Little Face: a totally gripping and addictive crime thriller packed with twists

Sophie Hannah is a real star. - P J Kavanagh in the Daily TelegraphThe language and atmosphere are high-quality stuff, and the portrait of a woman in the throes of post-natal depression will be a revelation to some, to others a reminder. - Literary ReviewThis taut psychological thriller is full of heart-thumping suspense. - Sainsbury's MagazineSophie Hannah's comic fiction produces reams of entertaining moral sophistry. Her novels sparkle. - Independent'Sophie Hannah is nothing if not flexible. An awardwinning poet, she has also published short stories and can now add accomplished "thriller writer" to her list of achievements. On first impression, however, the plot of Little Face may appear borrowed: an unhinged mother gives birth to a darling child only to find, after the initial bonding, that someone has switched babies. That's the nightmare of Alice Fancourt, who returns home after her first outing in two weeks to find the door open, her husband David napping and someone else's child in the nursery. When a controlling mother-in-law and a suspicious policeman enter the plot, readers will realise something is afoot. Adding to the tension are fears surrounding the death of David's first wife, and the discovery of a family "tradition" of estranged children. But just when readers think the plot offers no surprises, Hannah wrong-foots them and works her way, at a heart-thumping pace, to a delicious ending. Unless she wants to try her - South China Morning PostHannah has a keen ear for her characters' foibles, snobberies and hypocrisies, and the observation remains acute throughout. - ObserverThis may well turn out to be the detective novel of the year . . . So develops a terrifying mystery of manipulation, counter-manipulation and, finally, astounding revelation - it's a haunting story told with bewitching skill - ScotsmanThis may well turn out to be the detective novel of the year . . . A terrifying mystery of manipulation, counter-manipulation and, finally, astounding revelation - it's a haunting story told with bewitching skill - Scotsman