Room Swept White [Paperback]

Sophie Hannah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2010

TV producer Fliss Benson receives an anonymous card at work. The card has sixteen numbers on it, arranged in four rows of four -- numbers that mean nothing to her. On the same day, Fliss finds out she's going to be working on a documentary about miscarriages of justice involving cot-death mothers wrongly accused of murder. The documentary will focus on three women: Helen Yardley, Sarah Jaggard and Rachel Hines. All three women are now free, and the doctor who did her best to send them to prison for life, child protection zealot Dr Judith Duffy, is under investigation for misconduct. For reasons she has shared with nobody, this is the last project Fliss wants to be working on. And then Helen Yardley is found dead at her home, and in her pocket is a card with sixteen numbers on it, arranged in four rows of four ...

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Sophie Hannah has quite quickly built a reputation as a superb writer of the psychological thriller built around domestic situations. And deservedly so. Her novels transcend the crime genre through the quality of the writing and the exploration of themes relevant to all our lives - jealously, love, justice and retribution. Hannah is also a poet, and it shows. Elegant, bright phrases gleam like gold thread through the tapestry of the novels, making them a pleasure to read.' -- Booktopia, Australia Praise for Sophie Hannah -- :- 'Beautifully written and precision-engineered to unsettle' -- Guardian on THE OTHER HALF LIVES 'Beautifully written and absorbingly chilling, this is a tale that steadily builds in tension, throwing up twists and turns that keep you guessing right up until the very end' -- SHE on THE OTHER HALF LIVES 'Bewitchingly elaborate ... real emotional substance.' -- The Sunday Times on THE POINT OF RESCUE

About the Author

Sophie Hannah is a bestselling poet and an award-winning short story writer. Her fifth collection of poetry, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the 2007 TS Eliot Award. She regularly performs her poetry live to audiences nationwide and abroad. She won first prize in the Daphne du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her psychological suspense story The Octopus Nest. She has twice been long-listed for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel Award. Sophie lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Export (March 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034098063X
• ISBN-13: 978-0340980637
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,001,607 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

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Sophie Hannah!, May 10, 2010

By 

chico (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Room Swept White (Hardcover)

Sophie Hannah fans will certainly be confused by the poor review given by Dowling. I can only think she hasn't read it or isn't a fan. Sophie Hannah belongs to only a handful of authors I buy as soon as their new books are available - I live in the U.S. so this means from Amazon UK. Her new book did not disappoint me in any way. Complex, unsettling plot, terrific writing and suspense and great interactions with the Snowman, Simon and Charlie. If you enjoyed her earlier mysteries, you will certainly like this one. If you haven't read her but read Minette Walters and Barbara Vine, order a copy of Little Face today!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new British author for me, September 3, 2010

By 

Luanne Ollivier - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Room Swept White (Paperback)

I loved this cover - simple, plain yet the red balloon hints at something dark....

Ontario, Canada readers will be nodding their heads at Sophie Hannah's plotline, as it eerily mirrors recent headlines.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Judith Duffy testified in many cases of SIDS or crib death, indicating that the death was not unexplained and the mothers had in fact murdered their children. Many cases are appealed and the women are released when it is found that Duffy's testimony is suspect and her expertise 'flawed'. Fliss Benson is a film journalist documenting the whole affair.

One of the released mothers - the most vocal and outspoken - is found shot to death. A mysterious card with a set of 16 numbers is left with her body. Fliss also receives one of the cards in the mail. What do the cards mean? Is Fliss a target? What about the other released women?

Sophie Hannah has crafted an incredibly detailed plot with tendrils reaching in many directions. Following the one you think might lead to a solution often leads not to a solution, but to more subtly dropped clues. It wasn't until the last chapters that I had a firm grasp on 'whodunit.'

Fliss was an unusual protagonist. She's a study in opposites - strong and forceful one minute, unsure of herself and her talents the next. There are hints to something in her past that again slowly eked out until their relevance to the case are revealed. I found her internal dialogues quite funny.

I wasn't aware that this was a series when I first started reading. The police team charged with investigating the case are recurring characters. I did feel a little out of the loop as there were references to the past. It looks as if there will be another in the series - some of the personal plot lines were left unfinished. I really liked the young female constable Charlie. Her relationship with the somewhat odd, but highly intelligent Simon seems to have provided much fodder for the subplots in previous books.

The case and the crime are discussed in many different voices - journalist, filmmaker, victims, lawyers, police, witnesses and family - providing contrasting viewpoints on the same incident and offering lots of food for thought.

A British author new to me and one I will read again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid addition to series, November 20, 2010

By 

T. Eagan (Bergen, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Room Swept White (Paperback)

Not bad, but we expect a lot when buying a new Sophie Hannah book. She excels in humor, plot and human error. I still think she is struggling hard to live up to the amazing first novel (Little Face: A Novel), but mostly she delivers. Next book I will buy again.

One thing annoys me a great deal - the selling of the same books with two different titles! This is almost unforgivable, as I erroneously bought a new book thinking I would enjoy a new read, but alas... Please, stop doing that.