The Telling Error

Spilling CID #9

by Sophie Hannah

Queen of psychological crime Sophie Hannah returns with a new literary mystery and a puzzle that's impossible to solve...

Stuck in a traffic jam, Nicki Clements sees a face she hoped never to see again. It's definitely him, the same police officer, stopping each car on Elmhirst Road. Keen to avoid him, Nicki does a U-turn and makes a panicky escape.

Or so she thinks. The next day, Nicki is pulled in for questioning in connection with the murder of Damon Blundy, controversial newspaper columnist and resident of Elmhirst Road.

Nicki can't answer any of the questions detectives fire at her. She has no idea why the killer used a knife in a way that involved no spilling of blood, or why 'HE IS NO LESS DEAD' was painted across Blundy's study. And she can't explain why she avoided Elmhirst Road that day without revealing the secret that could ruin her life.

Because although Nicki is not guilty of murder, she is far from innocent . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook

374 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction, published in 27 countries. In 2013, her latest novel, The Carrier, won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards. Two of Sophie’s crime novels, The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives, have been adapted for television and appeared on ITV1 under the series title Case Sensitive in 2011 and 2012. In 2004, Sophie won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her suspense story The Octopus Nest, which is now published in her first collection of short stories, The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets.

Sophie has also published five collections of poetry. Her fifth, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the 2007 T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the UK. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and between 1999 and 2001 she was a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She is forty-one and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College. She is currently working on a new challenge for the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective.

Reviews

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had to pick a word to describe this book it would be 'tedious'. It seemed to just go on, and on, not quite knowing what to do, or where to go with all the characters that had been created. I haven't read any of Sophie Hannah's previous books, so wasn't aware that there was actually a 'Culver City' series featuring the partnership of Detectives Simon Waterhouse and his wife Charlie. I'm not sure this book has inspired me to read others from the series.
The book starts off with an advert from a website called 'Intimate Links' where someone is looking for a response from someone with a 'secret'. It swiftly moves on to the bizarre death of infamous journalist Damon Blundy, and we meet our main (extremely unlikeable) character, Nicki Clements. Nicki's carefully constructed life is based on an intricately woven web of lies, stretching back to early childhood. Her ex-best friend, Melissa, is now married to Nicki's brother Lee and we slowly realise that there is more to this triangulated relationship than meets the eye.
Nicki's non-entity of a husband, Adam, doesn't seem to have a clue about the woman he's married to, and although throughout the book, we hear how much she loves her family (husband and two children), we never see or hear evidence of a cosy family life.
Numerous (oh, so numerous!) characters are introduced who would have had motive to kill the vicious Damon Blundy, and the story quickly takes on a 'Whodunit' format. Unsurprisingly, Nicki takes centre stage as the Number One suspect.
Clearly the book did have some element that kept me reading, wanting to know about Nicki's past, and how her private life had inextricably tied itself to Damon Blundy and his ill fate. But sadly, even when the 'punchline' was delivered it wasn't the 'Ohmygosh' lightbulb moment one wants from a (semi-) suspense-filled prelude. My response in the end was more like 'who cares?' than the 'Wow!' that it should have been. Big, big disappointment.

[Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

A meticulously structured puzzle, but with an utterly unbelievable plot and characters. It's as if Hannah is only interested in putting the pieces of the puzzle together, in a cerebral and sterile way, and cares nothing for what the finished picture actually shows, or means. It's a page-turner though, in the sense that you need to know how she's going to resolve the convoluted mystery. I'm not sure if this is any better or worse than her previous works, most likely I've just grown tired of them. Loyal fans will probably enjoy it.

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers hooked on Sophie Hannah's crime fiction may understand what it is like to suffer addiction. Indeed you could call me me a punter. When each of Sophie Hannah's mysteries featuring the Culver Valley Constabulary appears I promise myself that I'll waste no time trying to solve the puzzle & just enjoy the bizarre characters & situations. Meanwhile a small voice whispers, 'This time she's not going to fool me. This time I'm going to pay careful attention to all the clues & figure the damned thing out.' Like someone addicted to drugs or alcohol pretending to think he's in control. Here I was totally jerked around trying to figure out the identity of Nicki's online lover, who uses the sobriquet King Edward VII. Why would anyone adopt the name of that rather ungainly monarch? As usual in a Sophie Hannah novel, Simon Waterhouse figures it out, tho' we're not told how & it was only after finishing that I realized how to solve it. Look up the address on p. 402 in Google maps & it'll be staring you in the face. It's pretty clear that Nicki is anything but tightly wrapped mentally & she is only one of several characters in this story totally without integrity. Which as someone who now reads for the characters & the relationships keeps me from putting Sophie Hannah on my short list. There's simply no one amongst her characters that I admire & would want to emulate, anyone who haunts me or makes me want to live differently & better.

[Vaso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Η Νίκι, "μια συνηθισμένη" θα λέγαμε γυναίκα, βλέπει κάτι που δεν ήθελε ή δεν θα έπρεπε να δει, κι από εκεί ξεκινούν όλα, μιας και φέρεται να εμπλέκεται στη δολοφονία ενος γνωστού αρθρογράφου.
Προσπαθώντας να κρατήσει κρυφό το μυστικό της, περιπλέκει περισότερο τα πράγματα.
Η συγγραφέας τελειοποιεί το ψυχογράφημα της Νίκι με τη γραφή της και μας βάζει να αναλογιστούμε πόσο πολύπλευρες είναι οι ανθρώπινες σχέσεις και πόσο τα λεγόμενά μας, μπορεί να έχουν τα αντίθετα αποτελέσματα για τον κοινωνικό μας περίγυρο.
Το τέλος ήταν αρκετά βιαστικό κατ' εμέ.
3,5*

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming April 24th from Hodder and Staughton

Thank you kindly to Hodder and Sophie for arranging an advance reading copy.

Stuck in a traffic jam, Nicki Clements sees a face she hoped never to see again. It’s definitely him, the same police officer, stopping each car on Elmhirst Road. Keen to avoid him, Nicki does a U-turn and makes a panicky escape.Or so she thinks. The next day, Nicki is pulled in for questioning in connection with the murder of Damon Blundy, controversial newspaper columnist and resident of Elmhirst Road.Nicki can’t answer any of the questions detectives fire at her. She has no idea why the killer used a knife in a way that involved no spilling of blood, or why ‘HE IS NO LESS DEAD’ was painted across Blundy’s study. And she can’t explain why she avoided Elmhirst Road that day without revealing the secret that could ruin her life. Because although Nicki is not guilty of murder, she is far from innocent . . .

One of my favourite times of the year – time for a new Sophie Hannah book and time for me to head back into the world of Simon Waterhouse and co as they try and untangle yet another twisted web of murder. This year I was lucky enough to get an early look – so here we are a couple of sleepless nights later and I am done. And very happy.

Nicki is hiding a secret, So when certain things put that secret in jeopardy her paranoia causes her to take an impulsive action – one that will set off a chain of events that will eventually lead to a cold blooded killer…

Oh twisty turny wonderful tales – no-one does it better than Ms Hannah. Her extraordinary ability to write uncannily realistic yet psychologically deep characters then put them in a situation often of their own making is second to none….THEN she sends the equally extraordinary detective Simon Waterhouse in to untangle the ensuing chaos. Every time a little gem of reading joy especially for those of us who love a brain work out as we try to untangle things right alongside him.

In this particular instalment we have a murder victim who was not particularly pleasant in life (although I kind of loved him) a woman who is hiding, mostly from herself, along with an eclectic cast of other suspects all misbehaving in various ways – not since Agatha Christie’s novels have I come across stories with such a flair for the dramatic all wrapped up in the often mundane routines of life…all with their very own “locked room mystery” atmosphere. Its interesting therefore that it IS Sophie Hannah who will bring us a new Poirot story. A perfect fit – if anyone is going to do it then they have the right person for the job.

As always characters are key. Yes, Simon et al have their own ongoing story, but they are as always often very much in the background. Each new novel brings us new and compelling people to meet and judge and love or hate – the tales are always emotive for one reason or another, and provoke a response from the heart. As stated earlier I had a particular affinity for our victim here, but also Nicki, our main protagonist had me tearing my hair out…Ms Hannah puts you firmly inside the heads of these people and its often highly disturbing. Cleverly done.

This is definitely my favourite so far and that really IS saying something because I have loved them all. And so we come to the outcome (no spoilers ahead do not fear) of my well loved game of Beat the Author. Ms Hannah has been close to beating me with several of her previous novels and I was reliably informed going in that this might be “the one”. Well I’ll start by saying that again, as usual, this was intelligent, fascinating and outstanding plotting from someone I would be happy to call the heir apparent to the Queen of Crime when it comes to compelling mystery writing. Who won? Me?

Ha. Well. Yes. And No. I did untangle a lot of this very twisted tale but not all oh no. There was at least one part of the whole that I did not know until I was told. Now I had the main parts but Sophie Hannah is devious. Yay! Obviously I can’t tell you more – but once you have read it, do feel free to come back and ask and I’ll give you a breakdown. Ms Hannah thought at least a portion was unguessable but I think she does herself a disservice. There is no cheating of the reader here- looking back it was possible. I just did not. I call it a draw…

Five Bright Shiny Stars and an entry into my Beat the Author hall of fame for this one. Fair is fair.

Happy Reading Folks!

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it's just natural: more than usual, ugly characters make ugly books and "The Telling Horror " has plenty of them.
The victim is not only a repulsive person, but also an awful columnist, Nicki is a pathological liar, her brother (only mentioned) a greedy child, her "friend" Mellissa a half-brained treacherous, not to mention the policemen, most of them closer to Freud than the law. So, two stars, mainly for our efforts, the writer's and mine...
PS: One of the disadvantages of booze being cheap is when it speaks for yourself, the case of that human being from The Independent (lady, guy, girl, whatever...) who compares Sophie Hannah to Agatha Christie. Oh, my God...

[Kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Woman with a Secret is unfortunately the second book by this author that I have not been able to finish. It is the 9th book in a series and to me, it didn't hold up well as a stand alone. I was expecting a thriller but it was just dull. I made it about 25% of the way in and gave up. It kind of rambled and I found myself re-reading parts to figure out what was going on.

There were a few reasons that I didn't care for this book. First, I didn't like the way it waffled back and forth between Nicki's first person perspective and the third person perspective of the detectives. That was threw off the flow of the book for me. Another reason was Nicki herself. She gets herself into her mess because she is having (it seems) and affair online with someone. She is married with two kids. I knew I wouldn't like her as the book progressed. Finally, I really felt like I needed back story on the detectives. I felt like I was coming right into the middle of a movie and was playing catch up.

I think that fans of this author's will like this book as well as fans of the series. But it wasn't enticing enough for me to go back to the beginning.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Hannah has an extraordinary talent. She takes an array of fine ingredients:
•Complex, believable heroines.
•Unusual, seemingly impossible, crimes.
•Thought-provoking, contemporary concerns

And she ties them up into complex knots that appear impossible to undo, before throwing the whole thing up into the air with a flourish and having it land as a clear picture, that you could never have foreseen but that you have to accept makes perfect sense.

That makes distinctive and compelling crime fiction.

I had decided that I wasn’t going to rush to read this book, after being horribly disappointed by the book that preceded it. But I wavered when I saw it, because so many of the books before that were very, very good. It seemed that it might be a return to form …..

Yes, I think it is a return to form, but not to her very best. Not quite.

The crime scene is striking.

An opinionated newspaper writer has been found dead, bound and gagged, on a chair in front the computer in his home office. A knife has been taped over his mouth and the words “HE IS NO LESS DEAD” have been written on the wall.

It fell to Detective Constable Simon Waterhouse and his colleagues in the Culver Valley police force to investigate.

First they spoke to his wife, who had stumbled into the crime scene with a cup of tea. She said that she had heard nothing, because she had been in another part of the house with the radio on, leaving her husband with the peace he wanted to work. And she said that she was sure that the murder is linked to the fact that her husband never really loved her; she knew that, even though he had played that role of loving, caring doting husband to perfection.

The dead man’s columns lead the police to a number of suspects.
•An athlete who was a drug cheat.
•A rival pundit accused of hypocrisy
•A bestselling author who has behave badly
•A former MP, charged with hypocrisy too.

But the most interesting of all of the suspects was Nicki Clements, a married mother of two, and the woman that the story spun around.

When the police were stopping traffic outside the crime scene she did a U turn to avoid them, because she didn’t want a particular police officer to see her. She took longer routes several times that day, between her home and her children’s school, to avoid that particular road. And of course that was noticed. She might not be guilty of murder, but she was definitely guilty of something.

Nikki is a wonderfully-realised character: a woman with an unhappy past, with difficult family relationships, with a gap in her life that she tries to fill her online. That leads her into no end of trouble ….

‘The Telling Error’ is a wonderful puzzle, mixed up with analysis of modern marriage, of celebrity culture, and of social media - very much a book of the here and now.

It was the eclectic cast of characters who made the story work. Each had their own story, their own mystery, and they had such psychological depth. They weren’t likeable, but they were fascinating. And horribly believable.

The police characters were on the back burner this time around, and the story was much the better for it.

It seems impossible that there will be a solution that explains everything, but there is. And there were revelations along the way that made the story twist and turn, and increases the intrigue. The explanation for Nikki’s U turn was particularly striking.

One or two points stretched credulity too far, but when so many things are done so well I can forgive that quite easily.

I was gripped from the first page to the last, and I will be rushing to grab a copy of whatever Sophie Hannah writes next

[Kyriakos S Kyriakou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ένα ευχάριστο καλοκαιρινό ανάγνωσμα!

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

nickinerusinata + dl_balcoane = crima?
Nu radeti, o sa ajungem si la o explicatie "serioasa".

Dar intai sa vorbim despre autoare. Sophie Hannah este o scriitoare celebra cu mai multe thrillere psihologice devenite imediat bestselleruri internationale. Ea a primit nenumarate premii precum si o nominalizare la prestigiosul T.S. Eliot Award.
Prezentul roman debuteaza cu un anunt online facut pe un site matrimonial, Intimate Links, in care un barbat dezvaluie detaliile unei crime recente si il someaza pe ucigas sa i se confeseze prin raspuns la anuntul sau. El promite a fi confidentul perfect, urmand sa tina totul in secret.
Avem ocazia apoi s-o cunoastem pe Nicki Clements, unul dintre cele mai zapacite personaje pe care le-ati intalnit vreodata in literatura, care detine arta suprema de a intra non-stop in incurcaturi stanjenitoare. Ea trimite emailuri unui necunoscut, pe numele sau Gavin, despre care stie doar ca e casatorit si ca isi doreste discutii erotice virtuale. Porecla pe care acesta o foloseste este 'dl_balcoane' (v-am zis ca urmeaza o explicatie serioasa). Asta insa nu este nimic, deoarece inainte Nicki mai vorbise cu un tip care isi zicea 'regeleEdward7' si care a reusit s-o zapaceasca cu totul, asta cu toate ca ea este casatorita si cu doi copii.
Intre timp, editorialistul Damon Blandy, un tip absolut antipatic este gasit mort in biroul sau si ucigasul lasa tot felul de indicii enigmatice in legatura cu emailul lui.
Sergentul Charlie Zailer si sotul ei, detectivul Simon Waterhouse investigheaza cazul.
Din cauza unei filmari din trafic Nicki este surprinsa de mai multe ori la locul crimei, astfel ca este adusa la interogatoriu. Ea nu stie sa raspunda la nicio intrebare legata de mort, insa asta n-o opreste sa toarne o gramada de minciuni usor de demontat si sa intre intr-un imens bucluc cu tenta sexuala. Va reusi ea oare intr-un final sa-si dovedeasca nevinovatia? Dar oare este ea chiar inocenta?
Romanul a fost distractiv, nu am cum sa neg asta, usor de citit si oarecum intrigant pentru ca toate personajele sunt implicate mai mult sau mai putin in acest joc de-a soarecele si pisica in online.
M-au amuzat desigur poreclele folosite, poate ca daca eu as fi tradus cartea, in loc de nickinerusianta as fi optat pentru nickinebunatica (originalul fiind nickibeingnaughty). La dl_balcoane nu am gasit originalul si nici nu vreau sa ma gandesc care ar fi. :)
Nu radeti, probabil este absolut normal sa porti discutii intime cu oameni cu asemenea porecle.
In incheiere va recomand acest thriller, care pe langa faptul ca o sa va distreze mult, are in desfasurare si o ancheta politista destul de buna. Tot acest ghem incurcat de fire epice provenite din online o sa va dea serioase batai de cap in incercarea de a descoperi identitatea criminalului.

Atasez si cateva citate amuzante care mi-au ramas in minte:
"Sa fiu rea si sa scap nepedepsita: nimic nu se compara cu sentimentul asta."
"As vrea sa fiu la fel de cuminte si de onorabila ca femeile alea, dar sa fiu mai interesanta si sa duc o viata mai palpitanta. Oare se poate?"
"Cele mai mari greseli le facem tocmai atunci cand ne imaginam ca stim ce simt altii si cand presupunem ca facem ce-i mai bine pentru ei."
"Sa fie un lucru rau? Nu toti barbatii fermecatori si amuzanti sunt malefici."
"Prefer sa fiu casatorita cu tine si sa fim ciudati, decat sa fiu casatorita cu altcineva si sa am o casnicie normala."

[Ismini · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

Λοιπόν αυτό ήταν ένα βιβλίο έκπληξη! Η υψηλή βαθμολογία που του δίνω οφείλεται σε αυτή την ευχάριστη έκπληξη που μου προξένησε. Και εξηγώ: Με το που είδα το εξώφυλλο αναπόφευκτα είπα "να ένα βιβλίο που σίγουρα δεν αξίζει να διαβάσω". Όταν δε, διάβασα ως υπότιτλο "Νομίζεις πως θες να μάθεις ένα μυστικό; Ξανασκέψου το...", θεώρησα πως έχω να κάνω με ένα αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα του συρμού, σαν αυτά που ομοιάζουν δηλαδή με δεύτερης διαλογής αμερικάνικα θρίλερ που μου αρέσει πολύ να τα χαζεύω στην τηλεόραση αλλά όχι και να σπαταλώ τόσες ώρες για να τα διαβάσω. Καθώς όμως είχα ξεμείνει χωρίς βιβλία μακριά από το σπίτι μου, είπα να προσπαθήσω να διαβάσω μερικές σελίδες, ούσα σίγουρη πως έπειτα από λίγο θα το παρατήσω.

Έπεσα έξω. Το βιβλίο είναι έξυπνο, πρωτότυπο, ωραία γραμμένο, με αφηγηματικές τεχνικές που δείχνουν συγγραφέα υψηλών προδιαγραφών, με γλώσσα που δεν κουράζει και κυρίως με μία υπόθεση δεμένη με μαεστρία που κρατά αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον. Είχε μήνες ένα βιβλίο να με πείσει να ξενυχτίσω μέχρι το πρωί για να το διαβάσω.

Στα αρνητικά: Πρώτον, αν και λιγοστές, έκαναν την εμφάνισή τους -μετρημένες ευτυχώς- κλισέ εκφράσεις. Δεύτερον, η λύση του μυστηρίου ήταν για μένα μια πραγματική απογοήτευση. Το βιβλίο είχε κατορθώσει να εξυψώσει τόσο τις προσδοκίες μου, που μου στοίχισε ιδιαίτερα το κάπως "μίζερο" τέλος.

Συμπερασματικά, το προτείνω σε κάποιον που θέλει να διαβάσει ένα πραγματικά καλογραμμένο και ενδιαφέρον αστυνομικό βιβλίο αλλά τον προειδοποιώ να μην περιμένει ότι θα βρει μέσα στο βιβλίο αυτό κρυμμένο κάποιο άγνωστο μυστικό του σύμπαντος.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was very much of this - part psychological thriller, part murder mystery - that I liked very much, and it was a refreshingly different slant on a familiar basic story.. but some of it jarred a touch with me.

The main premise surrounds the potential involvement of a woman in the brutal murder of a controversial journalist/columnist. Sections of the tale were narrated from the POV of this woman, and I found her a compelling and unique character, with her thoughts and deeds very interesting to follow (as damaged and messed up as she was). Other parts of the story from a more conventional slant - routine police procedural aspects - were a lot less special, slightly confusing and even boring in places. The tying up of the story didn't quite convince me either.

So yes, I may read other Sophie Hannah novels, but I understand why I have heard she can be inconsistent.

[Lorraine Kwan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title should be Chronic Liars and Obsessive Cheaters with Secrets then I wouldn't have bought it and been disappointed. Like the blurb on the back cover it was off to a good start, Nicki and her sister-in-law balance each other well. Then the wheels fall off, did this novel know how it was going to end before it was half finished?
It is a who-done-it with a decent murder but poor clues. There are four Stooges that play the cops and a cliché of a female character that I wished someone had knocked off. And spare me know-it-alls that talk just to hear the sound of their own voice or in this case the sight of their own words.
If you like self-indulgent silly cheaters and plots that go off on tangents this is the book for you.

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Η Sophie Hannah είναι μια πολύ ιδιαίτερη συγγραφέας, εξαιρετικά αγαπητή στην Αγγλία όπου και κατάγεται, αλλά και ευρέως γνωστή αφού το έργο της έχει μεταφραστεί και κυκλοφορήσει σε περισσότερες από 27 χώρες παγκοσμίως. Στην Ελλάδα την γνωρίσαμε μέσα από την προσπάθειά της να ζωντανέψει, μετά από πάρα πολλά χρόνια, τον μύθο στον κόσμο των ιδιωτικών ερευνητών, Ηρακλή Πουαρό, συνεχίζοντας το έργο της αγαπημένης σε ολόκληρο τον κόσμο συγγραφέως αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας, Agatha Cristie. Το εγχείρημά της παράτολμο και ιδιαιτέρως απαιτητικό, αλλά και μια απόφαση που αναπόφευκτα θα την έφερνε αντιμέτωπη με συγκρίσεις, συγκρούσεις, αλλά και πικρά σχόλια, αφού όπως ήταν αναμενόμενο, η προσπάθειά της αυτή δεν άρεσε σε όλους. Προσωπικά, δεν θα εκφράσω την άποψή μου επί του θέματος σε αυτήν την ανάρτηση -αλλά επιφυλάσσομαι-, επιλέγοντας να μιλήσω, σήμερα, για το νέο της βιβλίο που πρόσφατα κυκλοφόρησε από τις εκδόσεις Διόπτρα, "Η γυναίκα με το μυστικό".

Η Νίκι, λοιπόν, είναι μια συνηθισμένη γυναίκα σαν όλες τις άλλες, και ζει μια καθόλα συνηθισμένη, απλή ζωή. Τίποτα δεν μοιάζει να μπορεί να ταράξει την καθημερινότητα και την ρουτίνα της, μέχρι την στιγμή τουλάχιστον, όπου κολλημένη στην κίνηση, βλέπει κάποιον που δεν θα ήθελε να δει -ή και που δεν θα έπρεπε-, και προκειμένου να τον αποφύγει, κάνει αναστροφή κι εξαφανίζεται. Όλα φαίνεται πως ετοιμάζονται να επιστρέψουν στον πρότερο ρυθμό τους, όμως η Νίκι βρίσκεται κατηγορούμενη για φό��ο, όντας η μοναδική ύποπτη, εφόσον το αυτοκίνητό της εθεάθη την ώρα της δολοφονίας στο λάθος σημείο, και αποτελεί το μοναδικό σημείο σύνδεσης με το έγκλημα. Θύμα, ο Ντέιμον Μπλάντι, που όσο περίεργο κι αν ακούγεται, βρίσκεται πνιγμένος με ένα μαχαίρι, και με τον δράστη να έχει αφήσει ένα περίεργο μήνυμα στο δωμάτιό του, γραμμένο με κόκκινη μπογιά, "ΟΧΙ ΛΙΓΟΤΕΡΟ ΝΕΚΡΟΣ". Η Νίκι, θέλοντας να προστατέψει το μυστικό της, πρέπει να βρει τρόπο να αποδείξει την αθωότητά της χωρίς να ομολογήσει τι πραγματικά συνέβη εκείνη την ημέρα. Θα τα καταφέρει;

Όντας φανατική αναγνώστρια αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων, θεωρώ υποχρέωση απέναντι σε εσάς αλλά και σε μένα την ίδια, να ξεκινήσω με το αρνητικό του βιβλίου, που για μένα δεν είναι άλλο από την προβλεψιμότητά του. Όμως, προσοχή! Η προβλεψιμότητα αυτή δεν έχει να κάνει με το ότι η συγγραφέας δεν έχει χτίσει καλά την ιστορία της, ή ότι δεν έχει πλέξει την πλοκή της έτσι όπως θα έπρεπε για να εντείνει το ενδιαφέρον. Αντίθετα, στα τεχνικά σημεία της αφήγησης, αν μπορούμε να τα χαρακτηρίσουμε έτσι, έχει κάνει πολύ καλή δουλειά, αλλά όσον αφορά μη αυστηρά μυημένους στο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα αναγνώστες. Κάποιος που έχει διαβάσει εκατοντάδες μυθιστορήματα του είδους, είναι σχεδόν αδύνατον να μην διακρίνει τα σημεία κλειδιά στη λύση του μυστηρίου. Αυτό σημαίνει πως ναι μεν η Hannah ξέρει να γράφει πολύ καλές αστυνομικές περιπέτειες και να στήνει αριστοτεχνικά τη δράση τους, αλλά υστερεί στο κεφάλαιο διατήρησης του μυστηρίου και του αινίγματος που θα φέρει τη λύση λίγο πριν το τέλος. Με άλλα λόγια, είναι πολύ καλή, αλλά χρειάζεται μεγάλη προσπάθεια ακόμα για να γίνει εξαιρετική.

Και αφού είπα τον πόνο και το παράπονό μου, ας περάσω στα πολύ θετικά του βιβλίου, με πρώτο και καλύτερο, το ψυχογράφημα της Νίκι, σε πρώτη φάση, αλλά και των τρίτων προσώπων που με τον έναν ή τον άλλον τρόπο εμπλέκονται σταδιακά στην ιστορία, εξυπηρετώντας ο καθένας το δικό του σκοπό. Μπορεί οι δεύτεροι να μην γίνονται πρωταγωνιστές, αλλά η παρουσία τους μόνο περιττή δεν είναι. Αντίθετα, τοποθετημένοι με στρατηγικό τρόπο μέσα στην αφήγηση, βοηθάνε ώστε η ροή της να κατευθυνθεί εκεί που πρέπει, όταν πρέπει. Παράλληλα, οι πολλές υποϊστορίες που παρεμβαίνουν στη ροή της κύριας ιστορίας, αν και φαντάζουν ξένες και παράταιρες στα σημεία, στην πραγματικότητα σχετίζονται, και την κατάλληλη στιγμή αρχίζουν να συγκλίνουν, έτσι ώστε να φτάσουμε στην εξιχνίαση του μυστηρίου και στην απάντηση που θα λυτρώσει τη Νίκι από τα βάσανά της, αλλά και που θα μας αποκαλύψει την πάσα αλήθεια.

Περισσότερο από κάθε τι άλλο, το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο είναι ένα ψυχολογικό θρίλερ που βασίζεται κυρίως στην ψυχοσύνθεση των ηρώων του, αλλά και στην ανάλυση αυτών όσο τα γεγονότα προχωράνε και εξελίσσονται. Παράλληλα, μέσα από τη δράση, θίγονται πολλοί σύγχρονοι προβληματισμοί, τόσο κοινωνικοί, όσο και σχετικά με τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις και το πως αυτές απαλλοτριώνονται, φθείρονται και διαφθείρονται μέσα σε μία καθημερινότητα που φαντάζει να βομβαρδίζει κάθε τι καλό από παντού. Ουσιαστικά, η Hannah επιχειρεί μια ενδοσκόπηση στην ανθρώπινη κοινωνία, μια αυστηρή ματιά στο εγώ μας που κυριεύεται από ανούσια πάθη κι επιθυμίες, επιφορτισμένο από καθήκοντα και υποχρεώσεις που ίσως να μην είμαστε έτοιμοι να διαχειριστούμε, όχι κάθε μέρα, τουλάχιστον, αλλά και από τραύματα του παρελθόντος που τα κάνουμε βιώματα και τα μεταφέρουμε στο παρόν μας, μετουσιώνοντάς τα στο μέλλον μας. Είναι, όμως, και μια ιστορία για την σημασία και το νόημα της αλήθειας που τελικά, λυτρώνει, ή αυτός ο κανόνας δεν ισχύει; Αυτό, θα το αποφασίσετε μόνοι σας;

[GreekReaders · Rating 1 out of 5]

Δε μου αρέσει να είμαι αυστηρή, αλλά θα είμαι.

Που είδατε το συγκλονιστικό θρίλερ; Δεν καταλαβαίνω. Βαρετό όσο δεν πάει, σε κανένα σημείο δεν είχα αγωνία τι θα γίνει και πως θα εξελιχθεί, ούτε καν στο τέλος, το οποίο περίμενα να με αποζημιώσει κάπως, αλλά μάταια!

Οι χαρακτήρες επιφανειακοί, κενοί, άνευροι, δε συμπάθησα κανέναν, ούτε ταυτίστηκα στο ελάχιστο. Ιστορία με κενά. Μέχρι τη σελίδα 120 δεν καταλάβαινα τι γινόταν και γιατί. Πολλές σελίδες γραμμένες άσκοπα, χωρίς να προωθείται η εξέλιξη της πλοκής, αλλά ούτε να έχουν κάποιο άλλο ενδιαφέρον.

Δεν το προτείνω, αν θέλετε μπορείτε να διαβάστε απλώς τις τελευταίες 40 σελίδες και θα έχετε ολόκληρη την ιστορία.

[Sarju Shrestha Mehri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books starts with very interesting exchange between two strangers who found each other on the website where people tell/keep secret to/of each other.
Nicki Clements, who has a loving husband and two kids is unhappy in marriage and tries to seek for an affairs to spice up her married life in Intimate Connection website. She falls in love with the man and becomes obsessed. Then, she is spotted by a police officer fleeing the crime area of a controversial newspaper columnist named Damon Blundy. This dark,psychological thriller takes you round and round. I almost felt I was dealing with a character very much similar to "Gone Girl".

The story is very captivating and believable. The recent out break on the story of Ashley Madison website made this books very interesting. It is also scary to think, that social media and every kind of website out there is not only luring to young people but also many older people as well. More people are cheating online because it is easy and less guilty? It is very interesting to watch Nikki who claims how much she loves her husband and her children yet, she is ready to meet a stranger in a hotel room whom she does not know. Quite a book!!!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois de ter lido Os Crimes do Monograma, romance policial onde Sophie Hannah ressuscita Hercule Poirot, a curiosidade aumentou quando a Asa decidiu publicar um novo livro da autora, também ele policial, mas noutro registo.
Apesar de ser editado pela primeira vez em Portugal, Um Erro Fatal é o nono livro de uma série chamada de Spilling CID. Talvez por isso não tenha criado tanta empatia com a polícia, que achei bastante confusa...

A morte de um cronista famoso vai despoletar uma investigação desenfreada. Damon Blundy é sarcástico nas suas crónicas o que lhe traz muitos inimigos, dificultando muito o trabalho da dupla de detectives Simon Waterhouse e Charlie. A juntar a isso Damon tem dois casamentos falhados e um terceiro casamento que poderia não estar a correr tão bem quanto se possa querer parecer. A actual mulher dele não é o estereótipo de mulher ideal de Damon o que a coloca como uma das principais suspeitas do crime.


Opinião completa: http://marcadordelivros.blogspot.pt/2...

[Eyra CM · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[Matthias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm writing this review in the middle of the night, an hour after having read it's last page. I can't get over how perfect this book was, and I feel I must write this review before being able to find sleep. This makes it possible this review is clouded by some feeling of a thrill, but even if it is, that alone is spectacular and very rare. I rate very few books five stars, and even fewer I would call perfection to boot.

But this book was perfection. And a perfect detective story at that. I've read perfect books before, but never in this genre. There was always something, sometimes a tiny thing, but always a thing that made it not quite perfecT. A lacking motivation, an unbelievable oversight, a too convenient coincidence, a far-fetched process. None of that here. This is the perfect psychological detective story. It's the first time I read one of this kind.

It's been a circle of "WOW" (the gasp of admiration) for me. WOW when I saw the book cover, WOW when I saw the synopsis, WOW when I read the first pages. Asthe story kept going, I saw the meticulousness of this author: eye for details, references to those details now and then, some of them useless for the story but very useful for strenghtening my belief that by the end of the book, the WOW would still be there. And as opposed to almost any other detective story I read, it still was. Where even the greatest like Agatha Christie sometimes have to resort to the strength of their character (like Poirot) to make certain explanations more believable, Sophie Hannah needed no such thing in this book. Explanations came from the people thinknig their thoughts and doing their actions, and all were believable.

The mystery was captivating, its solution even more so in its perfection. The psychological insights of this author are undeniable and a great strength in this book and are a big part of why it works so very very well. I want to recommend this book to everyone.

A small additional anecdote:
I first saw Sophie Hannah's name when I saw she was writing a book with Poirot, my favourite detective. I thought: Who in the hell does she think she is grabbing a character from the great Christie? Now I know. I may be too quick to judge since I only read this one book by her, but looking at the large volume she already wrote, the great quality of this book, I'm thinking she's well on her way to fill her footsteps and even more.

The only thing that's stopping me right now from reading more of her works if a small worry. Somewhere I find it hard to imagine that a work of this quality could be repeated by the same author and I'd hate that disappointment cloud the experience I've had here. A small psychological quirk the author might even appreciate. But I know that one day I'll return to this Culver Valley series and keep the WOW's coming. And one day maybe even read Sophie Hannah's take on my favorite detective, if he hasn't been replaced by Simon Waterhouse by that time.

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Sophie Hannah has woven a tale that has kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to move until I finished this read. I had to get up in between to feed the family but couldn't wait to get back to reading it.

The beginning of the book is so entrancing to me, as she is returning to the school to take her son's forgotten gym kit she is stuck in traffic, then seeing a Police Officer that somehow figures into this equation [of what, I had not idea yet] but she had to avoid him at all costs. The tension surrounding just that little bit was tummy rolling.

As I got deeper into this story, I was engrossed.

Superb thriller at its best, as only Sophie Hannah can relate.

I was lucky to receive a complimentary copy from Hodder & Stoughton via Net Galley.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Μετά από μία αποτυχημένη προσπάθεια ανάγνωσης (όπου τελικά το εγκατέλειψα) και μετά από αρκετό χρόνο που μου πήρε η δεύτερη ανάγνωση, τελικά κατάφερα να ολοκληρώσω το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο. Η ολοκλήρωσή του με άφησε διχασμένη: αν και η ιστορία είχε ενδιαφέρον, ο τρόπος γραφής με κούρασε αρκετά. Πιστεύω ότι αν το βιβλίο ήταν πιο συνοπτικό σε κάποια σημεία η υπόθεση θα κυλούσε πιο αβίαστα. Τα τρία αστεράκια μπαίνουν για το ενδιαφέρον της ιστορίας.

[Lesincele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela entretenida que se lee bastante rápido una vez que entras en la historia. A mi personalmente, me ha costado entrar bastante en la historia porque es la típica novela que se centra mucho en los personajes y en marear al lector. Por lo que ha habido más juegos de confundir que lo que es trama en sí.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Hannah's latest release is unbelievably timely. Over recent months here in Australia I've been listening to shock jocks and reading columnists ranting about all sorts of things they can't possibly believe. And - in an increasingly online and interactive world - thought bubbles in the form of tweets and online comments become powerful and destructive.

Nicki Clements is on her second trip to her children's school one day when she recognises a police officer who once saw her at her worst. Her actions to avoid further embarrassment set off a series of events which have the potential to ruin her life.

They start by bringing her to the attention of police investigating the murder of a newspaper columnist whose vicious diatribes scored him a slew of enemies. The fact that she was once a regular defender of his work causes the police to be even more suspicious.

Nicki admits herself, she has a long history of untruths and - though usually quite adept at the art of lying - finds herself struggling to explain her actions. The fact that she has a secret life which has, on occasions overtaken her reality, places her in more trouble.

Although the police find Nicki's obvious lies concerning, they have no shortages of suspects in the death of Damon Blundy. Athletes, politicians, authors, other columnists, a wife and two ex-wives are thrown into the mix. And then there's the dichotomy of Blundy himself. Tyrannical in his writing and first two marriages, but inexplicably kind to his current wife - though even she senses he's playing the role of doting husband, rather than being his true self.

Most baffling to the police are the circumstances of Blundy's death. Struck unconscious, bound and gagged, a newly-sharpened knife 'taped' to his face before being bludgeoned. There's no blood but writing on the wall in red paint, "He is no less dead."

There's a lot at play in The Telling Error. Initially we're in Nicki's shoes and slip back into her mind every so often so we get a clear picture of her thoughts, memories and secrets. We also get to experience the investigation, particularly through the eyes of husband and wife team, DC Simon Waterhouse and Sergeant Charlie Zailer.

I really enjoyed this latest offering from Sophie Hannah. The content and topic were particularly relevant and well... just a touch scary (in a confronting sense for those of us spending time online: writing and reading blogs and social media). There were also enough protagonists and suspects to keep us guessing throughout.

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher for review purposes.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Telling Error is the ninth in the Culver Valley series which features the extremely clever but somewhat odd Simon Waterhouse and his wife Charlie who solve the fiendishly complex psychology to explain an equally intricately planned crime.

The book starts with a post on Intimate Connections website with a post entitled “Looking For A Secret”, the post then goes onto describe a murder-scene and appealing to the murderer who the author is certain is female. Who would post the question and would anyone be compelled to answer? This opening had me hooked, which is not unusual for one of Sophie Hannah’s books and I was like a fish on the end of the line until the last page.

was like a fish on the end of the line until the last page.
In The Telling Error a well-known controversial columnist Damon Blundy is found dead in mysterious circumstances and the police trail leads back to Nicki Clements. Nicky to be fair, doesn’t help matters by taking a detour to avoid a policeman she recognises, although as a reader you may have little sympathy when you read about her cyber secrets. Nicky is a misguided woman who seems to have a bit of a wimp of a husband who has turned to the internet for a bit of excitement which unsurprisingly threatens to blow her world apart. Nicky also reveals a worrying past where it appears she longs to be loved for who she is, but tellingly has been wary of revealing the truth to any of the normal candidates including her best-friend or her husband.

One of the things the author does really well is an intricate plot giving a sense of satisfaction as the pieces slot into place revealing some fairly outrageous motives, in this book, just on the right side of believable. On another level this book examines the recent phenomenon of cyber relationships, long-kept secrets and sibling relationships. Even while describing unusual characters the author handles this with a surety which gives quite an insight into human behaviour while simultaneously entertaining the reader with a complex puzzle.

Although the Police are constant throughout the series their own stories don’t over shadow the main action which means that anyone of these books can be picked up and enjoyed as a stand-alone read.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the publishers Hodder & Stoughton in return for my honest review.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 2 out of 5]

In recent years there has been a spate of murder mysteries written by female authors about mysterious women. Gillian Flynn’s outstanding novel of suspense, Gone Girl, topped the best-seller charts for months, only to be replaced some time later by The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. (I’ve reviewed both.) Now here comes Woman With a Secret, presumably intended to snare the same broad audience. Between you and me, I could have stopped reading in this genre after Gone Girl. Enough, already!

Sophie Hannah, who wrote Woman With a Secret, is unquestionably clever, even devilishly so. There are more twists and turns in this tale than on any mountain road. However, it doesn’t appear that she can create a believable character to save her life. One after another — the woman of the title, her treacherous “best friend,” a vitriolic newspaper columnist, a former Labour MP who is a child of wealth and privilege, a talented police detective — the characters who come on the scene in this novel are so outlandishly eccentric as to astonish even those, like me, who recognize that England is a land of eccentrics. If Sophie Hannah meant this book to be satirical, it doesn’t come across.

If you haven’t read Gone Girl, pick up a copy. Forget Woman With a Secret. You’ll thank me.

Sophie Hannah is a British poet and novelist whose adult life has revolved around Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has written more novels of psychological suspense and books of poetry than I care to count. It’s doubtful I’ll read any more of them.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a few of Sophie Hannah's books but not all of the Culver Valley series, so I was quite looking forward to this one as I had enjoyed her previous works.

This is one of my least favourites. Admittedly it has been a while since I've read the others, but I really wasn't overly taken with it. It started off well, though I didn't particularly take to any of the characters including Nicki, but it was engaging enough. Then it just started to veer into pages and pages of detail and extra characters that I'm not sure added much to the story and consequently found tedious. And that primarily was the letdown for me. The bits that were engaging I really liked, but the big chunks of extras left me feeling a tad frustrated. Sophie is a great writer so there was nothing particularly wrong there just a bit too much waffling for me. The last 20% I did find exciting because I didn't really guess the outcome at all. She did a good job of twisting and turning, I came up with a few suspects, in fact you don't really want to know who I suspected, I went off in all sorts of directions!! *slightly embarrassed!*

Overall, I can see why many would really enjoy this, it just didn't do it for me this time.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for the review copy.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this Giveaway! Thank you Goodreads.

Nicki is a compulsive liar. She can't help it. Plus she has secrets that she keeps from her family and friends. There is only one person she shares her secrets with and that person is a stranger she converses with via email. Unfortunately for Nicki a man she knows (or does she?) is murdered and Nicki is a suspect. More lies. A husband/ wife detective team investigate. Initially I really like this twisted mystery even though I truly hated the character of Nicki. A liar, cheater, nutty. And her husband, Adam, must have lived in la la land since he seemed unaware of his wife's conduct. Stupid! About half way through the book the story began to get tedious. And the characters more obnoxious. But I kept on reading as I really wanted to find out who committed the crime and why. I must say I was disappointed in the ending. It just didn't live up to all the suspense that built up during the course of the story.

[Crazytourists_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Μετά τις 300-330 σελίδες άρχισε να αποκτά ενδιαφέρον και να με κάνει να σκέφτομαι τη λύση του μυστηρίου.. Ως τότε πολύ φλύαρο, σχεδόν βαρετό...

[Effie (she-her) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Πέραν του ότι η υπόθεση είναι ό,τι να 'ναι και κλασικά τόσο τραβηγμένη που σε κάνει να χάσεις κάθε ενδιαφέρον, με εκπλήσσει το γεγονός ότι είναι μέρος μια σειράς βιβλίων με πρωταγωνιστές ένα ζευγάρι αστυνομικών οι οποίοι δε θα μπορούσαν να έχουν λιγότερο σεβασμό ο ένας για την άλλη ακόμα κι αν προσπαθούσαν.

Επίσης, η Ελληνική μετάφραση δεν παίζει να έχει περάσει από επιμέλεια με τόσα τυπογραφικά λάθη.

[Simona Stoica · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Unii oameni uită aspectul ăsta al minciunilor: că cei care mint nu o fac doar de dragul lor. De multe ori mint ca să-i facă pe alții fericiți.”