Tangled Web UK Review March 2007
Hurting Distance by
Sophie Hannah
pbk out August 07
(Hodder)
at £6.99
Naomi's lover, Robert, goes missing. He fails to turn up at the soulless Traveltel for
their weekly tryst. Naomi knows that Robert is married but knows also that nothing
would keep him from their rendezvous. He must be hurt or worse. When she tries to
enlist the help of the police, Robert's wife Juliet tells them that he has gone to stay
with friends. They police see no reason to look any further but Naomi is increasingly
worried and accuses Robert of rape in a bid to force the authorities to look for him.
DC Simon Waterhouse investigates and finds Robert bludgeoned and half-dead in his
bedroom. Both Naomi and Juliet are arrested and the police, led by Detective
Sergeant Charlotte (Charlie) Zailer, try to unpick the twisted web of lies and
betrayal that link the love triangle. Hannah writes with great panache, Naomi's first
person account is addressed for much of the time to her lover she is infatuated by,
while Charlie's story is told in the third person. Hannah is a master at conveying
relationships and her characters are distinct and interesting. She dissects particularly
well the obsessive nature of love and there's an edgy, unreliability to her narrator
Naomi that contributes to the suspense of the story. With shocking revelations on all
sides this is an outstanding psychological thriller.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
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