The Point of Rescue
by Sophie Hannah
Hodder & Stoughton, HK$214
Sophie Hannah's first novel, 2006's Little Face, was a rare thing in modern publishing: a debut from an unknown author that didn't win any prizes or garner the endorsement of a TV chat show, yet still became a best-seller - the book succeeded simply because of the quality of the writing. Her second thriller, Hurting Distance, was also the recipient of much critical acclaim. So will her fan base increase again with The Point of Rescue? Undoubtedly.
Hannah says she '[loves] mystery novels in which the reader cannot even begin to work out what might have happened' and that's exactly what she's created in The Point of Rescue. It's a novel for which the expression 'page-turner' seems to have been invented.
Sally Thorning, harassed mother of two, is watching the news with her husband: a woman and her daughter have been found dead in their bathroom. The father, Mark Bretherick, is the chief suspect. With a jolt, Sally realises the man on the television is not Bretherick and, worse, she's going to have to keep it to herself.