Synopses & Reviews
A chilling, compulsively readable novel of psychological suspense from the author of The Dead Lie Down and The Other Woman’s House Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband one night when she hears an unexpected name—Mark Bretherick. It’s a name she shouldn’t know, but last year after a business trip canceled at the last minute, Sally treated herself to a secret vacation—away from her hectic family life—and met a man. After their brief affair, the two planned to never meet again. All the details are the same: his job, where he lives, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy. But the photograph on the news is not the man Sally knew. And now Geraldine and Lucy are dead. The third book in Sophie Hannah’s acclaimed Zailer and Waterhouse series, The Wrong Mother delivers white knuckle suspense and Hannah’s trademark plot twists, and is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Ruth Rendell.
Review
“This is a dark exploration of the intricacies of control and desire, and what can happen when they turn horribly warped. This may be Sophie Hannahs best book yet.” - Tana French, bestselling author of
In The Woods and
Broken Harbor
“Sophie Hannah is a prodigious talent. I cant wait to see what she does next.” - Laura Lippman, author of The Most Dangerous Thing
“Hannah, who understands psychological mayhem as well as Ruth Rendell and maybe even Sigmund Freud, is best read with a crisis counselor on speed-dial. The tight plotting and excruciatingly precise clues make for a superlatively uneasy read.” — Kirkus
“Hannah takes domestic scenarios, adds disquieting touches and turns up the suspense until you're checking under the bed for murderers . . . it's this real-life research that helps make it so convincing - and so unsettling.” —The Independent
“Meticulously plotted . . . so dark and shocking.” —Associated Press
“This utterly gripping thriller should establish Hannah as one of the great unmissables of this genre—intelligent, classy and with a wonderfully Gothic imagination.” —The Times (London)
“The power this novel packs derives from narrators that play fast and loose with what they know. . . . The solution is a stunner.” —The Boston Globe
“A final twist proves the perfect coda for this exemplar of psychological suspense.” —Booklist (starred review)
“It's a given that nothing will be as it seems in the latest psychological thriller from Sophie Hannah, who marries complex plots with crisp, conversational prose.” —Marie Claire (UK)
“Sophie Hannah has quickly established herself as a doyenne of the ‘home horror school of psychological tension, taking domestic situations and wringing from them dark, gothic thrills.” —Financial Times (UK)
“A masterclass in plotting that adds twist after twist in a hectic finale.” —The Sunday Times (London)
“A master of intricate plotting, Hannah seamlessly melds the police procedural with a gothic-inspired whodunit.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Sophie Hannah has been rightly praised for intricate and accomplished psychological thrillers which dissect the dark side of human relationships.” —The Guardian (London)
“Shockingly (and refreshingly) blunt riffs about the violent emotions of motherhood and the familial yearnings of men, along with chilling and darkly funny revelations about lust and loyalty, make this novel one of the seasons most absorbing reads.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
Synopsis
A chilling exploration of a mother’s unspeakable betrayal from the author of Little Face
Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears an unexpected name—Mark Bretherick. It’s a name she shouldn’t know, but last year Sally treated herself to a secret vacation—away from her hectic family life—and met a man. After their brief affair, the two planned to never meet again. But now, Mark’s wife and daughter are dead—and the safety of Sally’s own family is in doubt. Sophie Hannah established herself as a new master of psychological suspense with her previous novel, Little Face. Now with accomplished prose and a plot guaranteed to keep readers guessing, The Wrong Mother is Hannah’s most captivating work yet.
Synopsis
A chilling, compulsively readable novel of psychological suspense from the author of Little Faceand The Carrier
Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears a name she never thought she'd hear again: Mark Bretherick.
It's a name she shouldn't recognize. Last year, a work trip Sally had planned was canceled at the last minute. Desperate for a break from juggling her job and a young family, Sally didn't tell her husband that the trip had fallen through. Instead, she treated herself to a secret vacation in a remote hotel. While she was there, Sally met a man Mark Bretherick. All the details are the same: where he lives, his job, his wife Geraldine and daughter Lucy. Except that the photograph on the news is of a man Sally has never seen before. And Geraldine and Lucy Bretherick are both dead...
With the international bestseller Little Face, Sophie Hannah established herself as a striking new voice in psychological suspense. The Wrong Mother, a riveting exploration of a mother's unspeakable betrayal, confirms her reputation as a master of the form.
"
Synopsis
A chilling exploration of a mother's unspeakable betrayal from the author of "Little Face." It's been a year since Sally Thorning's brief affair with Mark Bretherick. The two planned to never meet again. But now, Mark's wife and daughter are dead--and the safety of Sally's own family is in doubt.
Synopsis
Sophie Hannah’s latest gripping Zailer/Waterhouse mystery debuts as a Penguin Hardcover Amber Hewerdine suffers from chronic insomnia. As a last resort, she visits a hypnotherapist, doubtful that anything will really change. Under hypnosis, Amber hears herself saying, “Kind, cruel, kind of cruel.” The words awaken a vague memory, but she dismisses the whole episode as nonsense. Two hours later, however, Amber is arrested for the brutal murder of a woman she’s never heard of, and the only way she can clear her name is by remembering exactly where she’s seen those words. Kind of Cruel—the latest page-turner featuring Detectives Charlotte “Charlie” Zailer and Simon Waterhouse—will enthrall Hannah’s ever-growing readership.
Synopsis
Sophie Hannah’s latest gripping Zailer/Waterhouse mystery debuts as a Penguin Hardcover Amber Hewerdine suffers from chronic insomnia. As a last resort, she visits a hypnotherapist, doubtful that anything will really change. Under hypnosis, Amber hears herself saying, “Kind, cruel, kind of cruel.” The words awaken a vague memory, but she dismisses the whole episode as nonsense. Two hours later, however, Amber is arrested for the brutal murder of a woman she’s never heard of, and the only way she can clear her name is by remembering exactly where she’s seen those words. Kind of Cruel—the latest page-turner featuring Detectives Charlotte “Charlie” Zailer and Simon Waterhouse—will enthrall Hannah’s ever-growing readership.
Synopsis
Kind, cruel, kind of cruel.” Amber thinks its just nonsense, a side effect of being hypnotized for the first time. But when shes arrested for a brutal murder two hours later, those four words are the key to clearing her name
if only she could remember where shed seen them. Amber Hewerdine suffers from chronic insomnia. As a last resort, she visits a hypnotherapist, doubtful that anything will really change. Under hypnosis, Amber hears herself saying, Kind, cruel, kind of cruel.” The words awaken a vague memory, but she dismisses the whole episode as nonsense. Two hours later, however, Amber is arrested for the brutal murder of a woman shes never heard of, and the only way she can clear her name is by remembering exactly where shes seen those words.
Kind of Cruel is the latest page-turner in Hannah's Zailer and Waterhouse mystery series, and will enthrall Hannahs ever-growing readership.
About the Author
"Shockingly (and refreshingly) blunt riffs about the violent emotions of motherhood and the familial yearnings of men, along with chilling and darkly funny revelations about lust and loyalty, make this novel one of the season's most absorbing reads."
-O Magazine
"The Wrong Mother is an un-put-downable read, and as a $15 paperback, the bargain mystery of the year!"
-Bookpage (Mystery of the month)
"A superior psychological mystery...Paced like a ticking time bomb with flawlessly distinct characterization, this is a fiercely fresh and un-put-downable read."
-Publishers Weekly (starred)
"The stress of mothering young children while working outside the home is at the center of this British mystery that's part psychological thriller and part police procedural...A best-seller in Britain...this gripping novel deserves similar success here."
-Booklist (starred)
"[The Wrong Mother] is [Hannah's] most accomplished novel yet. As the revelations tumble forth, the tension is screwed ever tighter until the final shocking outcome. Exemplary."
-Daily Express (UK)
"Sophie Hannah just gets better and better. Her plots are brilliantly cunning and entirely unpredictable. The writing is brilliant and brings us uncomfortably close to the dark, ambivalent impulse experienced by the parents of difficult, demanding children."
-The Guardian (UK)