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Minette Walters was an unawakened hence an undiscovered treasure for many years. Her first crime novel, The Ice House was published in 1992, a scant ten years ago. it won the John Creasey Award for Best First Novel. A well deserved award, indeed. Since then she has written The Sculptress ,Scold's Bridle, The Dark Room, The Echo, The Breaker, Shape of Snakes, Acid Row and now Fox Evil. Along the way she has picked up the Edgar Award and The Gold Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers Association. I have never read any of her work previous to her crime fiction but Walters formerly wrote - and edited - short stories and romance fiction. I would be very interested to read some of her romance fiction, a genre for which I do not ordinarily care. I would assume that, like the work of the eminently readable historical romance writer, Georgette Heyer, Walters would have made a superb job of that type of writing. In her rebirth as a suspense writer, however, romance plays a minimal role. Minette Walters picks up much grist for her fiction producing mill from her pastime of prison visiting. She has been reported as saying she enjoys this side of her career immensely. I have not found any references saying that she ever formally studied psychology but psychologists have been quoted as paying tribute to Ms. Walters characterisations of people suffering abnormal conditions, saying that she has depicted sufferers in accurate detail. This author rejoices in writing only stand alone novels. She has never returned, nor even made reference to, any of her previous fictional worlds. This new work maintains that tradition. She manages to incorporate the social change she observes around her yet is never didactic and would appear to find it impossible to bore her readers with the fast paced stories she produces. Fox Evil , like Walters' other books, has a strong heroine, Captain Nancy Smith of the Royal Engineers. Nancy was adopted as a baby and was brought up by a loving sensible family, one which so contributed to her sense of self worth and idea of family that she never wished to discover anything about her biological antecedents. She is contacted by the solicitor of her natural grandfather who has expressed a wish to get in touch with her. Nancy takes an instant dislike to the solicitor, Mark Ankerton. Although Ankerton's pleas are unavailing, Nancy is touched when she receives letters containing mysterious 'fables' from her grandfather, James Lockyer-Fox and, to the immense surprise of both Ankerton and Lockyer-Fox, she arrives at the Shenstead house during Christmas. Nancy is not the only visitor to the Dorset village, which is normally nearly deserted, having only five permanent families living there. A group of Travellers, or gypsies, led by the appropriately self-nicknamed Fox Evil arrives with the express intent of taking over some land, hitherto without provable ownership, for a permanent settlement for themselves and their families. There is more to it than that, however, since Fox Evil is obviously somehow involved with the Lockyer-Foxes and is working to his own benefit rather than for that of the Travellers. James' wife, Ailsa, has died in strange circumstances some time before the narrative begins. Since then James has been harassed by telephone calls accusing him of the murder of his wife -this despite a coroner's findings to the contrary - of incest with his daughter that produced the baby Nancy and of other awful deeds. The innocent man is undermined by these calls which come both day and night but he refuses to deny the charges despite the harassment undermining his health. In addition to the calls, he is appalled by the systematic torture and killing of animals for which his wife cared. The Lockyer-Fox children, a ne'er-do-well pair, Elizabeth and Leo. are suspected of involvement in the persecution of their father, with a large inheritance seen as their object. Yet where does the malign influence of Fox Evil come in? Fox Evil is accompanied by a young child, Wolfie, reputed to be his son, yet the mother, Vixen and young brother, Cub have disappeared. Wolfie is terrified of his father, yet even more terrified of the police and social workers. His character is a wonderful invention and one which lends a great deal of interest to the book. Walters has produced her customary gripping yet realistic narrative. It is solidly based and enthrals the reader from beginning to the denouement. The awful tendencies of the baddies of the tale are all too believable yet the reader must surely follow the horrors through to the ultimate unveiling of the villain and the solution of the various mysteries. Minette Walters has found for herself a faithful following to which this book can only add. Note: This review refers to the Australian version from Allen and Unwin, released 1 November 2002 at $Au29.95  ISBN
In the US, it is available from your favorite independent bookstore or Crime in Store (CrimeBks@aol.com)
Reviewed by Denise Wels, December 2002
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