Customer Reviews

Hurting Distance

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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

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.

I've read a few "Sophie Hannah" books now...and this was by far the best one. No one was as they seemed which had me reading to the end wanting to know who eveyone really was. Excellent bit-o-readin' that was!~

Hurting Distance is a dark and haunting thriller that leaves very little relief to the victims and nary a moment to breathe to the reader. It isn't good to give anything away of a Sophie Hannah thriller, or of any thriller really. Suffice it to say that, a story of rape and psychological enslavement, this is relentlessly told and faultlessly crafted - by which I mean that as well as placing its protagonist in near constant danger and keeping the reader guessing, it has no loose ends whatever.

A small point nevertheless: before picking my first Sophie Hannah, I checked the Amazon reviews. Usually I find them quite apposite, especially the average score, and Hurting Distance had much better reviews than Lasting Damage. I, for one, am a bigger fan of Lasting Damage and found its ending perfectly fine. At issue with Hurting Distance is that the plot requires its protagonist, Naomi Jenkins, to sound utterly annoying in a cloying way most of the time, while one feels one ought to feel sympathy. I found the heroine of Lasting Damage, Connie Bowskill, far more congenial. But either is a great thriller and a good first Sophie Hannah to pick up if you are new to her. And since Hurting Distance is chronologically first in the series (of which each book is separately readable), you might as well start here.

OK-I am admitted Sophie Hannah junkie. This was an uncomfortable crime-but as it should be. Sophie Hannah is bloody brilliant-read her and you too can lose sleep and friends 'cuz you can't do anything else until you finished reading her books.

Please join me in my addiction.

Not one of my better book choices. I found it a real struggle to keep interest and finish this book. Naomi Jenkins is in love with a married man (Robert Haworth). Out of the blue, Robert doesn't appear for their one-night-a-week tryst. Naomi fears that something has happened to him and tells a great falsehood to the police. This sets off an amazing set of circumstances involving Robert's wife (Juliet), Charlie (a female inspector) and Charlie's sister (Olivia).

I have found that any mystery by Sophie Hannah is going to be absolutely great. I just love all the twists and turns. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out who done it - but not with Sophie. Very few authors write an equal or better mystery.

I've read several of Sophie Hannah's books and I find that all them rather improbable, and not that well written. They can't compare with Tana French's books, or the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, all of which are far better written than any of Sophie Hannah's books.