CRIME FICTION

The Point of Rescue

Hardback February 2008

Sophie's third psychological thriller

Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears a name she never thought she'd hear again: Mark Bretherick.

It's a name she ought not to recognise. Last year, a work trip Sally had planned was cancelled at the last minute. Desperate for a break from her busy life juggling her job and a young family, Sally didn't tell her husband that the trip had fallen through. Instead, she treated herself to a secret holiday in a remote hotel. All she wanted was a bit of peace - some time to herself - but it didn't work out that way. Because Sally met a man - Mark Bretherick.

All the details are the same: where he lives, his job, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy. Except that the photograph on the news is of a man Sally has never seen before. And Geraldine and Lucy Bretherick are both dead...

Like Little Face and Hurting Distance, this novel features Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer

‘Sophie Hannah just gets better and better. Her plots are brilliantly cunning and entirely unpredictable.' The Guardian

‘Sophie Hannah's ingenious, almost surreal mysteries are so intricately constructed that it's impossible to guess how they will end. The Point of Rescue is a compelling and disquieting story, told with the author's usual panache.’ Daily Telegraph

‘The fresh and the original have been Hannah’s hallmark since her debut Little Face. This third book [The Point of Rescue] is her most accomplished yet….As the revelations tumble forth, the tension is screwed ever tighter until the final shocking outcome…Exemplary.’ Daily Express

Hurting Distance

Hodder & Stoughton 2007.

‘A superbly creepy, twisty thriller about obsessive love, psychological torture, and the darkest chambers of the human heart’ The Times

Sundial-maker Naomi Jenkins is used to living with secrets: three years ago something terrible happened to her, so terrible that she never told anyone...

Now, Naomi has another secret: the man she has fallen passionately in love with, unhappily married Robert Haworth. When Robert vanishes without warning or explanation, Naomi knows he must have come to harm. But the police are less convinced, particularly when Robert's wife insists he is not missing.

In desperation, Naomi has an idea. If she can't persuade the police that Robert is in danger, perhaps she can convince them that he is a danger to others. Then they will have to look for him - urgently. Naomi knows how to describe in detail the actions of a psychopath. All she needs to do is dig up her own traumatic past...

‘This is a far better-written book than any genre label might suggest. Hannah is a respected poet and uses the fascinating motif of the sundial not only to provide the reader with clues but to underline perceptions of life, time and death. It’s also significant that she won a Daphne du Maurier award. Her powerful subjects of obsession with the past, and fear in the present, testify that she has made a transition to the narrative world of that iconic writer.’ Independent

'Hurting Distance confirms Sophie Hannah as a rivetingly original arrival in crime fiction.' Sunday Times

'Her plots are brilliant' Guardian

‘In the world of psychological thrillers, it is rare to come across a novel that conforms absolutely to the rules of the genre at the same time as being genuinely original, satisfyingly unpredictable and totally enthralling. This is what Sophie Hannah has achieved with Hurting Distance, and she’s done it with considerable style. The twisting tale of obsessive love – and its twin, obsessive hatred – hums with tension as the appalling depth of deliberate and planned betrayal becomes apparent. This is psychological suspense at its very best.’ Yorkshire Post

You can order the Hardback and Paperback from Amazon.co.uk

Read the beginning of 'Hurting Distance'

Little Face

Hodder & Stoughton, 2006.

Sophie’s first psychological suspense novel has sold more than 100,000 copies and was number one on the Amazon.co.uk crime chart for over a month.

When Alice Fancourt returns home after having been out for the first time without her two-week-old daughter Florence, she insists that the baby she finds at home, in the care of her husband David, is not their daughter but a child she has never seen before. David denies it, claiming that the baby is Florence and that Alice has gone mad. Is she crazy, or is David lying, and if so, why would he do such a thing? And where is the real Florence? Alice has no proof, but she needs the police to believe her, and quickly. While they wait for the DNA test that will settle the matter, valuable time is being lost, and David’s behaviour towards Alice becomes increasingly threatening and sinister. Can Alice make the police listen to her before it's too late?

Available from Amazon.co.uk in Hardback and Paperback

'This may well turn out to be the detective novel of the year. A terrifying mystery of manipulation, counter-manipulation and, finally, astounding revelation. It's a haunting story told with bewitching skill.' - Gerald Kaufman, The Scotsman

'Fascinating and original... beautifully written...oustandingly chilling' - Spectator

'Quite brilliant' - The Times

Read Chapter One of 'Little Face'

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