Sophie Hannah

Amber Hewerdine knows more than she is telling. She knows that she has'nt slept since the arson attack which killed her best friend. She knows that it is not normal for four members of your family to disappear one Christmas morning, and then reappear the next day, refusing to explain or ever speak of it again. And she knows that somewhere, buried deep in her subconscious, is the key to what happened all those years ago at Little Orchard. Kind, cruel, kind of cruel. These are the words she keeps coming back to. But what do they mean? And why is she arrested within hours of first saying them, for the murder of a woman she has never met?

Kind of Cruel

Sonia Grgas

Had difficulty putting this one down. In the end I did beacuse I did not care for the main character, her internal dialoque was dizzying, which may be importatn to the plot: I couldn't stick around to find out.

While visiting a hypnotherapist, Amber resurrects a vague memory during her session before being arrested for the brutal murder of a woman she does not know, compelling her to investigate the memory in order to clear her name.

Tanya Sutton

"There's nothing most of us love more than a plausible lie."

Amber Hewerdine can't sleep. She has suffered chronic insomnia since the death of her best friend in a mysterious house fire over a year ago. As a last resort, she decides to see a hypnotherapist for treatment and leaves in a hurry, disturbed by a phrase she utters while hypnotized - a phrase she at first assumes the therapist spoke first, but later realizes she has seen before. Soon after, Amber is arrested for the murder of a woman, and cannot clear her name until she remembers where she saw those words.

As with the previous novels in this series, Hannah focuses on developing her characters, allowing the reader to get inside their minds and fully understand their motivations, which in turn drives the plot. This results in a slightly meandering plot which can sometimes be confusing, but ultimately makes for a more compelling story (and series), since the reader never feels short-changed by having unanswered questions at the end. I especially enjoyed the insights of Amber's hypnotherapist, Ginny - they provided an interesting insight into Amber's memory and sleep issues, as well as occasionally bringing up a chilling question or observation that, on more than one occasion, led to an "aha!" moment for me in terms of the "whodunit" aspect of the plot. It was an interesting twist on the "unreliable narrator" idea, since Amber's memory is frequently not trustworthy, and her understanding of her motivations are frequently muddied by her biases regarding her current situation.

The fun in reading this novel, as well as the previous installments in the series, is following Simon Waterhouse as he follows a trail of disconnected clues to put together an incredible story to explain the novels central crime. Also, we get to spend some time with other less developed characters, including his unit chief, Sam, and his coworker, Gibbs. We also see what Charlie and Simon are like as a married couple, and get a peek into Charlie's sister Oliva's life.

As with all of Hannah's novels, the plot is twisting and dark, and sometimes feels convoluted. I enjoy this aspect - I've never yet been able to predict an outcome in one of her novels, not because they're not plausible, but because - like in a real investigation - there's a tremendous amount of information evidence to sift through before reaching the truth. For readers that might find these novels confusing, I would recommend reading them in several large sittings if at all possible. These are not books to read casually over the course of several weeks. Overall, this was a great installment in the series and I highly recommend it to fans of Hannah's, and I can't wait to read the next.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.)

The brilliantly chilling seventh crime thriller from the queen of psychological suspense - a must-read for fans of Clare Mackintosh and Paula Hawkins. 'Utterly chilling' Observer 'Truly hair-raising' Independent on Sunday Some secrets are so dark you keep them even from yourself . . . When Amber Hewerdine consults a hypnotherapist as a desperate last resort, she doesn't expect that anything much will change. She doesn't expect it to help with her chronic insomnia . . . She doesn't expect to hear herself, under hypnosis, saying words that mean nothing to her: 'Kind, cruel, kind of cruel' - words she has seen somewhere before, if only she could remember where . . . She doesn't expect to be arrested two hours later, as a result of having spoken those words out loud, in connection with the brutal murder of Katharine Allen, a woman she's never heard of . . .

Kind of Cruel

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