The echo /

Walters is a gifted storyteller whose rich, dark tales of psychological suspense have led critics and fans to compare her favorably with Ruth Rendell. Her latest book, though, is as baffling and unsettling as wandering through an elaborate maze, with the attendant frustrations, wrong turns, and dead ends. But for readers who persevere, there's also the ultimate reward of arriving in the center of the maze and finally comprehending the ultimate logic of its layout. The story begins with the death of a homeless man, then jumps to an exploration of missing-persons cases. Back to the homeless man--one Billy Blake--the story tells of his death by starvation in the garage of a woman called Amanda Powell. The police are content to chalk Billy's death up to tragic coincidence, but journalist Michael Deacon isn't so sure. Readers are then led through a series of seemingly unconnected events and side plots, including the disappearance of Amanda's husband; Michael's friendship with a young delinquent; the suicide of Verity Fenton, wife of a missing diplomat; a building scam gone bust; and a 50-year-old event whose tragic repercussions reverberate throughout the story before finally revealing the surprising connections among the disparate pieces. There's plenty to like about Walters' latest--rich emotion, psychological intrigue, and deliciously tantalizing mystery--but the plot is looser, stranger, and slightly less compelling than her usual efforts. Still, it's a strong showing and one that's sure to be popular with readers who have grown to expect the unexpected from Walters. --Emily Melton

Sinuous plotting and an ability to bring a large cast of characters quickly to life put Walters's (The Dark Room, 1996) fifth suspense novel in the same ballpark as the work of Ruth Rendell. After describing the discovery in London of the body of a homeless man who called himself Billy Blake, Walters presents two extracts from a book about missing persons-the first of many such inserts from books, articles, letters and faxes that move the story along. Was Billy Blake really James Streeter, a merchant banker who disappeared in 1988 with £10 million? Digging into that question is twitchy, talented magazine journalist Michael Deacon, who is attracted to the coolly enigmatic Amanda Poole, the woman in whose garage the dead body was found-in part because she used to be Mrs. James Streeter. Walters makes Deacon her main focus, depicting a man troubled by family failures but compassionate enough to take in such needy strays as a 14-year-old street hustler who knew Blake and a sexually repressed co-worker who eventually helps bring everything into focus. Walters's prose isn't quite as shapely as Rendell's, but she's a superior storyteller who plumbs psychological depths with an acuity that here, as before, will have readers enthralled. 75,000 first printing; $75,000 ad/promo; BOMC main selection; author tour. (Mar.) FYI: Of Walters's five novels, one has won an Edgar Award, one a John Creasey Award and one a Gold Dagger Award. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Who was Billy Blake, really? And why did he choose Amanda Powell's garage to starve to death in? These are just a couple of the questions lurking in The Echo. Michael Deacon, a less-than-distinguished journalist, is assigned to dig up the dirt on Blake's death. He uncovers clues to Powell's missing husband, a mysterious lover, and vanished millions. This dark psychological thriller has its share of twists and turns of seemingly unconnected past events and side plots. Strong characters, both living and deceased, help guide the listener through the deceptions to the inevitable end. Simon Prebble's skilled reading helps support the story line and keeps one involved. Recommended. Denise A. Garofalo, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Five years after architect Amanda Powell's husband vanishes amid cries of embezzlement, a homeless man calling himself Billy Blake crawls into her garage and, in full view of her well- stocked freezer, starves himself to death. Falling-star journalist Michael Deacon, sent by his muckraking editor at The Street to get a story about the repentant Thatcherite who paid for a stranger's cremation, doesn't manage to make Amanda weep, but he comes away fascinated both by this enigmatic woman--what secrets is she hiding under that handsome exterior? does she think Billy was her vanished husband? or is she trying to expiate his sins by paying for Billy's obsequies?--and by street preacher/petty thief Billy--what demons of his own led him to mortify himself? why did he choose this place to die? who was he before he became a messianic beggar? Deacon buries himself in the story only to see unexpected figures--an underaged street kid Billy had befriended, a lawyer he'd once crossed swords with over euthanasia, a pathologically lonely photo archivist at The Street--surge and squiggle with shocking vitality, like mutating viruses. To get at the truth about Amanda Powell and Billy Blake, Deacon will have to come to terms with an unholy series of surprises about all these figures, including himself. Walters (The Dark Room, 1995, etc.), who's spent too long in Ruth Rendell's shadow, bids fair to break out of the pack with this teasing, impassioned puzzle, which shows her growing and broadening her range with a vitality as alarming as her characters'. (First printing of 75,000; Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection; $75,000 ad/promo budget; author tour)