Book Review: The Chameleon's Shadow
Oline H. Cogdill - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Apr 09, 2008
"The Chameleon's Shadow" by Minette Walters, read by Simon Vance; Tantor (unabridged; 9 CDs; 11 hours; $34.99). In print: Knopf ($24.95)
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Award-winning British author Minette Walters's trademark is terrifying, but finely nuanced psychological thrillers. But with last year's riveting "The Devil's Feather" and her new "The Chameleon's Shadow," Walters has focused her thrillers on people who have been through the war in Iraq and their uneasy return civilian life.
In "The Chameleon's Shadow," British Lt. Charles Acland's severe war injuries will never allow him to have a normal life. Aside from his physical disfigurement, Charles has extreme post-traumatic stress disorder. He now seems to have a profound distrust of women, suffers from migraines and is prone to violence. His psychiatrist fears this is the beginning of a "prolonged destruction of a personality."
Charles withdraws from the world, to wallow in the guilt he feels about what happened during the war and his paranoia about relationships. But his inability to handle his anger puts him under the scrutiny of the police who are investigating a series of murders. The only person Charles seems able to relate to is a no nonsense doctor who, with her female lover, runs a bar. If only he could learn to trust the doctor's motives.
"The Chameleon's Shadow" moves at a brisk pace with British actor Simon Vance giving an outstanding performance. Vance captures each character's personality with a fine edge.
Walters' trademark of including memos, newspaper reports and e-mails as a way of moving the plot could easily collapse as an audio book, but Vance's reading makes these bits of business work well.
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