Little Face: A Novel [Paperback]

Sophie Hannah (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 30, 2008

A creepy, fast-paced psychological thriller from the author of The Wrong Mother and The Other Woman’s House

It’s every mother’s worst nightmare. When Alice Fancourt leaves her newborn daughter at home with her husband for the first time, she comes home to a horrifying discovery: her child has been swapped with another baby. In near hysterics, Alice rushes to call the police, but soon discovers that no one, not even her husband David, believes her. When the police arrive, Detective Simon Waterhouse is drawn to the lovely Alice but doubts her story and suspects that she is suffering from postpartum depression. Meanwhile, David is growing increasingly hostile and Alice begins to fear that her baby’s disappearance may be linked to his first wife’s untimely death. Can Alice convince the police before it’s too late?

 

The first book in Sophie Hannah’s acclaimed Zailer and Waterhouse series established her as a new master of psychological suspense. For fans of Tana French and Tess Gerritsen, Little Face is a chilling look at the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Hannah (Hurting Distance) weaves together two narrative voices to create this complex and occasionally forced thriller set in rural England. Excitable new mother Alice Fancourt calls the police, claiming her baby girl has been replaced by a nearly identical infant. Alice believes her husband, David, is responsible, but it soon appears that David's mother, the rich and formidable Vivienne, is up to no good. Det. Simon Waterhouse has a soft spot for the possibly delusional Alice, with whom he alternates narration, but his undeveloped character renders their relationship, or lack thereof, of little interest. More engrossing is Waterhouse's complicated friendship with his boss, Sgt. Charlie Zailer, a feisty, appealing woman with a major crush on her subordinate. When Alice and the baby disappear and the police reopen the murder investigation of David's first wife, some interesting discoveries are made, but readers enticed by the intriguing opening will find the payoff ultimately unsatisfying. (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 School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Alice Fancourt knows the baby in her nursery is not her daughter, Florence, but everyone else is not so sure. Her husband thinks she is crazy; her domineering mother-in-law is reserving judgment but treating her like an infant herself; and the cops, for the most part, do not believe her. This psychological mystery exposes itself slowly. Careful readers are given the clues to Alice's dilemma and the motivations of the characters, but it is easy to engage fully in the drama, be surprised by the occasional twist, and close the book completely satisfied. The suspense is more atmospheric than overt, and the mystery is in the tension of the relationships. Alice is a flawed character who presents herself almost as a child. Simon, the one detective who believes her, has his own torments to which teens can relate. A solid addition to mystery collections.–Mary Ann Harlan, Arcata High School, CA
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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143114085
• ISBN-13: 978-0143114086
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,958 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly perfect! February 24, 2009

By Yolanda S. Bean VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This was an interesting book - in all facets, really - a neat structure, fascinating premise, surprising twists and turns to the plot... the only thing really lacking were the characters. Not anything terribly specific, but... I guess they seemed more like characters from a film than from a book. They were a bit two-dimensional, which is odd considering the book is labeled as "psychological thriller." Some actions were rather unbelievable. I do think it would make a good movie, though - perhaps even better than the book. There was just something film-like about reading the book. Maybe because some actors jumped to mind as being perfect to play parts (e.g., Judi Dench as Vivienne). It was a solid story and quite entertaining and if only the characters had that certain je ne sais quoi, I would have truly loved it.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing September 20, 2007

By I LOVE BOOKS

Format:Hardcover

The ingredients for a good psychological thriller are all there: Alice, the mother who's convinced that her newborn baby daughter Florence has been switched with another baby in her own home of all places. David, her husband, who's convinced his wife has gone mad with post-natal depression and refuses to even acknowledge Alice's doubts. Vivienne, David's mother, perfect organizer of his and Alice's lives, after the tragic murder of David's first wife, Laura, whom he had divorced some time before. Felix, David's and Laura's child, is now living with them all at The Elms, Vivienne's huge and stately home.
The alleged kidnapping/switch takes place at The Elms and the police get involved. This starts off a series of considerations for all involved, including the two police detectives assigned to this peculiar case, Simon and Charlie. Psycological twists & turns ensue, which also lead to the reopening of Laura's murder case, despite the confession of her killer, now serving a sentence. A gripping start.

Why the 2 stars then? I admit I was hooked from the very beginning of this book, which is written in two "voices": Alice's, self-describing her actions and anguish, whereas the rest of the characters and circumstances are reported as seen from the outside.

Up to a certain point, I would have given this book 4 stars. What disappointed me was that, upon approaching the end, I realised that the facts had not been fairly and truthfully presented from the beginning. True, one could still guess and make assumptions -after all, isn't that the... thrill of thrillers?- but in my opinion this book was deceiving for the way it started and ended. I could tell you in more detail what I refer to specifically, but that would give the story away. If you buy it, you'll find out.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing But Involving Read September 30, 2008

By Jackie Blem

Format:Paperback

If you like crime drama and psychological suspsense, don't miss this book. This is a magical onion kind of book--the surface is nothing like the center and there are hundreds of layers making it up. The complexity of the plot will take awhile to hit you, but when it does, you won't be able to put the book down. I literally finished the last 20 pages walking around my apartment because I was too exhausted to stay awake if I sat down but I HAD to see how things wrapped up. The premise: new mother Alice Fancourt leaves her two week old daughter for the first time for a quick outing, only to discover, when she gets home, that the baby in the crib is not hers. But she can't convince anyone else of that. Very British, very dark, very much full of surprises and very very much recommended by me!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfying... October 5, 2010

By Ashley

Format:Paperback

Admittedly, I flew through the first part of the book. I couldn't wait to figure out "whodunnit." Combine that with a very slow beginning and I was really anxious to get through the novel. Unfortunately, the ending is highly unsatisfying. SPOILERS I don't necessarily have anything against novels in which the narrator is unreliable. But this one was just too much for me. Completely unsatisfying ending. Someone mentioned that they skipped to the end to find out the "surprise ending" and then read the book through. That would probably be a more entertaining way to read the book, because then you'd more clearly see all the ways the narrator is unreliable and all the things she says that don't make sense if you don't know the ending. That and the so called "relationship" between Simon and Alice was quickly wrapped up in the end in an irksome, rushed, unfulfilling and unrealistic way.

I also don't like the literary device Hannah uses here-- a chapter or so of police procedural, and then a chapter or so of what happened with the victim. The two types of chapters don't start off at the same time period as each other, and then slowly they end up working their way to being on the same day/time. Reading the chapters this way can get confusing and annoying-- you don't even figure out the actual crime until you've read about five chapters in. It's hard to keep track of what happened before what and to remember what happened two chapters before.

And finally, a minor nitpick here-- lines like "Will our friendship be taken further?" (on the last page of the book) drive me crazy-- who talks like that in real life? Especially when Alice and Simon barely had a friendship to begin with?...

In summary, while the book certainly makes you anticipate a surprise ending, it doesn't actually deliver, leaving the reader unsatisfied and, honestly, feeling like the time spent reading it could've been better spent. A mystery novel with some aspects of this book (suspense, unreliable storytelling) that's way better, check out The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It's a bit more of a "lit" book, but one of my favorites. I will probably read Hannah again, as I've heard good things about some of her other books. Read more ›