The Devil's Feather

By: Minette Walters

Narrated by: Josephine Bailey

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

In each of her previous 10 critically acclaimed and hugely popular novels, Minette Walters has explored the dark terrain of the human psyche to give us thrillers of exceptional psychological complexity and suspense. Now, in The Devil's Feather, she gives us her most unexpected and electrifying novel yet.

In 2002, five women are discovered barbarously murdered in Sierra Leone. Reuters Africa correspondent Connie Burns suspects a British mercenary: a man who seems to turn up in every war-torn corner of Africa, whose reputation for violence and brutality is well-founded and widely known. Connie's suspicions that he's using the chaos of war to act out sadistic, misogynistic fantasies fall on deaf ears -- but she's determined to expose him and his secret.

The consequences are devastating.

Connie encounters the man again in Baghdad, but almost immediately she's taken hostage. Released after three desperate days, terrified and traumatized by the experience -- fearing that she will never again be the person she once was -- Connie retreats to England. She is bent on protecting herself by withholding information about her abduction. But secluded in a remote rented house, where the jealously guarded history of her landlady's family seems to mirror her own fears, she knows that it is only a matter of time before her nightmares become real.

With its sinuous plot, its acutely drawn characters, and its blistering suspense, The Devil's Feather keeps us riveted from first to last.

©2006 Minette Walters (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Masterful." (Kirkus)
"Agatha Christie with the gloves off." (Publishers Weekly)
"Walters successfully keeps the suspense high." (Library Journal)
"Walters really knows how to write convincing, ever-escalating psychological suspense." (Booklist)
"The story is so involving...that you hardly realize how skillfully Walters has worked her unifying theme into three intersecting plot lines." (The New York Times)

Loved It, Give Me More

I downloaded this book because it was on sale and I am so glad I did. I think it ranks up there with the greatest contemporary British crime stories. I loved the ambiguity of the ending, the character development, and the wonderful plot.

I hope Audible decides to offer more from this author. I have become a fan. I might even be forced to buy it in print, however I love audiobooks because I am able to multitask while "reading" them.

the best

this book was the best read for me in a while.it has all the workings of a great plot and is read with real fear,drama,and humor. if your hearing this in bed at night....you may want to lock your
doors and keep a basebll bat next to you. have fun!

A Real Novel & Mystery Thriller

This is a great listen, the characters are highly crafted, the plot incredible to the last word... whatever negative reviews there are must be looking for a fast moving book... this is the older tradition of unfolding and moving within the multiple plots a Peroit quest by an upstart smart woman journalist ~ and yes the first chapter is explored in depth later in the book so you will read all about it ~ but the prose is beautiful and the narration one of the finest on audible ~ English country side, old families with and without money, new politics and a taste of ad hoc terrorism delivered in a personal psychopathic way and rewarded twice over :) ~ If you love Mo Hayder's books, or Shadow of the Wind, this book is for you.

Tense in a good way

This one is a great match between book and narrator. The heroine is smart and tense and complicated and doesn't scare easily--but when she DOES get spooked, so do we. The narrator's effects are subtle, and she does a terrific job of conveying the foreboding tone. Even walking down the street in bright sunshine, I had to turn this one off sometimes, so convinced I became that something was going to tap me on the shoulder!

Just Stunning!

This is a first rate, riveting psychological thriller. The writing is clear and evocative, the READER is absolutely wonderful with a delicate sly nuanced style perfect for this book. I love the main characters, the protaganist is believable and remarkable at the same time. If you like Nevada Barr or Lisa Scottoline you'll love this -- although this is somewhat better writing. If you like Ruth Rendell you'll love this -- although nobody writes better psychology or thrillers than she does.

Terrific psychological book

This is a great book that I listened to in one weekend. Two story lines intersect to shed light on two different pathological and sadistic personalities.

ONE OF MINETTE WALTER'S BEST!

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I READ IT IN HARDBACK WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT, AND THEN RE-READ AGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD AND I WANTED TO SEE IF KNOWING THE ENDING, I WOULD PICK UP ON THE CLUES WALTERS SCATTERS THROUGHOUT THE STORY. EVERY TIME I READ IT OR LISTEN TO IT (AND I'VE LISTENED TO THE JOSEPHINE BAILY AUDIBLE BOOK ABOUT HALF A DOZEN TIMES NOW, I ENJOY IT EVEN MORE.

LIKE MANY OF WALTERS' THRILLERS, THE PLOT DOESN'T ADHERE TO THE TRADITIONAL LINEAR TIME FRAME. THE BEGINNING SETS UP THE STORY, BUT THEN THE PLOT MOVES FORWARD AND BACKWARDS IN TIME (BUT NOT IN A CONFUSING WAY) SO THAT IT BECOMES LIKE PEELING AN ONION. THE FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE HELPS TO KEEP YOU GUESSING. WHO IS BEING TRUTHFUL? WHO IS TELLING LIES?

MINETTE WALTERS WRITING IS TOP OF THE LINE. AND JOSEPHINE BAILEY PRODUCES VOICES FOR ALL THE CHARACTERS, INCLUDING A CONVERSATION IN SWAHILI, WITH PERFECTION. A LOT OF NARRATORS COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM MS. BAILEY (WHO ALSO SUPERBLY NARRATES THE CLASSIC, A SECRET GARDEN).

IF YOU LIKE YOUR MYSTERY/THRILLER/SUSPENSE TO BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY DRIVEN, YOU WILL APPRECIATE MINETTE WALTER'S THE DEVIL'S FEATHER. OR TAKE A CHANCE. IT'S A GREAT BOOK TO LISTEN TO. YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID.

A big disappointment

I'm sorry to be the first one to write a review, because I've just given the book up after suffering through several hours. It's not that it's a bad book, it's just that the promotional material was misleading; I definitely didn't get what I thought I was paying for. The critic's review upon which I based my purchase consisted of many paragraphs about murders in Sierra Leone, the protagonist as a news corrrespondent who is abducted by terrorists in Iraq and then released... exactly my cup of tea. But what I got was -- a cup of cold tea! I got all of the above in only about a half-hour, then hours of insufferable English countryside and boring-compulsive small-village characters. I asked myself, "If I hang on for a little while longer, maybe it'll get interesting again." I decided it was too painful. Those listeners who love the suffocating English theme might well enjoy it. I obviously did not. The narrator was good, though! Too bad.

Nothing happens

I rarely abandon a book mid-listen, but I just could not wait any longer for something interesting to happen. I'm OK with books focusing on characters, but this book pretends to be a thriller yet spends two-thirds of the book doing soap-opera in the English countryside. It may eventually get back to the original premise (mercenary murderer confronted by intrepid journalist), but I couldn't last through the endless diagnosis of the village history to find out. If the premise and the soap opera ever did tie together in any concrete way (other than in the journalist's panic-driven analysis), it would be too much of a coincidence to believe anyway. You want thrillers? -- listen to Frederick Forsyth. You want characters? -- listen to Bel Canto. This book is a waste of time.
(BTW, I rarely review books, but I wanted to warn people off of this one.)

Difficult to follow

I have to agree with the first reviewer. I found the listen to be very difficult to follow. All the advertized action happens in the first 1/2 hour . . . then nothing for hours except confusing story line that jumps back & forth in time. The reader does little to help the listener follow the time line. I found myself using the book as background noise for my commute.