By the third page, I thought, "This is garbage." It doesn't matter to me what was on the fourth page or beyond. I cannot see being friends with anyone who read that far. ( )

This book gets bad reviews and low ratings which surprises me. I thought it was good. Not her best, but she was trying things out and mostly they worked. People complained about dialog and the fact that there were emails and police statements in there, and I admit they were thinly disguised info-dumps, doing nothing to really add to the sum knowledge of the people involved, but they did move the story forward. The opening 120 pages were an excellent illustration of ingrained assumptions and prejudice - great verbal assault and fencing. Later the scenes were laid on a bit thick, but given how comfortable people are (15 years later) with the Trump administration’s blessing of racist attitudes and actions, not exactly surprising.

I also loved how slowly and carefully Walters paid out the line of the plot; you knew early on that Cill and Roy were up to something, but it was obscure and you had to figure the angle along with George and Jonathan. Especially when Cill’s stealing Jon’s wallet only drew attention to them. Weird. And is she really guilty of Grace’s murder? It’s never fully resolved, but they hope one day she will trip up and give herself away. A bit unsatisfying, but at least the gang of little rapists all reap some bad shit in their lives.

It isn’t perfect though. I had to read and re-read the last few sentences. Is George really Jon’s mother? What? That is so insane. I think there should have been a lot more in the way of backstory, hints and allegations in order to pull that off. I mean, I liked them as an unlikely duo - they eventually worked together really well despite the rough start. ( )

I found the book disjointed and confusing. A pity, as I normally enjoy this author's writing style. ( )

George Gardner is anxious to have Howard Stamp posthumously cleared of the crime of murdering his grandmother. She contacts anthropologist Jonathan Hughes with background info she has collected and requests his help in her endeavor.
I can't say I liked the way the book was written using police reports, emails, newspaper articles rather than dialogue. I found it to be an arduous read, I continually had to go back and re-read sections so I was sure I was remembering correctly. And, I can't say the ending was what I expected. But I did finish it. ( )

From Amazon:

In 1970, 20-year-old Howard Stamp is convicted of brutally killing his 57-year-old grandmother with a carving knife; three years later, he commits suicide in prison. In 2002, London anthropologist Jonathan Hughes includes the Stamp case in his book, Disordered Minds, which examines infamous miscarriages of justice. The mentally slow Stamp may have been coerced into confessing to the murder. George (Georgina) Gardener, an elderly councilor living in Stamp's hometown of Bournemouth, has come to believe in Stamp's innocence herself and asks Jonathan for help in clearing the young man's name. The two get off to a rocky start, but they form an uneasy alliance that gradually grows into a deep friendship. Watching this relationship develop is one of the novel's more entertaining aspects. Walters uses to good effect the multiple viewpoints of her numerous characters, as well as flashbacks, letters, newspaper articles and e-mails to reveal the truth behind the decades-old murder. However, as in life, there are no easy answers, and although the ending may disappoint some, it caps perfectly all that has come before it.

My Thoughts:

The plot had promise from the first and the description would certainly be bait to snare any mystery fan but the book has delivery problems. There is so many different sides to he story with three different stories happening at the same time...the murder of Grace, the 57 year old grandmother...the disappearance of a 13 year old girl after she was raped by a group of 14 year old boys and her best friend's lies, and deceit that turned the situation on it's head. The information came in the form of print, email transactions, and police reports all printed to look like emails and police reports. Way, way too much...it became overload. Nothing was really resolved in the end. If it had been a non-fiction book I would have said that was the way that life often turns out....but a fiction book you expect more of a solution at the end. 3 stars is all I can give this work. ( )