The Scold's Bridle

by Minette Walters

Book Overview

Few tears fall when rich, spiteful old Mathilda Gillespie's bloody corpse is found her bathtub, her wrists slit and the ancient scold's bridle clamped on her head. It seems Mathilda's favorite heirloom was also an instrument of torture form the Middle Ages, an iron cage used to gag yapping women. Among the Dorset villagers, only Sarah Blakeney, Mathilda's doctor for her final year, seems even mildly disturbed that the miserable nag has been muzzled...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312956126
• ISBN13: 9780312956127
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A Great Story...

The Scold's bridle was winner of the CWA crime novel of the year, and after reading it, there is no doubt in my mind that it is worthy of its accolades. An old, crotchety shrew is found dead in the bathtub. Her wrists horribly slit, pills in her bloodstream, and an antique scold' bridle clasped firmly on her head. A medieval device used to silence nagging women in days of your...All signs point to suicide but for the contraption clamped onto her face, and the protagonist Sarah, her doctor, who said the old woman was emotionally stable. The reader is treated to many twists and turns as the police investigate the small town - only to find out that seemingly everyone had some motive to kill her, as she was entirely dislikeable. Enter the estranged and highly disgruntled family all looking for a share of the considerable family fortune, and you have a sure-fire method of staying up all night waiting for answers. Read this book for hours of unbridled suspense, but don't do it on a night when you have to get up early, as you won't be going to sleep. Relic113

My Favorite Walters Title.

Scold's Bridle is my favorite of all Minette Walters books. Her characters aren't totally sympathetic, or good, or evil for that matter. You never know who to root for or who to hate, in the next plot twist a good guy becomes bad or vice versa. There is alot of suspense and action in these novels, and Ms. Walters really makes the reader think. These are not mindless quick mysteries, although I read them quickly. Read them all, so far there isn't a bad one in the bunch!

Murder Mystery! Who killed Mathilda?

A very well written book, especially with the lines from Shakespear's plays. An attempt to solve a murder mystery using the theme of Shakespere's dramas such as King Lear and Macbeth. The main characters are Sarah Blakeney who was Mathilda's doctor.Mathilda, who got murdered and the first problems for the detectives was to find out if the dramatical death of Mathilda was a sucide attmept or a Murder. The suspects were Sahah, her husband Jack,who made a painting of Mathilda for £20000, Mathilda's daughter grand-daughter etc, etc. The story has many stories in it apart from the murder of Mathilda which keeps can keep a reader attached to the book. Very interesting aspects of Mathilda's life has been potrayed in this book. All in all the book is very interesting to read and very well written. Happy Reading!

Cat Got your Tounge? Not When It Comes To Minette Walters!

The Scold's Bridle is one of Minette's best! When the old lady that everyone in Fontwell hates dies a myesterious death in her bathtub - people breathe a sigh of relief.Not so for her doctor Sarah Blakeney, she sees more to the death than meets the eye and takes it upon herself to discover the truth behind Mathilda Gillespie's gruesome death.What the reader finds beyond the main plot is ingenious writing, rich characters and wonderful story telling. This is one page turner that I tried desperately not to read in one sitting - I really wanted to savor it.All in all a fabulous book!

Good Character Development Makes Good Reading

This was the most enjoyable mystery I have read this year. What makes it exceptional is the slow introduction of characters and how the reader gets to know them through other people and also through the action. In movies, one knows who the bad guys are-- they are always smoking. The bad guys are quickly and easily labeled so that we can get on with the movie. However, in "The Scold's Bridle", as in real life, the characters do not stick to their good or bad labels. This humanizes them and humanizes the protagonist because in real life we are often blinded by our first impressions and prejudices. The character development and the complex and page-turning mystery makes this book a good read. I also read Ms. Walters' other books and enjoyed this one second to "The Ice House".