Friday 9 January 2009

The Point of Rescue - Sophie Hannah

The Point Of Rescue by Sophie Hannah - 456 pages
ISBN NO- 978-0-340-93312-1 Published by Hodder and Stoughton in 2008


I was lucky enough to be lent this book by a good friend who has all of Sophie Hannah's books. This is the second one I have read of hers, the first one being her first book 'Little Face.' The story is a psychological crime novel, full of twists and turns and the unexpected. I have copied the blurb from the back of the book to give you a taste of the story.

'Sally is watching the news with her husband when she hears a name she ought not to recognise: Mark Bretherick. Last year, a work trip Sally had planned was cancelled at the last minute. Desperate for a break from her busy life juggling work and a young family, Sally didn't tell her husband that the trip had fallen through. Instead, she booked a week off work and treated herself to a secret holiday. All she wanted was a bit of peace some time to herself but it didnt 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 man on the news is a man Sally has never seen before. And Geraldine and Lucy Bretherick are both dead ... '
The books main characters are Sally, mentioned above and Simon and Charlie the police officers investigating the murders. The story jumps from Sally's story to theirs,as well as printing extracts from the murder victim's diary. You are captured into the story from the start, as you are desperate to find out who this Mark Bretherick is and why were his family killed.
I have to say I really enjoyed this story. I found once I got past the first chapter I was really engrossed. I didn't always enjoy the story from the police officers viewpoint as I often thought those parts were a bit long winded. The police officers have appeared in all three of Sophie Hannah's stories, so I understand that she is trying to move their personal stories along, but I find they are not as strong and believable characters as the others in the book. Parts of the book were quite shocking and thought provoking to read, especially the diary excerpts by Geraldine.
I definitely enjoyed this book more than 'Little Face', which also had quite shocking and thought provoking parts in that too. Both books are definitely the type that make you stop and think about the society we live in today.
Sophie Hannah has a new book coming out in February called ' The Other Half Lives' which also includes DC Simon Waterhouse and DS Charlie Zailer. I would reccommend starting with 'Little Face' to keep up with the continuing story of these two characters.
I have included a link to her website, so you can learn about her and the other books she has written. http://www.sophiehannah.com/index.html
I hope you enjoy reading it.

3 comments:

  1. I'll look for 'Little Face' then, because I love these types of books! Also, it will go with the S/T Reading Challenge. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. S/T reading challenge? Have I missed one more challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOL! The Suspense & Thriller Reading Challenge. It's on the right sidebar of my blog. Hard to miss. ;)

    ReplyDelete

Hiya, thanks for stopping by, it is always nice to hear what you have to say, so do leave a comment if you have time.