Entrissen

Brennan & Esposito #1

by Tania Carver, Sybille Uplegger (Translator)

A sickening killer is on the loose. A killer like no other. This murderer targets heavily pregnant women, drugging them and brutally removing their unborn babies.

When DI Phil Brennan is called to the latest murder scene, he knows he has entered the world of the most depraved killer he had ever encountered. After a loveless, abusive childhood, Phil knows evil well. But nothing has prepared him for this.

And when criminal profiler Marina Esposito is brought in to help solve the case, she delivers a bombshell: she believes there is a woman involved in the killing, a woman desperate for children...

A shocking, gripping debut novel, The Surrogate is the perfect read for fans of Tess Gerritsen and Karin Slaughter.

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

512 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2009

About the author

Tania carver is the pseudonym for the husband and wife writing team of Martyn and Linda Waites.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still asking myself how I got through this book, I had to keep putting it down & going back to it at a later date due to the subject matter I just shuddered every time I was at this particular dialogue I just kept going Oh No OMG etc I wouldn't say I enjoyed it but I had to find out who the perp was.


Tania Carver wrote a very dark serial killer thriller that chilled me at every moment I kept saying to myself WHY AM I READING THIS!! & even though I finished it am still wondering why?


The story follows DI Phil Brennan investigates multiple murders going back months he enlists the help Of Marina Esposito who profiles serial killers.
When the bodies of Claire Fielding & Julie Simpson are found brutally murdered & with their stomachs cut open & the babies either murdered or taken it sends shivers down the spines of Brennan & DS Clayton Thompson .


As the investigation deepens more woman murdered & all with the same MO they find their suspect Ryan Brotherton he vehemently denies any of this as he was with a prostitute at the time known as Sophie, DS Clayton Thomsen is so close he can feel it but ends up dead.

Then When Marina Esposito's name is on the list of Victims DI Brennan stops at nothing to find her they are lovers.


What I will tell you is that Hester is a piece of work what we find out about her I just thought that it was an OMG moment it was really disturbing for me.

WARNING - This novel is not for the faint of heart & all those women out there who have been or are pregnant.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just read Kin which is full of family inbreeding and psychoness I didn't think it could be topped. Not sure it was topped but this is right up there with it. This is the first in the series. I have a friend who always seems to like old reviews of mine. He recently liked The Doll House by Tania Carver which unbeknownst to me at the time of my reading was the fifth in the series. I loved that novel and gave it a five star review. I remember at the time thinking this is odd subject matter for a woman to be writing about and at the end found out Tania Carver is a husband and wife team. Call me old fashion and I know women can be quite twisted too but I like to think the deviancy in that book came from the guy but one never knows right?

So that friends like of The Doll House got me to look at my review and I'm like yeah I need to follow up on this series so I went and got the first three in the series and will now be reading them in order. In a rare move I bought them all used on abe books which is an excellent source especially if you are American as there is no shipping fees. Overall I think I am saving 50% buying this way, dirt cheap prices on excellent condition used books plus the shipping.

What a great debut novel. Odd though in that all the references to Tania Carver here make it sound like a one woman show. No mention of her husband at all but trust me look her up on GR and you will see the dynamic duo.

Phil Brennan is a Detective Inspector in Colchester which is near Essex. The novel references a past case where psychologist Marina Esposito was used in solving a complex case. These two are our heroes. The authors use the backdrop of the first case to show how things currently stand between the two and their is some friction. They had become intimate and then she pulled the carpet from out and under him and left him hanging with so many unanswered questions. Sadly I think everyone has been there, men and women :)

The original case is excellent backdrop and fills in pieces of the puzzle very nicely catching us up to the present which is actually the start of this series. Again though the subject matter for this deviancy is bar none.

It deals with a twisted messed up family and one of them wants a baby. Of course adoption is out of the question as the mother here wants to bond instantly with the child so the plan is to kidnap, drug and steal the baby right out of the woman's stomach. Thus an instant child who has bonded with no one and the true mother lies dead. That subject matter might just be a bit too much too handle for some. When I told the details to my wife she looked at me like I was nuts for reading this.

Let me tell you though, if you have a taste for true horror, for something different and unique these authors seem to be able to pull it off admirably. The book is well written and you are always trying to find out what is next. I don't want to spoil things here but when you find out the details of this family and what is really going on it is like holy fn F**K - like I can't really put it any other way and I apologize if anyone is offended.

This book holds you from the start. There are plenty of twists and turns and macabre as the subject matter is I had a blast reading it. I am so glad for that friend liking such an old review as it prompted me to start reading this excellent series. A thriller/horror if you like. An easy five stars and I highly recommend it. ENJOY!!

[Leigh Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book is well-written and really reads at a brisk pace, I had some issues with it. Mainly, I did not like the character of Marina Esposito. Wah-wah-wah, bad stuff happens to poor Marina. And her policeman-boyfriend wasn't "there" for her when she needed to be (even though he had a totally legit excuse and tried to call her a million times to let her know. It's his fault, and she'll never forget it. Except she will, because she loves him! Maybe. She needs time, but not the kind of time where it's okay if he's working and something bad happens again. Whatever, Marina. I found that aspect of her personality so irritating, I had a hard time getting over it. That said, I did like Phil, and Anni, and even Clayton was engaging in his way. I REALLY appreciated the sympathy that Carver builds for the villain--I wish the scene between the villain and Anni had been fleshed out more, as well as the aftermath. That was so interesting, and I could have read pages more. Alas, it was over & the novel tied up (a bit too) neatly. Still, what I liked outweighs what I didn't. I may read the next to see if I enjoy it. But Marina better grow a pair, or it's the last chance she'll get from me.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty standard police procedural, with a grisly subject matter. Good thing I've got a strong stomach!

One thing I couldn't stomach was Marina Esposito. Ugh! She was awful! What a selfish b**** she was! She seems to think her safety is entirely the responsibility of somebody else. She's also cheating on her partner, but justifies this because she thinks she's at a crossroads in her life. I didn't like her one little bit. If the head copper is dumb enough to be in love with her, it doesn't bode well for him solving complex cases!

[DeB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fly leaf of The Surrogate guarantees that you will be up all night once you start. I concur! One of the best pot boilers that I have read in a long time and I'm delighted to see that there is a series to continue with. Marvellously fully fleshed out characters, a fast moving, serpentine and satisfying plot and a bit of dark crime needing a psychological profiler make this a darn good detective mystery.

[Faria Zebin · Rating 3 out of 5]

4* হতে পারতো কিন্তু দুটো কারনে হলো না।
এক- মারিনা এসপোসিতো, দুই- অনুবাদ

অতি অখাদ্য অনুবাদ, বিন্দুমাত্র সম্পাদনা না করেই ছাপিয়ে দেওয়া হয়েছে, বানান ভুল, ভাষাগত ভুল তো ছিলোই৷ আড়ষ্ট অনুবাদের জন্য যে বই শেষ করতে সর্বোচ্চ দুদিন লাগার কথা, আমার চারদিন লাগলো।

প্লট ভালো, ডার্ক, গ্রিপিং। কিন্তু তদন্ত কর্মকর্তারা বিরক্তিকর, বিশেষ করে মারিনা এসপোসিতো। এরপর ক্লেটন। অ্যানি হেপবার্ন ব্যতীত কারো মধ্যেই কোনো প্রফেশনালিজম নেই, ক্যারিজমা নেই৷

ভালো দিক- ভিলেন। এখানে বরং ভিলেনকে ভালোভাবে বর্ণনা করা হয়েছে, ডার্কনেস একইসাথে অসহায়ত্ব তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। কিছুটা মায়াও লাগতে পারে।

ন্যাড়া বেলতলায় অনেকবার যায়, এজন্য আমিও সিরিজের আরেকটা বই পড়ে দেখবো কোনো উন্নতি হয়েছে ফিল- এসপোসিতোর

[Dawn G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the first in Tania Carver's (a husband and wife writing team) Brennan and Esposito series. I had read that their books can be very dark and this one did not disappoint. It had all the makings of an incredible psychological thriller; very disturbing crimes, horrific physical and mental abuse, extreme mental illness, and a cop, Detective Inspector Philip Brennan.

The book started out with a bang and could easily have been a 5 star read if not for a couple of character issues. Marina Esposito, a psychologist with such unrealistic expectations of Philip that I started to get irritated whenever I would see her name appear near quotation marks. She was ridiculously annoying and could have benefited from seeing a good psychologist herself. Philip was annoying as well because he tolerated her "poor me" prattle. On the other hand, the villains were intersting and kept the story move along.

I do plan to read the next book in the series in hope that Marina gets the help she needs to become a more reasonable individual and that Philip develops a backbone.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crikey, how gripping. Now I know that this won't be for everyone, as by the book description you can see that this is disturbing in places.
Very graphic descriptions of murder scenes that put me right there at the scene .
I found the interlaced police relationships worked well and although it was horrific in places, was certainly believable.
Think this would make a good film.... In fact the ending reminded me very much of The Silence Of The Lambs.

[Pattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Surrogate is the first in a series introducing Detective Inspector Brennan and psychologist Esposito. I bought this novel as it received great reviews on Goodreads and I truly enjoy police procedurals, especially those set outside the U.S. Also, I was going to the beach and I thought it would be a fun, quick read. Well, not so much. Perhaps it was the subject matter -- pregnant women getting murdered for their fetuses but I think it was more the uneven pace and clunky dialogue that had me sighing and feeling dissatisfied. I understand that Tania Carver is a pseudonym for the author Martyn Waites and it was, to me, obviously written by a male. That's not a bad thing by any stretch but I am curious as to why he chose a female pseudonym rather than a male. Anyway, perhaps I've read too many of these types of books but I was just rather bored, not impressed, and couldn't suspend my disbelief enough for the final confrontation.

[Amanda Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd gotten so used to reading less-than-great thrillers lately, that I'd forgotten what it was like to read a really, really good one. This book was fantastic.

Set in a small town in England, the police are desperately searching for a serial killer who is targeting pregnant women in order to steal their babies to create his own "family." There's a lot of fast paced action and unexpected plot twists -- I literally didn't see the final revelation coming.

I've already put Carver's next book on my "to read" list.

[Tina [kupfermuenze] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Titel passt hier perfekt zum Buch. Die Story an sich ist wirklich gut, aber ich komme nicht darüber hinweg, das Babies gequält wurden..

[Anjan Das · Rating 3 out of 5]

একটা সুন্দর আশাজাগানিয়া প্লটের হতাশাজনক এন্ডিং।সুন্দর একটা প্লট ছিল,হতে পারত দুর্দান্ত একটা সিরিয়াল কিলিং গল্প,হতে পারত দুর্দান্ত একটা পুলিশ প্রসিডিওরাল থ্রিলার কিন্তু শেষ পর্যন্ত হয়ে থাকল সাদামাটা একটা গল্প।
গল্পে একের পর এক প্রেগন্যান্ট মহিলা কে আক্রমণ করে বাচ্চা চুরি করে নিয়ে যাচ্ছে এক সাইকো কিলার।এরপর তা ধরতে নেমে গেল কয়েকজন ডিটেকটিভ।এরপর কি?নেই কোন প্রপার ইনভেস্টিগেশন,নেই তথ্য উপাত্ত বিশ্লেষণ করে অপরাধী খোজার কোন কায়দা,তার উপর যুক্ত হয়েছে দুই ডিটেকটিবের মাখো মাখো প্রেম।চূড়ান্ত হতাশাজনক একটা বই।

[Korin: A Crone Running Amok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done murder mystery.

[Karschtl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um das Ende vom Buch zu lesen, musste ich doch glatt bis 3 Uhr nachts aufbleiben, was ich am nächsten Morgen prompt mit heftigen Kopfschmerzen bezahlt habe. Aber schließlich waren die letzten 100 Seiten dann doch zu spannend, um das Buch noch einmal aus der Hand zu legen.

Spannend geht es ja auch sofort los mit dem ersten Mord, dem wir als Leser teilhaben. Wie sich später herausstellt ist es aber mindestens der dritte Mord von einem Serienkiller der es anscheinend auf ungeborene Babies abgesehen hat und diese den hochschwangeren Müttern bei lebendigem Leibe herausschneidet. Die Frauen werden dabei nur als "Leihmütter", als "surrogate" (so der englische Originaltitel) angesehen.

Die Erzählperspektiven wechseln hin und her zwischen potentiellen Opfern, dem Ermittlerteam um Phil Brennan und Marina Esposito, und dem Täter-Duo Hester und ihr Mann. Dazwischen gibt es noch eine Reihe von anderen Figuren - von beiden Seiten des Gesetzes - deren Bezüge zur Tat so nach und nach bloßgelegt werden. An dieser Stelle hat mich die Autorin doch etwas überrascht, hätte ich zu Anfang doch nie mit einer bestimmten Verbindung zwischen der 'neuen' Mutter Hester und einer anderen Figur gerechnet. Diese Hester war generell eine sehr mysteriöse Figur, die zwar um jeden Preis Babies haben will - sich aber kaum damit auskennt und im Grunde nur nicht-weinende Babies möchte, die am liebsten nur still daliegen und süß aussehen. Erfüllt ein Baby diese Kriterien nicht muss halt das nächste her. Aber gut, mit gesundem Menschenverstand kann man das gesamte gestörte Verhalten sowieso nicht erklären. Die Familienverhältnisse und Lebensumstände haben mich sofort an eine Akte X Folge namens "Blutschande" denken lassen. Ärmlichste Verhältnisse (Hester lebt noch nicht einmal in einem richtigen Haus mit anständigen Möbeln - ein Telefon und Fernseher hat sie aber dennoch) und die einzigsten Lebensinhalte scheinen aus Sex und vielleicht noch Essen zu bestehen.

Manch echte Thrillerfans wird es vielleicht gestört haben, dass die jeweiligen Taten nicht allzu detailliert beschrieben wurden, mir selbst kam es in diesem Fall sehr entgegen. Selbst schwanger möchte man so etwas wahrscheinlich nicht so genau lesen, um die Bilder dann nicht mehr aus dem Kopf zu kriegen.

Hätte ich nicht gewusst, dass dies ein Debütroman ist, hätte ich die ganze Zeit angekommen dass es sich hierbei um mindestens schon den 2. Teil einer Serie handelt, da sehr oft auf eine frühere Zusammenarbeit von Phil und Marina Bezug genommen wird. Das hat mich schon etwas irritiert. Die sprachliche Gestaltung ist der Autorin durchaus gelungen, auch die Story und der Spannungsaufbau sind sehr gut. Manchmal war mir nur Hesters Gedankengang zu unschlüssig, und auch Marinas Gefühle & Gedanken mit der Zeit doch zu oft sich wiederholend. Ansonsten sehr empfehlenswert.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was man nicht machen soll, reizt einen ja bekanntlich am meisten :D Mir wurde abgeraten das Buch zu lesen da ich selbst grad schwanger bin, da musste ich es natürlich erst recht anfangen. Es geht sofort spannend, blutig und grausam los und man musste sich auch nicht groß in das Buch reinfitzen. Authentische Protagonisten über die es Spaß gemacht hat mehr zu erfahren und daneben eine unglaublich kranke, spannende Story. Ich konnt nich mehr aufhören zu lesen und hatte oft Gänsehaut. Der Spannungsbogen kann auch bis zum Ende gehalten werden und immer wenn man dachte man hat eine Idee wie es weitergehen könnte kam es doch anders. Viele schöne unerwartete Drehungen und Wendungen die einen schaudern lassen. Mir hat das lesen bis zum Ende Spaß gemacht und ich habs vor Spannung kaum ausgehalten, vor allem wegen dem Baby und auch wegen Marina und dann kam noch mal ne dicke Überraschung zum Schluß. Ich bin begeistert und werde nun auch die anderen “Marina” Bücher lesen!!!

[Deb Jones]

I cannot rate this one because I did not finish it. In fact, I finished the first chapter and knew the subject matter of this one is not for me.

The writing, as far as I went, was fine, so will give the second book in this series, The Creeper, a read in the future.

It's odd, reading as many crime/mystery/thriller/noir books as I do that some plot topics turn my stomach, but that's what I found here. I hope others won't be discouraged to read it because of my quirk.

[Maureen DeLuca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard subject to read about ,--- Enjoyed Brennan & Esposito- and looking forward to reading the second in this series !

[Tanyel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.
I would approach with caution of you don't like gruesome.
If you do, then this will be for you.
cant wait to read the next one.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

This serial killer mystery had some great twists and build suspense well. You wanted the detectives to succeed badly. It is a UK story, so they handle serial killer a bit differently that we do. A quick and good read.

[Meagan Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4.5
Very well done and the audiobook is well worth it. However, it is not an easy read and was probably the most disturbing book I've read in a long time.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to give this book 3 and a half stars, a well deserved 3 and a half it was too.I enjoyed reading it, although this is an odd thing to say bearing in mind that this book really does have a rather gory subject matter.

There is a killer targeting heavily pregnant women and is intent on taking the precious cargo they are carrying by brutal force.
The case falls to Detective Inspector Phil Brennan.He and his team are finding it difficult to make sense of the killings and call in Marina Esposito, a criminal profiler to help solve the case. Marina is Phil’s former lover; they met over a previous case that left Maria in a rather desperately dangerous situation, which tested their relationship to the full. Maria believes there is a woman involved in the killings, a woman desperate for a baby.

Tania Carver is actually a pseudonym for a husband and wife duo Martyn and Linda Waites. This is their debut novel and what a debut it is, making quite a grand entrance.

This book is truly a captivating read which I really enjoyed and found it hard to put down. An absolute page turner. The book doesn't give away too many clues throughout, keeping the reader in suspense all the way.
The details aren't the most gruesome I have read, but does make for some unsettling reading and although fast paced in sections, it is equally slow going in many places too. I'd rather it were a little more consistent. I have raved about much better. This lacked a little something, even though it also hit depths others haven't (I think) dared to tread which I liked.
None of the detectives made me feel any kind of connection with them. DI Phil Brennan, I felt, a little flat and not that engaging.

The plot from start to finish is packed with red herrings and well placed twists and ends with a big shocker that is impossible to anticipate.

If you are not squeamish, then I highly recommend.

A good debut novel that has attracted a lot of attention and justly so. I will definitely read more in this collection. I have book 2, The Creeper on my shelf, ready and waiting.

[Leslie Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What sounds like the most grisly and uncouth story is actually, strangely good. Tania Carver is an English writer and THE SURROGATE is her debut crime psychological thriller. When I mentioned the storyline to a member of my book group, she cringed and told me point blank, "I will never read that book." Well, yes--it does have to do with a serial killer who is focused on killing late-term pregnant women and taking their babies for their own. Definitely not a warm and fuzzy read.

Since I am the type of person (and reader) who is intersted not just in what people do, but why they do it, I found THE SURROGATE did not disappoint.

The prose is good--even you can get past some of the the English-isms (i.e. "lift" and others, including spellings that favour the -ou), and a few place name that I just wasn't familiar with. There is a good deal of police/detective work, crime scene investigations...and if you like crime thrillers, this will draw you in. As for the actual killings, I will say Carver may have taken a page out of Jack-the-Ripper, but it's not overly graphic, she leaves much of it to the reader's imagination.

The tale is well told, twists and turns and all, but I found the ultimate story of Hester the most intriguing. Again, this is the 'why' and not the 'what.'

Fans of the CBS crime drama "Criminals Minds" will truly appreciate.

[LeseMaus · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐭🐭🐭🐭

Tania Carver
Entrissen
512 Seiten

"Dreimal hat der Killer zugeschlagen und jedesmal ist das Opfer eine schwangere Frau. Doch diesmal fehlt von dem Kind jede Spur und ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit beginnt... "

Der Einstieg in die Geschichte ist blutig und verstörend und ich, als Thriller-Leserin, musste erstmal schlucken und durchatmen.
Fast bildlich stellt die Autorin die Tat vor und reißt den Leser mit allen Emotionen mitten ins Geschehen. Die Charaktere sind mit allen ihren Empfindungen klar gezeichnet, auch an persönliche Irrungen und Wirrungen der Ermittler fehlt es nicht.
In der Mitte schleicht sich leider etwas Langeweile ein, die sich ein paar Seiten gezogen hat.
Dranbleiben wird aber mehr als belohnt, zum Ende hin nimmt die Story nochmal richtig Fahrt auf.

Teils wütend, teils schockiert, zu lesen, zu was Menschen fähig sein können, lässt mich dieser Thriller zurück.
Ein gelungener Reihenauftakt, mit einer guten Mischung aus Ermittlern und ihrer Arbeit und der Tat an sich.
Eine Leseempfehlung gibt's von mir nur für Hartgesottene 😉

[Anki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obwohl ich das Buch schon gelesen hatte, hat es mich durchgehend gefesselt. An viele Einzelheiten konnte ich mich nicht erinnern, sodass es mich häufig nochmal komplett überrascht hat. Dieser Thriller ist so unglaublich gut, so wahnsinnig brutal und herausragend. Wer auf Chris Carter steht, sollte unbedingt auch die Bücher von Tania Carver lesen.
Aber lest das Buch auf gar keinen Fall, wenn ihr schwanger seid, ich fürchte, davon sind Alpträume garantiert.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me sooooo long to read. It was very expositional, trying to set up too many characters and storylines at once. It didn't move very quickly until the end 100 or so pages, or part three, where I actually started to get invested in the characters. In general the crime thriller plot was pretty good and the murders of pregnant women were savage; I just wasn't 100% about the main characters. All in all, I think the book suffers from being the first in the series.

[Tgordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok first I felt like this was not actually book one? Did anyone else get that thought? There was so much back story that was told as the book went on about the detectives and the villains. I felt there was a history I was not privy too. Anyway so a great mystery unfolded. Mothers killed to get their unborn babies. Why? How? And Who? It’s a shocking very today answer but read and you shall see!

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wooden, hackneyed dialogue, a cartoonish-sounding villain, and a lack of authority and verisimilitude made me stop reading this after 80 pages. I gave it the old college try, but life's too short to waste it on pulp like this.

[Tracy Fenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not easily freaked out but this rather gruesome and gripping story was right up my alley. Loved the storyline between Phil and Marina so much I've downloaded book.2 and will read it next! If you like sick and twisted storylines then you will enjoy this.

[June Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! great storyline, short chapters kept your attention from slipping from this gripping read, the end was full of suspense, and am looking for another of her books, would recommend, if you are not squeamish.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - the plot was great, and it ended well. But, Marina was kind of a twat. I'm on the second book and I'm hoping she gets better lol