Bill's Reviews > The Echo

Minette Walters has been one of my favorite standalone mystery writers since I discovered her a few years back. I rank her up there with Margaret Millar in my list of favorite mystery authors. The Echo, originally published in 1997, was no exception. It was a perfect little gem; well, almost perfect as I only rated it 4.5. But I could easily have rated it 5 out of 5.

The body of a drunk homeless man, Billy Blake, is discovered in the garage of a wealthy woman after he'd been in place for a few days. She is shocked by the discovery. The police investigation reveals that he seems to have just waste away, possible suicide. A reporter, Michael Deacon, doing an article on homelessness is tasked to interview the woman, Amanda Powell, to possibly provide a perspective for the story. She had paid for his cremation and burial and seemed to be interested in discovering more about Billy.

The beginning of the story features excerpts from a book (fictional, of course) about Unsolved Mysteries of the 20th Century, specifically about two missing men, Peter Jensen and James Streeter. What Michael Deacon begins investigating is whether these disappearances might be related to dead Billy Blake. His investigation becomes more interesting when he discovers that Amanda Powell is also Amanda Streeter.

We meet a fascinating cast of characters, including both Deacon and Amanda Blake. There is Terry a 14 year old homeless boy who lived with Billy (with a group of homeless persons) near Amanda's home who attaches himself to Deacon. There is Barry Grover, a strange reclusive employee of the same newspaper who helps Deacon with the investigation but also has his own secrets. There is Lawrence Greenhill an elderly lawyer who assists Deacon with legal issues and then there is DS Harrison who gets involved with the investigation. The characters all are well-developed and you find yourself drawn to them. And who is the mysterious lady who appears periodically in South Africa?

The story is a rich, textured tale and just so fascinating. The intricate ways Walters draws the various threads together makes it so appealing. The interactions between the characters are excellent and enhance the story. The ending was satisfying for the most part as well. I continue to enjoy Walters and I'm glad I still have stories of hers to read (4.5 stars)