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137th out of 187 books
—
40 voters
Kind of Cruel (Spilling CID #7)
Described as having "perfected the psychological thriller" (Bookseller), Sophie Hannah deserves plenty of praise for Kind Of Cruel, a chilling novel which takes fear and suspense to a whole new level.
When Amber Hewerdine consults a hypnotherapist as a last resort, she doesn't expect that anything much will change. She doesn't expect it to help with her chronic insomnia .....more
When Amber Hewerdine consults a hypnotherapist as a last resort, she doesn't expect that anything much will change. She doesn't expect it to help with her chronic insomnia .....more
Hardcover, 378 pages
Published
February 16th 2012
by Hodder & Stoughton
(first published January 1st 2012)
Win a Copy of This Book
Kind of Cruel: A Novel
by Sophie Hannah
by Sophie Hannah
Release
date: Aug 06, 2013
Enter to win a copy of Hanna Sophie's new book KIND OF CRUEL.
“Kind, cruel, kind of cruel.” Amber thinks it’s just nonsense, a side effect of being hy…more
“Kind, cruel, kind of cruel.” Amber thinks it’s just nonsense, a side effect of being hy…more
Giveaway dates:
May 15
- Jun 14, 2013
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Liked this one much more than the last few Hannah books. As always, it's necessary to suspend disbelief in regard to the unlikely coincidences and bisarre plot twists, but once you've done that, it's a very entertaining read.
Kind of cruel stars the usual dysfunctional middle class families keeping secrets from each other, as well as the equally dysfunctional detectives completely disregarding proper procedure. There's also a hypnotherapist, a locked room, mysterious scribblings in a notebook, i...more
Kind of cruel stars the usual dysfunctional middle class families keeping secrets from each other, as well as the equally dysfunctional detectives completely disregarding proper procedure. There's also a hypnotherapist, a locked room, mysterious scribblings in a notebook, i...more
Well, i would really say that title of the book has more relevance to what the reader might feel after reading the book then it having much to do in the story itself.
I really wonder if "Psychological" thriller means reading pages after pages about the protagonist thought process, making very little sense to the reader and wondering whether i am reading case file of a psychlolgist.
80% of the book is devoted to problems of Amber and in the end very little gets explained of its reasons and origins....more
I really wonder if "Psychological" thriller means reading pages after pages about the protagonist thought process, making very little sense to the reader and wondering whether i am reading case file of a psychlolgist.
80% of the book is devoted to problems of Amber and in the end very little gets explained of its reasons and origins....more
‘Kind of Cruel’ by Sophie Hannah
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 16th February 2012. ISBN: 978-0-340-98069-9
Amber Hewerdine does not sleep, has in fact suffered from insomnia since the death of her best friend Sharon who was killed in an arson attack. Amber has temporary custody of Sharon’s children Dinah and Nonie, and is hopeful of formally adopting them. To try and unlock whatever is buried deep in her subconscious that is stopping her from sleeping, Amber decides to consult hypnotherapis...more
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 16th February 2012. ISBN: 978-0-340-98069-9
Amber Hewerdine does not sleep, has in fact suffered from insomnia since the death of her best friend Sharon who was killed in an arson attack. Amber has temporary custody of Sharon’s children Dinah and Nonie, and is hopeful of formally adopting them. To try and unlock whatever is buried deep in her subconscious that is stopping her from sleeping, Amber decides to consult hypnotherapis...more
Amber Hewerdine visits a hypnotherapist in an attempt to cure her insomnia brought on my the death of her best friend, Sharon, in a fire. Amber and her husband Luke are now looking after Sharon’s two daughters but Amber is beset by anxieties that affect her sleep. She also obsessively revisits a fateful Christmas in 2003 when she stayed with her extended family in a house called Little Orchard. On Christmas morning four members of the family disappeared for 24 hours and have refused to speak abo...more
Ecco un altro libro del bookclub della BBC Radio4, di un’autrice di thriller psicologici e che, ho appena notato, ha il cognome che e’ un palindromo, dettaglio che pero’ e’ irrilevante al fine della soluzione del mistero.
Di misteri in realta’ ce ne sono parecchi in questo romanzo, 2 omicidi, 2 incendi dolosi, un’intera famiglia che sparisce la notte di Natale dal cottage affittato per le feste ed una criptica frase “kind, cruel, kind of cruel” ritrovata sul luogo del secondo omicidio e che Amber...more
Di misteri in realta’ ce ne sono parecchi in questo romanzo, 2 omicidi, 2 incendi dolosi, un’intera famiglia che sparisce la notte di Natale dal cottage affittato per le feste ed una criptica frase “kind, cruel, kind of cruel” ritrovata sul luogo del secondo omicidio e che Amber...more
Where to begin...?
I stumbled across Sophie Hannah's book Lasting Damage and thought "WOWZERS! That looks like my kind of mystery... it was! I have now read all of the Spilling CID series (to date) but I did feel like Hannah lost her way during A Room Swept White and Hurting Distance so I was a tad apprehensive about picking this one up.
Hannah is back on form!
I will get my cons out of the way first...
Hannah seems to have this ability to create really annoying protagonists. In this case she comes...more
I stumbled across Sophie Hannah's book Lasting Damage and thought "WOWZERS! That looks like my kind of mystery... it was! I have now read all of the Spilling CID series (to date) but I did feel like Hannah lost her way during A Room Swept White and Hurting Distance so I was a tad apprehensive about picking this one up.
Hannah is back on form!
I will get my cons out of the way first...
Hannah seems to have this ability to create really annoying protagonists. In this case she comes...more
Amber Hewerdine was losing sleep, and it really wasn’t surprising.
Her best friend died in an arson attack, the arsonist had never been identified, and now Amber and her husband, Luke, were bringing up her friend’s two young daughters.
An incident that happened at a family Christmas spent in a holiday cottage was still troubling her. Luke’s sister, her husband and their two young sons disappeared on Christmas day, not returning until the next morning when the refused to give any explanation of wha...more
Her best friend died in an arson attack, the arsonist had never been identified, and now Amber and her husband, Luke, were bringing up her friend’s two young daughters.
An incident that happened at a family Christmas spent in a holiday cottage was still troubling her. Luke’s sister, her husband and their two young sons disappeared on Christmas day, not returning until the next morning when the refused to give any explanation of wha...more
Reading some of the other reviews for this book, I see the problems I have with it must be within myself. This is the first Sophie Hanna novel I've read and it will be the last. I found myself skimming through it. I found some of the scenes particularly claustrophobic, especially those involving the whole family and page after page of dialogue that seemed to go nowhere. I found that if I just read the last few lines of it, I got to the point a lot faster. The chapter separators were equally anno...more
Two and half stars. I like Sophie Hannah's books though I didn't like this one as much as some of the others. It seemed to ramble at times and lack cohesion and any impetus to drive the plot forward. The intertwining of the two plots - the part with Amber, Jo etc and the policemen and women investigating, didn't always work for me. I can see the link that Ms Hannah was making with regard to children's relationships with parents affecting adults in different ways but it all seemed to run alongsid...more
A couple of years prior to the events of this novel, Amber’s best friend, Sharon, dies in a house fire and, as she had agreed so to do should the need arise, Amber and her husband, Luke, take in Sharon’s two daughters.
Seeking help for her insomnia Amber visits a hypnotherapist. She is also obsessed by events several years earlier when she and her extended family stayed one Christmas at a large, rented house. Inexplicably, Amber’s sister-in-law, Jo, Jo’s husband, and their two sons, went missing...more
Seeking help for her insomnia Amber visits a hypnotherapist. She is also obsessed by events several years earlier when she and her extended family stayed one Christmas at a large, rented house. Inexplicably, Amber’s sister-in-law, Jo, Jo’s husband, and their two sons, went missing...more
Sophie Hannah does it again with a superb pschological thriller that will have you so deeply engrossed that you will read continuously and at the expense of all the things you know you should be doing but nothing will seem more important that getting to the end and discvering 'why' even though you have worked out who....
Once again we work out the who's and why's with Simon, Sellers, Sam, Charlie and Gibbs; back in familiar Rawndesley and Silsford we meet Amber, an insomniac who desperate for sle...more
Once again we work out the who's and why's with Simon, Sellers, Sam, Charlie and Gibbs; back in familiar Rawndesley and Silsford we meet Amber, an insomniac who desperate for sle...more
I've read and enjoyed other books by Sophie Hannah, starting with Little Face, so I really looked forward to reading this one.
I have to confess to finding that I have a few personality traits in common with Amber Hewerdine - although not overly sure I should admit that in public!
I am still in two minds as to whether I think the alternating view points throughout this book actually work; in places I found it a little clumsy, almost as if the story was being explained in case I hadn't quite under...more
I have to confess to finding that I have a few personality traits in common with Amber Hewerdine - although not overly sure I should admit that in public!
I am still in two minds as to whether I think the alternating view points throughout this book actually work; in places I found it a little clumsy, almost as if the story was being explained in case I hadn't quite under...more
I love Sophie Hannah's thrillers, in which the private lives of the detectives assume as much importance as the cases themselves. Occasionally, the twists may veer into the realms of unbelievable, and certainly, in this, her seventh book about troubled but brilliant detective Simon Waterhouse, the final denoument requires suspension of disbelief- but she gets us there so beautifully, it's hard to complain. She has the mind of a true thriller-writer, and is adept at laying tiny clues that all of...more
The pop psychology in the book is quite good fun: the research is referenced at the back - a little thin as reflected in the novel but consulted at least. Coincidences in the plot are a stretch too far, I kept hoping that something more substantial might be offered to explain them, alas nothing was. I found the police officers and their behaviour unbelievable, the characterisation was a bit shallow and at times stereotypical, the boss in particular. The final twist was underwhelming and didn't a...more
like many other books i read, i was intrigued by the title at first. and when i found out that it has a somewhat high rating, i decided to read it.
the overall story is okay, believable enough. seeing the references the author added at the end of the book made me appreciate the fact that she did a thorough research in order to present such a complex story.
but what bothered me (so much, that i had to take away 2 stars from 5) were the characters. the main character, Amber, irritated me so much tha...more
the overall story is okay, believable enough. seeing the references the author added at the end of the book made me appreciate the fact that she did a thorough research in order to present such a complex story.
but what bothered me (so much, that i had to take away 2 stars from 5) were the characters. the main character, Amber, irritated me so much tha...more
Totally hooked, so much so that I nearly killed myself trying to read it whilst eating breakfast this morning. I was that engrossed I forgot the normal chewing and swallowing routine. Misses out on a five star rating as the ending wasn't convincing, and because I kept forgetting who all the policemen were.
Kind of Cruel is a psychological thriller stemming from the investigation of two female murder victims over the span of several years. When Amber Hewerdine blurts out the words, Kind, Cruel, Kind of Cruel- the key phrase in the murder investigation- during a hypnosis session, her life is immediately turned upside down. Amber knows who the killer is, the answer is deep within her unconscious, but there are many barriers and self-defences that stop her from solving the mystery. Charlie and Simon f...more
Not my favourite Sophie Hannah. Hannah's books are intriguing mysteries with original plot lines and this is no different. But she pushes the boundaries of what's believable a little too far with this latest novel. Simon and Charlie, always mavericks, and in the police, break the rules again and again and no-one steps in to call a halt. The sergeant, Sam, has no authority whatsoever and doesn't even seem to want to try. As as for the crime - the criminal mind might be devious, but I think this o...more
I did like this book but not nearly as much as the previous books in the series.
I found the psychology really interesting but on reflection I think maybe it detracted a little too much from the tense thrilling story you normally get when reading a spilling CID mystery.
It was good to check in with the original and steady characters that frequent the spilling CID and see how their individual story-lines are developing.
I also liked the characters that were introduced in this plot particularly Ambe...more
I found the psychology really interesting but on reflection I think maybe it detracted a little too much from the tense thrilling story you normally get when reading a spilling CID mystery.
It was good to check in with the original and steady characters that frequent the spilling CID and see how their individual story-lines are developing.
I also liked the characters that were introduced in this plot particularly Ambe...more
De nieuwste psychologische thriller van Sophie Hannah doet eigenlijk meer denken aan een detective roman dan aan een thriller. Maar dat geeft niet, want het is wel een goedgeschreven detective met, inderdaad, behoorlijk wat psychologische diepgang.
Kind of Cruel, het zevende deel in de reeks met detectives Charlie Zailer en Simon Waterhouse, heeft een juweeltje van een hoofdpersoon. Amber Hewerdine is een slapeloze cynicus die ten einde raad naar een hypnotherapeut gaat – hoewel ze zichzelf voor...more
Kind of Cruel, het zevende deel in de reeks met detectives Charlie Zailer en Simon Waterhouse, heeft een juweeltje van een hoofdpersoon. Amber Hewerdine is een slapeloze cynicus die ten einde raad naar een hypnotherapeut gaat – hoewel ze zichzelf voor...more
The author
Sophie Hannah lives in Cambridge with her husband and children where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendisch College. As well as writing psychological thrillers she is also a bestselling poet and an award-winning short story writer. More information on Sophie Hannah can be found at www.sophiehannah.com
The synopsis
Amber Hewerdine visits a hypnotherapist as a last result to get rid of an insomnia that has been bugging her for 18 months. While there she remembers a group of words that...more
Sophie Hannah lives in Cambridge with her husband and children where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendisch College. As well as writing psychological thrillers she is also a bestselling poet and an award-winning short story writer. More information on Sophie Hannah can be found at www.sophiehannah.com
The synopsis
Amber Hewerdine visits a hypnotherapist as a last result to get rid of an insomnia that has been bugging her for 18 months. While there she remembers a group of words that...more
Jul 01, 2012
Julie
added it
A story about a women who whilst visiting a hypntist fir the first time ends up involved in a murder investigation. Her and her husband are already looking after the daughters of her best friend, who was also murdered.
I found it diffulclult at the beginiing of the book to follow the difffernet story tellers, however, it did seem to add another mystery to the already mysterious story. A good, though strange read. I preferred 'Point of Rescue'. I will try another book by the same authoress, hopefu...more
I found it diffulclult at the beginiing of the book to follow the difffernet story tellers, however, it did seem to add another mystery to the already mysterious story. A good, though strange read. I preferred 'Point of Rescue'. I will try another book by the same authoress, hopefu...more
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Even though this is the 7th in the Spilling CID series, I haven't read any of the others and found I still knew what was going on. So please if that is the only reason you aren't going to pick up this book, forget it. In the Press Release I received for this book the Sunday Express said
"Crime novels are often dismissed in literary circles for not being literary enough. Yet Kind of Cruel is exactly the intelligent, reflective and stunningly...more
Even though this is the 7th in the Spilling CID series, I haven't read any of the others and found I still knew what was going on. So please if that is the only reason you aren't going to pick up this book, forget it. In the Press Release I received for this book the Sunday Express said
"Crime novels are often dismissed in literary circles for not being literary enough. Yet Kind of Cruel is exactly the intelligent, reflective and stunningly...more
Latest in Hannah outing for her Zailer and Waterhouse combination, one which works well on the page but not so well on the screen. Usual middle class angst; families, large houses and in-fighting all tied in with unsolved murders. Hannah has obviously been researching hypnotherapy and narcissism and this forms the basis of Kind of Cruel. Maybe one day the protagonist won't be a white, middle-class, privately educated, wife and mother, but having met Hannah (and her very charming mother, Adele Ge...more
Spohie Hannah's psychological thrillers are not for the faint-hearted! This was a really grippling and deeply unsettling tale. You just wonder what is really going on in the heads of your family and friends. I picked up one or two clues to the plot development, but I think that's probably also realistic - that if you are outside the situation you see things clearer and make connections that those involved can't or won't. A wonderful read, but make sure you set enough time aside so that you can f...more
Was I missing vital plot details?? I had to keep re-reading stuff, thinking I've missed something....I hadn't, think it's just the style of the author. Didn't like Amber, she annoyed the pants off me with her superiority issues and obsessiveness.....the end of one of the earlier chapters summed it up with (and I'm doing this from memory)..."Was she obsessive.....blah...blah...or spoilt and a pain in the arse...." I'm voting for that option. May try one more Sophie Hannah book, but thinking she's...more
This was the first book I'd read by Sophie Hannah and I've only just found out that it was the 7th in a series with the same police characters. I wondered why there was so much about the police in it, since I was only interested in the main story. I was riveted at the start, but with the introduction of the police characters' personal problems and the slow rundown to an ending I found an anti-climax, I revised my initial 5 stars down to 4. All the same, I will be reading more by Sophie Hannah in...more
I’m a huge fan of Sophie Hannah, have read all her books and would recommend them to anyone. She can be relied upon to deliver complex psychological thrillers with interesting characters and unpredictable plot twists. Unfortunately, Kind of Cruel doesn’t quite deliver to the level I’ve come to expect, but it’s an interesting and unusual read nonetheless.
As is usual in Sophie Hannah’s books, there are two primary narrative threads. There’s the first-person narrative of the protagonist, Amber, who...more
As is usual in Sophie Hannah’s books, there are two primary narrative threads. There’s the first-person narrative of the protagonist, Amber, who...more
Kind of Cruel.
I was slightly disappointed with this novel by Sophie Hannah. I usually list her as one of my favourite authors but her latest novel let me down :(
To make a (very) long story short. Amber says the words 'Kind. Cruel. Kind of Cruel' during her first session with Ginny, her hypnotherapist. She then accuses Ginny of being the one to say the words because they mean nothing to her. After storming out and refusing to pay, Amber has a vague memory of seeing the words on a lined sheet of p...more
I was slightly disappointed with this novel by Sophie Hannah. I usually list her as one of my favourite authors but her latest novel let me down :(
To make a (very) long story short. Amber says the words 'Kind. Cruel. Kind of Cruel' during her first session with Ginny, her hypnotherapist. She then accuses Ginny of being the one to say the words because they mean nothing to her. After storming out and refusing to pay, Amber has a vague memory of seeing the words on a lined sheet of p...more
this book was ok, but there is something about Hannahs writing that i find frustrating, and i felt the book was trying too much to be cleverer than it was, and the characters were quite frankly extremely unlikable, even the so called heroine. I don't know where sophie hannah gets her info as how the police work, but being married to a police officer, i know an inspector cannot sack a police officer "just like that". having read a couple of sophie hannahs books now, i don't think i'll bother wit...more
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Sophie Hannah is a bestselling poet and novelist, who regularly performs her work both nationwide and abroad. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the country. She was born in Manchester in 1971 and lives in Low Utley, West Yorkshire.
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Apr 19, 2013 06:09pm