Hurting Distance [Hardcover]

Sophie Hannah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2007

Three years ago, something terrible happened to Naomi Jenkins - so terrible that she never told anybody. Now Naomi has another secret - the man she has fallen passionately in love with, unhappily married Robert Haworth. When Robert vanishes without trace, 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 a crazy 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 describe in detail the actions of a psychopath. All she needs to do is dig up her own troubled past...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Hannah's intense second thriller (after Little Face), Det. Sgt. Charlie Zailer and her sidekick, Det. Constable Simon Waterhouse, pursue a serial rapist who preys on successful single career women and sells tickets to live rape parties. Naomi Jenkins, a sundial maker prone to panic attacks, reports her married lover, Robert Haworth, missing after he fails to show up for their weekly tryst. Later, in order to speed up the search, Naomi informs the police that Robert raped her three years earlier. Simon finds Robert at home, near death, after possibly being bludgeoned by his wife. But there's far more going on, and making matters more dodgy, aside from a growing victim list, is the foolish fling Charlie has with the owner of a chalet-style resort in Scotland. Full of clever plot twists, this satisfying shocker about the victims and the perpetrators of violent crimes suggests how obsessive love, while not a crime, is certainly within hurting distance. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

British crime novelist Hannah brings back Detective Simon Waterhouse and his female boss, Sergeant “Charlie” Zailer, from her best-selling Little Face (2007). Successful businesswoman Naomi Jenkins is convinced something serious has happened to her married lover, with whom she is obsessed. When she suspects the police are not taking her seriously, she ups the ante by reporting him as a rapist, basing details of her account on an actual experience. It turns out, however, that Naomi’s story bears a striking similarity to the stories of other rape survivors. Charlie and Simon realize they are dealing with a serial rapist and an emotionally damaged accuser while they also attempt to work out their own complicated relationship. Like Karin Slaughter in her Grant County novels, Hannah is interested in exploring the dark side of intimacy and does not shy away from depicting graphic sexual violence. Although her plotting is not as seamless as Slaughter’s, she excels at depicting the emotional evolution of rape victims. Naomi’s transformation from shrill neurotic to courageous fighter makes for compelling reading. --Joanne Wilkinson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Library Hb (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340840331
• ISBN-13: 978-0340840337
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,122,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sophie Hannah is an award-winning poet and crime fiction writer whose novels are international bestsellers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above Average Thriller, December 16, 2009

By 

Mrs. C. Colbert (Lancashire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurting Distance (Hardcover)

I read Sophie Hannah's debut novel 'Little Face' (which I loved) so I knew what to expect ....... each chapter alternating between the main protagonist and the police, the same high standard of writing, and the suspense being slowly and steadily built up.

The 2 police officers (Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer) who we were first introduced to in 'Little Face', didn't take her seriously at first until Naomi decides to take matters into her own hands with devastating consequences.

One of the things I love about Sophie Hannah's characters is that no-one is as they seem, so you're never sure what to believe and I was completely confused by the many twists and turns throughout until all the ends are neatly tied up.

Though not as gripping as 'Little Face' I was still turning each page eagerly.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful English police procedural, October 12, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hurting Distance (Hardcover)

Sundial maker Naomi Jenkins comes to the Spilling police station because she is panicking over the whereabouts of her forty years old lover Robert Haworth, a lorry driver. Every Thursday for the past year, they have met at the Rawndesley East Services Traveltel for a three hour tryst; the married with no kids Robert failed to show up for the first time; Naomi believes his wife Juliet harmed him.

Detective Sergeant Charlie Zailer and Detective Constable Simon Waterhouse have no time for a trivial side inquiry as they work on the case of a blatant serial rapist who charges admission to watch him live while he forces himself on career women. They take a haphazard look into the reported Haworth disappearance, but his wife convinces the police he is not missing. Realizing the cops are going to drop the case, Naomi claims Robert raped her three years earlier. Simon visits Robert's home to question him re the allegation only to find him dying from knife wounds. Meanwhile as more victims surface Charlie gets involved with resort owner Graham Anguilley that keeps her mind off the case.

Loaded with brilliant twists and red herrings, the second Spilling English police procedural (see LITTLE FACES, not read by me) is a terrific tale that focuses on the victims and culprits of violent crimes as the investigation serves as a mechanism for a deep look at the symbiotic nature of violence; and not just crime. Ironically love can turn into a bullying "sibling" relationship between a victim and their perpetrator. Fans will appreciate this strong insightful thriller filled with spins into the psyche of people.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leaves its characters exposed, August 3, 2010

By 

Smokey (Wyoming) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hurting Distance (Kindle Edition)

Alarmed when her married lover, Robert Haworth, does not show up for their weekly rendezvous, Naomi Jenkins waits a few days before doing something she promised Robert she would never do. She goes to his house. Robert's wife Juliet seems to know all about Naomi insists her husband has ended their affair. But not only is Naomi certain Juliet is lying, she is also certain she has seen something through a window of the Haworth's home that is not right - although she cannot remember what it was.

Panicked that something terrible has happened to her lover, Naomi reports him missing to Detective Sergeant Charlie Zailer and Detective Constable Simon Waterhouse. When the two don't appear to take her report seriously enough, Naomi files a rape complaint against Robert. Charlie and Simon both believe the woman is lying. Although Charlie goes off with her sister on a holiday, leaving Waterhouse to attend to the matter, she is soon called back by bizarre developments in the case. She manages to keep one foot in her working life and one in her holiday life as she starts an affair with Graham, who, coincidently shares the name of her made-up lover.

As always with a Sophie Hannah novel, Hurting Distance, peels away layers of the characters' public personas, wrings them dry of the secrets they have from themselves, and exposes their greatest core. Naomi's obsession with Robert, Juliet's enigmatic and mocking banter with her husband's mistress and the police, connections to shocking cold cases, and many other elements of the novel propel the reader into the lives of characters who are frightening and fascinating at the same time.