Customer Reviews

Point of Rescue

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

 

 

Just an FYI: The Sophie Hannah book, The Point of Rescue, and her book, The Wrong Mother, are the same book. I don't know why it was re-titled, but I almost bought both of them, thinking the description/summary was an error.

In her third novel, Sophie Hannah builds the story in the same, but improved, suggestive, moving style. Disturbing story and meticulous plotting are her trademarks.

A working mother, Sally Thorning, some time ago used an excuse of going to the cancelled conference and decided to have some time away from her husband and two children. She planned a spa week and pampering - but instead she had an affair with a stranger, that lasted the whole week. She almost forgot about it when she got back to her everyday family routine...

Now, Sally is going through a particularly tough, chaotic day - she fails to get the help of her babysitter for the time she has to go to a conference; she falls under a bus; and when she goes back to the apartment she dislikes, she hears on the news about the man she had a fling with - Mark Bretherick.

Bretherick's wife and daughter, Geraldine and Lucy, have been found dead. Police suspects murder/suicide. Sally is shocked by her own similarity to the dead woman, but even more, when she sees Bretherick, and he is not the man she met at the hotel. All the details are the same - the names of his dead wife and daughter, his job, his address... But he looks different. Should she inform the police? Sally is terrified, but curious, and starts her own search.

The police team known from the previous two novels is employed to solve the mystery. Detective Simon Waterhouse is not convinced that Geraldine was really suicidal - her diary, recording unusual frustration with her duties as a mother, found on the computer, would point to that. On the other hand, nobody perceived Geraldine as an unfit mother, she was a model of maternity and seemed to be really interested in raising her daughter. The police consult the university professors specializing in family suicides, hoping to get a different, full view of the matter.

Sophie Hannah succeeded again in creating the mystery plot full of false hints and dead ends, which completely fools the reader. I had several suspects in mind and one of them was the real culprit, and I know one clue was important, but I could not put it together to get the logical explanation before Simon did.

At the level of sociological and psychological analysis of a specific phenomenon, the novel is also interesting, again, like Hannah's earlier novels. "The Point of Rescue" discusses the subject of maternity in the contemporary society and difficult family relations, when women are afraid not to fulfill expectations of society. The frustration and depression resulting either from trying to jiggle motherhood and full-time job, or, the same feelings triggered by a transition from the professionally active person into estranged housewife after having children, are explored here in several variations. The women, who try to find their own self within the family, not only as mothers, wives and professionals, deal with extreme emotions, which can channel into aggression or betrayal. The drama of the mother engulfes the child and eventually the husband (here: workoholic, unaware of the situation).

Finally, we have further developments in the relationship between the pair of detectives, Simon and Charlie, who finally seem to get more aware of the feelings towards each other.

This book guarantees a sleepless night. I cannot wait to read the next mystery by Sophie Hannah.

The Point of Rescue and The Wrong Mother are the same book under different titles. This should be explained clearly by Amazon.

The Point of Rescue is the same novel as The Wrong Mother. I enjoyed the novel, but disappointed that I bought both books.

I am very happy with the book I bought and received. I am impressed that it was sent all the way from England and the shipping was still only $3.99. I buy all of my books through Amazon.com