The Point of Rescue - Hardcover

Sophie Hannah is a best-selling, award-winning poet. She regularly performs her poetry live to audiences nationwide and abroad, and recently won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her psychological suspense story The Octopus Nest. Little Face was a phenomenal word-of-mouth bestseller, and Hurting Distance, her second psychological crime novel has received brilliant critical acclaim. The Point of Rescue is her third novel. Sophie lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and two children.

'Given the quality of crime fiction around it is no surprise that the genre is now the most popular in Britain. One relatively new writer establishing herself at the top of the tree is Sophie Hannah, whose three novels are characterised by their terrifyingly creepy plots.. . Hannah is excellent at conveying the bewilderment that bubbles up as seemingly related events unfold. This is an original and cleverly-plotted novel with terrific characterisation. It's intricate threads will take you down blind alleys without you ever guessing the outcome.' * Daily Express, Caroline Jowett * 'Once again, Hannah's distinctive mix of first and third-person narratives creates a bewitchingly elaborate plot - the theme of parents' ambivalence towards their children gives it real emotional substance.' * The Sunday Times * 'Sophie Hannah has demonstrated a firm grip on the psychologically tense novel, quickly establishing herself as a top-notch thriller writer. Hannah delves into mother-child-ties - or the lack thereof. This is a telling study of the imperfect expectations of young mothers, of themselves and by others.' * Time Out * Hannah's third [Ruth] Rendellian psychological thriller and police procedural is remarkable for its rhythmic structure, attention to language and uncompromising portrayal of motherhood under stress Hannah has a poet's quick eye for the incidental detail that lends verisimilitude to her fictional world - read this book and let the chaos begin! * Sydney Morning Herald * 'Sophie Hannah just gets better and better, with experience adding rocket fuel to her already high-octane yarns. Her plots are brilliantly cunning and entirely unpredictable . . .The writing is brilliant and brings us uncomfortably close to the dark, ambivalent impulses experienced by the parents of difficult, demanding children.' * Guardian * 'Creepy . . . chilling' * Daily Advertiser * 'An intriguing, suspenseful read' * Sun Herald * 'The Point of Rescue is Sophie Hannah's third psychological thriller, and in it she consolidates her position as one of the most interesting and exciting writers working in the genre today. She constructs deeply unsettling scenarios that are so unique and unusual that you almost can't believe they would ever happen. Except you can, because people are dark and surprising and unpredictable, and because the quality of her writing is such that she never allows things to become overblown or implausible . . . Sophie Hannah has never been afraid to use difficult and uncomfortable themes and issues in her crime novels, and it is her handling of these that means they transcend their genre. The Point of Rescue grapples with maternal ambivalence in a way that is as psychologically astute as anything in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Her books are crime novels for readers who want something mor * thebookbar.com * A novel for which the expression "page-turner" seems to have been invented. High on psychological intrigue, The Point of Rescue is a superbly chilling mixture of middle-class domesticity and police procedural. Hannah's characterisation is perfect, and she's riveting on the dark secrets of motherhood. The lucid style of The Point of Rescue is just one of the elements that make it far better than many other books of its genre. This is a deliciously thrilling novel with a plot so twisted you'll feel dizzy. * South China Morning Post * Sophie Hannahs third psychological suspense novel is a creepy thriller with an unsettling side-story concerning family annihilation the murder of a child by a parent . . . This is a superior exercise in storytelling that takes time away from the killer-on-the-loose cop chase to reflect on the chillingly plausible thin line between parenting and psychosis. * Financial Times * 'If sophisticated psychological thrillers are your thing, you won't want to miss this one.' * Closer * 'Every so often a writer comes along whose freshness and originality blows the competition out of the water. With her third novel, The Point of Rescue, Sophie Hannah has proved that she is just such a talent . . . The Story that unfolds is genuinely gripping, full of the unseen and yet fitting twists and turns that make good quality fiction such a pleasure . . . Hannah presents us with a world where danger lurks nearby, unrecognised until someone takes those few short steps away from their responsibilities. * Yorkshire Post * 'Hannah is fast developing a reputation as one of the best new thriller writers around and this leaves you wrong-footed throughout with a corker of a twist.' * Alex Heminsley * 'Her most accomplished yet . . . The tension is screwed ever tighter until the final shocking outcome. Sophie Hannah is also an accomplished poet but most of her readers would be happy if she kept turning out crime novels as exemplary as this.' * Barry Forshaw, Daily Express * 'Hannah's gift for creating real, three-dimensional characters and placing them in extraordinary situations results in a thriller so entertaining you might consider sharing it with everyone you know . . . But, I suspect, instead you'll keep it to yourself and read it again and again.' * Daily Record * 'Sophie Hannah's ingenious, almost surreal mysteries are so intricately constructed that it's impossible to guess how they will end. It's a compelling and disquieting story, told with the author's usual panache.' * Susanna Yaeger, Sunday Telegraph * 'This disturbing tale is a cut above the average crime thriller, with an intelligent and inventive plot that raises questions about identity, guilt and the taboo of unfulfilling motherhood.' * Pschologies * 'I'm surprised I had any nails left by the end of this addictive thriller.' * Eve * Hannah's greatest strenth is the way she uses the conventions of the crime genre to produce novels that are indulgent pleasures, but with an extra edge. The Point of Rescue isn't simply a woman-in-jeopardy yarn about an overworked mother whose dreams of escape turn into a nightmare that threatens to destroy her life (although it works brilliantly on this level), it is also about the thrill of transgression, and the dangers that lurk within the most appealing of fantasies.' * Yorkshire Post * A great read and an involving thriller * She * 'Sophie Hannah is adept at picking creepy scenarios that are guaranteed to terrify, with plot complications that keep you guessing until the last page. Hannah doesn't allow the tension to slacken for a second in this addictive, brilliantly chilling thriller.' * Marie Claire * 'Brilliantly creepy' * Red * This disturbing tale is a cut above the average crime thriller, with an intelligent and inventive plot that raises questions about identity, guilt and the taboo of unfulfilling motherhood. * Psychologies * I'm surprised I had any nails left by the end of this addictive thriller. * Eve * 'This tense psychological tale will have your heart punding and your pulse racing' * Waterstone's Books Quarterly * 'Hannah reinforces her reputation as a great new thriller writer. Chilling, compulsive and with a genius twist' * Elle * 'Brilliantly creepy' * Red Magazine * 'Won't disappoint her fans. The Point of Rescue deals in twisty suspense with themes of assumed identity, abduction, revenge, betrayal and murder, but also offers a frankly terrifying view of motherhood. It's the psychological depth that enures Sophie Hannah's novels stand out in a crowded market' * Alice O'Keeffe, Amazon * Sophie Hannah is adept at picking creepy scenarios that are guaranteed to terrify, with plot complications that keep you guessing until the last page. Hannah doesn't allow the tension to slacken for a second in this addictive, brilliantly chilling thriller. * Marie Claire Book of the Month * Statistics show that more and more women are committing acts of "family annihilation". In THE POINT OF RESCUE Sophie Hannah tackles this distressing subject with sensitivity, while spinning a cracking story * Daily Telegraph * Hannah constructs a thriller that twists and turns satisfyingly through a series of ever-more surprising revelations * The Sunday Times * Hannah has established herself as a writer of offbeat thrillers that skillfully play on contemporary anxieties about motherhood and marriage. What keeps one reading is the creepy plausibility the author brings to her portrayal of a mind unhinged by the demands of parenthood * The Times * Hannah is an expert in creepy scenarios and plot twists that keep you guessing until the last page. The tension doesn't slacken for a second * Grazia * A great read and an involving thriller * She * This disturbing tale is a cut above the average crime thriller, with an intelligent and inventive plot that raises questions about identity, guilt and the taboo of unfulfilling motherhood * Psychologies * I'm surprised I had any nails left by the end of this addictive thriller * Eve * Brilliantly creepy * Red Magazine * Every so often a writer comes along whose freshness and originality blows the competition out of the water...Genuinely gripping, full of the unseen and yet fitting twists and turns that make good quality crime fiction such a pleasure * Yorkshire Post * Sophie Hannah's ingenious, almost surreal mysteries are so intricately constructed that it's impossible to guess how they will end . . . A compelling and disquieting story, told with the author's usual panache * Sunday Telegraph * Sophie Hannah just gets better and better, with experience adding rocket fuel to her already high-octane yarns . . . Brilliantly cunning and entirely unpredictable * Guardian * Hannah doesn't allow the tension to slacken for a second in this addictive, brilliantly chilling thriller. * Book of the Month, Marie Claire * The tension is screwed ever tighter until the final shocking outcome * Daily Express * Tension, thy name is Sophie Hannah. In THE POINT OF RESCUE, murder, false identity and infidelity are thet tools Hannah deploys to create a plausible but edge-of-your-seat read * Independent * For those who demand emotional intelligence and literary verve from their thrillers, Sophie Hannah is the writer of choice. THE POINT OF RESCUE, her third, combines a creepily irresistible page-turner with an exploration of motherhood's taboos * Guardian *