Little Face by Sophie Hannah
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date August 24th 2006
Source: Bought
Genres: Thriller
Goodreads
It's every mother's nightmare ...
The first time Alice Fancourt goes out after their daughter is born, she leaves the two-week-old infant with her husband, David. When she returns only two hours later, she swears the baby in the crib is not her child. Despite her distress, David is adamant that she is wrong.
The police are called to the scene. Detective Constable Simon Waterhouse is sympathetic, but he doubts Alice's story. His superior, Sergeant Charlie Zailer, thinks that Alice must be suffering from some sort of delusion brought on by postpartum depressions.
With an increasingly hostile and menacing David swearing she must either be mad or lying, how can Alice make the police believe her before it's too late?
First Impressions
I have always been a sucker for “If you liked…” This recommendation is not always well received but in the case of finding a Tana French replacement Sophie Hannah fit the bill. Little Face, the first book in the Spilling CID series has a duo that is just as unique as Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox from French’s In The Woods.
Impressions While Reading
Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer have great chemistry. Neither overshadows the other and play the good cop/bad cop newbie/veteran roles well. Although together they create a Sherlockian team, with the conclusion being “elementary”.
Little Face is a cliche onion. As the reader pulls back the layers different levels of complexity are revealed, each more sinister than the previous one. I will admit that I had a guess (correctly I might add) at the murderer but this did not take away from the suspense that Sophie Hannah overlays. Who’s baby is this, what happened to Alice, and why isn’t anyone else picking up the weird vibe in the house?
Final Impressions
In a short time, the author has you transported into the mystery with a suspenseful narrative that grips and won’t let go. I have never been a fan of books that scare you too much to take a shower, I prefer a psychological, police procedural and found that Little Face is a wonderful concoction. Sophie Hannah is a master with a pen creating a doozy of a novel that is much more than postpartum depression and takes the reader’s head for a spin. Little Face is a perfect read for a crisp fall night.
This was an excellent review–made me want to read this author.
She is wonderful at suspense, if you are a fan of mystery I think you’d like it.
Little Face was my first book by Sophie Hannah, and my first outing with the duo Waterhouse and Zailer. I was hooked, and have been reading the series ever since.
I still get enraged when I think of David…and how everyone treated poor Alice.
Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad you enjoyed it.
David made me so angry and had difficulty believing that his mother didn’t see what was behind those cold eyes. I look forward to reading more of the series and am glad that you enjoy it.
Ooh, this sounds interesting! What a horrifying premise, though – I don’t have children, but I can’t imagine coming home and thinking that my child is no longer there! Really great review, I will definitely be checking this one out. 🙂
I don’t have children either but it is a terrifying thought. It is an unimaginable situation and Sophie Hannah keeps you on the edge of your seat until the outcome of the child is discovered.
I found her the same way–someone told me that if I like Elizabeth George and Tana French, I might like Sophie Hannah. In some ways Little Face is my favorite of hers. Nicci French is another good one in this vein.