees of human passions.

Moreover, reading your comments in the Q&A section has helped me focus on the reason I love European thriller writers more than American ones. In the US, the focus is on the technical aspects of a murder, not the psychological background of murder. Anyway, thanks very much, it's very exciting keeping company with your books!

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Marie-Paule, a French fan living in Italy

Pardonnez-moi d'écrire en français, bien que je connaisse bien l'anglais :-) mais j'avais envie de vous exprimer mon admiration dans ma langue maternelle !!!..j'espère que vous arriverez à déchriffer mon message....:-)

Je n'ai pas de question particulière à vous poser sur votre oeuvre que j'ai pratiquement ''dévorée'' (en français :-)), passant d'un livre à l'autre sans jamais me lasser.....vous etes devenue un peu ma ''drogue'' !

Ce qui me plait particulièrement dans vos romans, c'est votre extraordinaire capacité à rendre tous vos personnages ''crédibles' psychologiquement.....ils sont forts, parfois d'une noirceur inouie mais toujours humains......votre lecteur s'attache à chacun d'entre eux, retrouvant au fond de lui meme une partie de lumière ou d'obscurité.....

Impressionnant aussi votre abilité à faire le portrait de votre société britannique.....vous etes lucide et engagée et l'on vous suit, comme charmés, dans vos analyses nuancées mais sans concessions.

Continuez à nous faire passer des moments de lecture inoubliables.......!!

Et comme j'ai l'impression de vous connaitre à travers vos oeuvres, je me permets de vous transmettre mon amitié.

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Ketaki, in Australia

I have become one of your great fans in the past one month. It is very true what you said on your website that you think that your books are definitely worth a 'read'. I will say they are much more than that. I have read three of your books in the past one month and think that says it all. Just could not keep the book down. Starting with The Dark Room, I read The Sculptress and then The Scold's Bridle. I cannot say which one was my most favourite. Really like your writing style and your plots are just too good!

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Minette, in Sweden

A long time ago I saw a book with the name Minette Walters, and because my name is Minette I just had to buy it. It was your first book and since then I've looked forward to reading your other books. Both my husband and I love your books. Thank you for making my name not sound so strange!

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Kate, in the UK

I have only recently discovered your books, and one thing about your writing sticks out in my mind. That is your characters. I read a lot of thriller and crime books, and find that the characters can be quite one-dimensional. They are either good or bad (even if the "bad"' person turns out not to be the culprit, he/she is still at one or other end of the scale). Your characters are very complex - just like real people! Other authors profess, for instance, to have sympathy/empathy with those who are considered the lower ranks of society - single mothers, ex prisoners, etc.

But you are the first author I have read who actually acknowledges that it is not that simple. I'm thinking of Acid Row here. It's very easy to say "they get pregnant to get a council flat", and "they're too idle to work, they just expect the state to support them", but if that's the message handed down for the last couple of generations, and if they aren't receiving the encouragement to help themselves, life can seem hopeless. Having a child gives you some sense of being needed, and being "grown up", in a world that doesn't seem to be taking you seriously. And yet, what shines through, and what I've noticed in people in these situations, is their total love and devotion to their families and friends.

I have so far read Acid Row and The Sculptress, and am currently reading Disordered Minds, and love the fact that the characters are insecure, put on false fronts in public, and are generally whole, three-dimensional people. And I like the fact that these insecure, mixed-up characters can come from any level of society.

Please don't make your current writing break too long - enough time to catch up on your other books would be just fine!

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Ann, in Canada

I finished Disordered Minds just recently and want to tell you how much I enjoyed it. The story was complex but I had no problems keeping all the characters in their places.

When the TV series of The Scold's Bridle, The Ice House and The Sculptress aired, I watched and enjoyed all of them. That was my first introduction to you as writer, and I recommend you to people who ask me to suggest a good mystery writer. I am pleased that I am now on your "mailing" list and look forward to each newsletter. (back to top)

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