Acid Row

by Minette Walters

Book Overview

Acid Row is a crime-infested housing project that exists by its own laws. When news comes that a child has been kidnapped, the frustration and anger that has been seething on the streets of Acid Row... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399148620
• ISBN13: 9780399148620
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 339 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Gritty and Full of Suspense

Acid Row is what the residents of Bassindale Estate call the place they live. It's a council housing estate of sub-standard properties, where society's most deprived people live. The streets are patrolled by dealers, drunks and youth gangs. The residents are unwed mothers, the jobless, ex-cons and ailing pensioners. Added to his mix, the authorities house a convicted pedophile on the estate and word quickly spreads. Then a young girl goes missing? Residents decide to take the law into their own hands and stage a protest, but fueled by drink and drugs, it quickly turns ugly and now the residents are in danger. And so is Dr. Sophie Morrison. She has been called out on an emergency visit to the pedophile's home and is taken prisoner by him and his violent father. They have been getting threats and see Sophie as some kind of insurance against whatever bad is coming their way. And sure enough, the ugly crowd finds it's way to the pedophile's door and they are rioting. Many residents are trampled and crushed, while inside Sophie faces acts of violence and abject terror as her captors refuse to let her go. There is a lot of violence in this book, but I didn't think it took away from the story. The suspense is always high, the story is gritty and probably more true to life than most of us would like to admit. And though this was my first novel by Minette Walters, it certainly won't be my last. I highly recommend it.

A Gritty and Suspense Filled Story

Acid Row is what the residents of Bassindale Estate call the place they live. It's a council housing estate of sub-standard properties, where society's most deprived people live. The streets are patrolled by dealers, drunks and youth gangs. The residents are unwed mothers, the jobless, ex-cons and ailing pensioners.Added to his mix, the authorities house a convicted pedophile on the estate and word quickly spreads. Then a young girl goes missing?Residents decide to take the law into their own hands and stage a protest, but fueled by drink and drugs, it quickly turns ugly and now the residents are in danger. And so is Dr. Sophie Morrison. She has been called out on an emergency visit to the pedophile's home and is taken prisoner by him and his violent father. They have been getting threats and see Sophie as some kind of insurance against whatever bad is coming their way.And sure enough, the ugly crowd finds it's way to the pedophile's door and they are rioting. Many residents are trampled and crushed, while inside Sophie faces acts of violence and abject terror as her captors refuse to let her go.There is a lot of violence in this book, but I didn't think it took away from the story. The suspense is always high, the story is gritty and probably more true to life than most of us would like to admit. And though this was my first novel by Minette Walters, it certainly won't be my last. I highly recommend it.

A Dark Look at Life on a Council Estate

Bassindale Estate, known as Acid Row by the people that live there, is a bleak, rundown council estate. Nobody living there works and most of the residents are single mothers or layabouts. Youth gangs control the streets, roaming at will wherever they please, doing whatever they want, often terrorizing the residents. And if all that isn't bad enough, Acid Row is a place the cops prefer to stay clear of.Sophie Morrison is a young doctor who refuses to give up on the people in Acid Row. They are her patients, her friends and she goes out of her way to lend them a helping hand whenever she gets the chance. Unfortunately for Sophie, trouble is brewing.When Melanie Patterson, who is a young mother, hears that the authorities have moved a convicted pedophile onto the estate, word spreads and the residents are furious and determined to find out where this man is living. Then a young child goes missing and suspicion immediately falls on two men who have recently moved next door to Melanie. Deciding to take matters into their own hands, the residents hold a protest march around the estate to demand these men be moved out.Sophie is finishing a house call, when she gets called to see a man in the throws of an asthma attack. She helps the man, then is prevented from leaving. One of these men is the suspected pedophile and they decide to hold her as insurance against the protesters, who are now outside their door.Sophie suffers horribly as she fights for her life inside the house, while the crowd outside is drinking and getting violent. Firebombs are thrown and the crowd starts crying for blood.This book has a great ending with a nice twist and it's a good suspenseful read, though it's a thriller, not the mystery I expected. However, that made no difference, because it's such a powerful story.

One of the finest by a modern master of suspense

Minette Walters has put together a body of work over the last ten years that has rarely been equaled. THE ICE HOUSE is considered one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Books like THE SCULPTRESS are unforgettable in the power of the depiction of the title character. She now comes out with one of her best novels in years. Bassindale Estates is a decrepit housing project in England. A sign off the road was vandalized and reads "Welcome to Assi d Row" Hence, the title of the book. Acid Row is "A place of deprivation where literacy was poor, drugs endemic and fights commonplace." Into this volatile mix is placed a pedophile. After a young girl disappears, angry residents hear of this and they organize a protest. Unfortunately, the protest quickly turns into mob rule with the possibility of violence and rioting just under the surface. By juxtaposing points of view, the reader is given access to all parts of this event. Sophie Morrison, a young physician from the local health clinic is unknowingly enters the apartment of the pedophile and is placed into the center of the maelstrom. The local police are helpless and must solicit aid from local residents. The individuals who try to help must become surprising heroes. While this event escalates, the police continue to work the case of the missing child. Minette Walters examines the psyche of an unruly mob. Once she sets the stage for the confrontation, she does not let go of the thread of suspense. She ensures the reader's unwavering attention by use of a gripping narrative and skillful characterizations. There are several times that Ms. Walters loses some focus but these times are rare. ACID ROW is an excellent example of why Minette Walters is considered a modern master of the genre. This is a very worthy nominee of the CWA Gold Dagger Awards.

Possibly her best yet

I've read all of Minette Walters' books, and this may be her best. It's a break from the overwhelming bleakness of her recent books-- there are actually sympathetic, even heroic, characters. Her books are usually studies in pessemism, but there's an optimistic note running through this book that's quite unexpected-- and, in that last chapter, maybe a little overdone.