Dead Woman Walking

This was my first Jessica Mann; I understand the main character here, Dr Fidelis Berlin, appears elsewhere? This is her story, and very fascinating it is, too.It seems that this novel is being sold in the 'crime' category, but really this element is secondary - or even tertiary. It is a complex narrative taking as its themes recovered memory, the mother-daughter relationship, witchcraft and child-abuse, Germans and Germany since the war, etc., etc.Big ideas, then, and Mann creates a world teeming with vivid and credible characters with which to explore it. One cavil might be that it's sometimes difficult to remember who's who, or the relationship between whoever happens to be on the page at any given moment - but it's definitely a good read.However, do be warned: this is a disturbing read, and sometimes a challenging one.I might read Jessica Mann again, but probably not very soon.

This book is very different from Jessica Mann's previous novels.It has no chapters but dates.The narrative goes from one time to the next.I had to read until I finished the book.

Fantastic book brilliantly written

I haven't both of his books, both of which are fascinating.

Gillian Butler hasn't been seen since `The Brownes' dinner party'. Now fifty years later the same people gather to discuss the human remains that have been discovered in a quarry, and which are undergoing tests, but which it seems are most probably her remains. As the evening broke-up all those years ago, just who was the last person to see Gillian Butler alive?Isobel is a people-tracer and a novelist married to Francois, but at the time of Gillian's disappearance was married to Hector, whom Isobel thinks isn't looking too good now with his high colour. Dr Fidelis Berlin is now a known expert on child abuse, abduction, abandonment and adoption. Then there are The Dorneywoods, and twice widowed Hannah.The story alternates between first and third person narrators. Initially we hear from Isobel of her early life and that of the people surrounding her. Then the story switches to Fidelis and her story, which starts in Berlin in 1938. Like so many stories of that period, it is a tragic. And we learn that the story remains unresolved, as Fidelis's true identity is still a mystery.I enjoyed the way long forgotten events are brought to the surface, with odd irrelevancies that we all encounter when we seek to remember the past. In one recollection Isobel says that she recalls that Fidelis left the dinner party, with Euan Butler to catch the sleeper. They were carrying their luggage `I wonder when rolling luggage began,' she muses. Can anyone remember?' I too began to ask myself that question.The characterisation is masterly, gives the reader the person without the need for description. Isobel recounts at one point: `When I left him, Hector blamed "those bra-burning harpies" and if he could he would have cited the woman's movement as the co-respondent in our divorce.'As the story progress more and more layers are stripped away from the characters, and a sad but gripping tale of mystery and vengeance is revealed. If the novel has a message it is that one should be careful of making decisions that not only effect but can change and destroy lives. This book is highly recommended.------Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

Whether or not you read crime fiction, read this. Follow the intricately woven plot as Mann unsentimentally strips away each character's facade to get to the blood and guts of the truth. Forget nostalgia. The past really is another country, and all too often not a nice one. Written with Mann's usual wit and wisdom, you'll enjoy the ride as you witness the havoc unleashed by the lies people tell each other. A fast-moving narrative peopled with characters so rich, each one could have a whole book to him or herself.

Jessica Mann returns to detective-thriller fiction after her brilliant non-fiction memoir, "The Fifties Mystiqu". An intricate but believable plot links modern-day child abuse and the pre-war Kindertransport, where Jewish children were rescued in the nick of time from the death camps. Another triumph from one of our most durable and serious mystery writers.

In haven't ever read a crime novel quite like tthis one before, it crams so many characters and places and time frames into quite a short book, but somehow it wasn't confusing and I didn't need to reread earlier sections to make sense of later ones.And the characters came over like real people I could see, and hear their voices. A lot happens too. It wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but it's worth tasting.