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As this novel opens, the reader feels on familiar grounds. A psychologist, Jonathan Hughes, has published a book, DISORDERED MINDS, that re-examines murder convictions of the past that by contemporary standards now appear, at least to Hughes, to be unsafe. Among them is the case of Howard Stamp, convicted more than 30 years ago of the murder of his grandmother despite a lack of any firm evidence. In Hughes' view, Howard was sent to jail because of his general oddity -- educationally subnormal, he suffered from the same cleft palate that afflicted his grandmother and had, like her, some difficulty expressing himself. Poor Howard died in prison, a suicide only a few years after he was sent down. A local councillor who had long believed in his innocence seizes on Hughes's book to re-open the case. But once the case is laid out for the reader, attention shifts to the relationship between Howard's defenders. Neither is precisely as they present themselves to the world and they dislike each other on sight. Nevertheless, external events force them to co-operate and as they do, they gradually rub into an odd, but satisfying friendship. Readers who, however, expect the novel now to settle down into a reasonably conventional tale of dedicated amateur sleuths succeeding where the professionals have failed will be surprised. For this book unfolds against the background of the most current of current events, beginning with the debate over pursuing the war in Iraq and ending with the suicide of David Kelly. There is little discussion of these concerns, but they are there as a constant reminder of the difficulty of arriving at firm conclusions, especially in a world where 'evidence' may be less conclusive than it appears. I would anticipate that some readers will feel somewhat wrong-footed by Minette Walters' innovative approach to the crime novel. It is not absolutely clear at any point whose minds are indeed disordered; the issues raised by the narrative are never conclusively resolved. But for those who enjoy watching a talented and inventive author pushing the crime novel in a new direction, DISORDERED MINDS will not disappoint. Highly recommended. Note: This review refers to the original UK edition, available in Great Britain and Canada.
Reviewed by Yvonne Klein, February 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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