Bibliofemme Reviews
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Acid Row by Minette Walters 
(Published by Pan)
Acid Row is an estate from hell, built just after the baby boom in the 40's little or no thought was given in the planning, the result of which is a maze of houses with two exits. The residents are what you would expect in any working class estate, unmarried mothers, elderly and sick, plenty of ex-cons and cons in the making.
Two events occur which start a cycle of unstoppable violence. A young girl goes missing and a blabbermouth social worker lets it be known that a convicted paedophile is housed in Acid Row.
Sophie Matterson is the local community doctor, attractive and young, she has a heart of gold and really cares for her patients, she's just made a house call to an old woman when she gets a call to attend the house of a polish gentleman suffering from a suspected asthma attack.
Melanie Patterson, at 19 is expecting her third child by a third man but for all her faults, 40 fags a day and six cans of lager, Melanie is a good mother and she loves her kids. When she discovers a paedophile has been moved into the estate and practically living next door to her and her two children, she enlists the help of her mother, and between them they rally the locals and decide to hold a peaceful protest march. The local youths however, have a different idea on how to deal with a paedophile, they take over the march and start to fire bomb the house where the paedophile is living, bedlam ensues.
Meanwhile in an estate across town a 10-year-old girl, Amy has gone missing.
Walters story has two main storylines, the disappearance of Amy and the march in Acid Row, both are gripping, she weaves in of one and out of the other, with ease and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. One of the best thrillers I've read in a long time, when I wasn't reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it and when I was reading it I never wanted it to end. 
January 2004
