The Carrier: A Zailer and Waterhouse Mystery (A Zailer & Waterhouse Mystery) Paperback – September 1, 2015

The latest installment of the Simon Waterhouse-Charlie Zailer series is fascinating, brilliant and FUN. Fans of these two detectives won't be in the least disappointed.This book kept me constantly surprised and unable to predict the plot twists -- which every mystery lover will appreciate. The chemistry between the lead detectives is as sparkling and engaging as ever. Hannah is so good at writing hilarious moments while the characters are in the midst of a tense scene.The story begins with world-travelling executive Gaby Struthers having a bizarre encounter at an airport in Germany. What follows is a beautifully intricate, riveting psychological thriller that honestly kept me awake at night wondering what was really going on. This author is, in my opinion, at the very top of the list of thriller authors and I can't wai tfor her next one.

I'm normally a fan of Sophie Hannah's books and of the way she can turn a seemingly ordinary event into a gripping mystery, but The Carrier never seems to find its pace. Part of the problem is the letters that open the book and that make up several chapters. As narrative devices, letters are often problematic; it's difficult to create much conflict with a letter. However, the letters in The Carrier are particularly problematic. Not only are they addressed to a stroke victim who is unable react in any way to the letters, but they are mostly written in the second person ("I don't want to write this letter, and you're never going to read it.") The "you" in the letters makes them feel particularly distant from the reader, especially when that "you" will never even know that the letters exist.But the most problematic part of the novel is that the mystery exists only because every character in the book refuses to reveal the truth. This refusal makes for a frustrating novel. If the characters would just speak up and reveal what they know, the mystery could end on the first page. The characters' refusal to speak feels more like a plot device than a true motivation for their actions, making the novel feel forced and unnatural.I'm disappointed in Sophie Hannah this time. She's such a clever author, and her novels are so unusual. The Carrier, however, seems to depend on narrative trickery, rather than on believable conflict.

I was on the edge of my seat regarding this Sophie Hannah mystery. She always begins extremely well. You're hooked by the opening and read on breathlessly to see what is happening and what will happen. Sometimes she pulls it off, sometimes though, she does not.In this case she absolutely does. Everything was answered, and answered well. Were some of the motivations for what happened a bit odd? Yes, but believable enough that I could buy into what was going on and why. I won't get into the plot: that's clear enough from the other reviews and the book description but if you, like me are one of those who is concerned that the series can uneven, this is one of the good ones.I wasn't always such a fan of the Zailer-Waterhouse relationship but it's grown on me. And Charlie and Simon seem to be better with each other in this book in a way that makes sense for them. All in all, one of her best.

The characters were oddballs but endearing. I am usually the last to figure out who done it but in this case I could. I still enjoyed this book. It was my first in the series and I’ll probably read more.

I enjoy all of Sophie Hannah's books, this one really got me. All of the characters are so complicated and layered. I could not stop reading, and really didn't have a clue who done it until the very end. This book was so well written, every thing meshed together and made for a great read. If you like mysteries that delve into the minds of the suspects, you will love this book.

Since discovering this author, I very quickly read all her books and always eagerly await new ones. Her stories always keep you guessing until the end. Although this is not her best I think, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The story line is always unusual, the characters very well worked out and you keep on reading because you simply need to find out how it can possibly all come together.... only to be sorry to have finished it and having to wait for the next book. So, definitely recommended for lovers of psychological thrillers.

I eagerly awaited this book because usually I love Sophie Hannah books but I've been disappointed in her latest two. I usually finish these things in one night but this one dragged. A lot of information was repeated multiple times. I found the letter portions of the book dull and I loathed Tim from the beginning. Hannah repeats multiple times how charming and remarkable he is but he came across like a spineless irritating fool. There's also a lot of talking in this book and not a lot of action. Fewer creepy sections. Lately Hannah's books seem heavy on psychological theories and themes but I wish she would return to the from the gut plot based stories full of suspense she used to be so good at.

I had my disappointments with some previous Hannah's books, but certainly not with this one. It is weird and all tangled up, but not so tangled up that it is unbelivable. There aren't any coincidences that would put one off either. But it is a long book - I bought Kindle edition and it took me lots of time to read even though I am a fast reader usually.

Having read all of this authors previous books on this series I thought that I knew what to expect. I didn't expect to be bored to distraction.Unlike many other reviewers I have always rather liked the mad dysfunctional Cuver Valley police force. While in no way believable they are very readable. the trouble was I couldn't quite work out what they were doing wasting much time investigating such a non crime.The remaiing cast of characters whilst no more believable than the coppers were appallingly unlikeable. No redeeming features whatsoever.Tim was a sap. Lauren a rather insulting stereotype. Dan and Kerry cardboard cut outs. Gaby was just horrible.If Francine was so vile why did Tim marry her?Why did such a spineless sappy person as Tim inspire such devotion in his friends. He would inspire me to give him a good slap.Why does Sophie Hannah persist on giving her characters such peculiar and complicated names? It feels like some kind of private joke.What was the point of all the poetry? Is she trying to prove that she is more clever than her readers?To be honest the whole novel makes me feel that she is just looking down on her readers and poking fun at them.I would love answers to these questions. It might help me to understand why I wasted so much time on such a heap of junk . As it is if I could award minus stars I would.Sohie Hannah, after many years of enjoyable reading, I think our relationship is over

I had read "Little Face" and "Point of Rescue" both of which I enjoyed - but this is disappointing - Tim is so weird that it is hard to imagine anyone wanting to love him, certainly not to the extent that Gaby does - she appears to be a high-flier with intelligence and personality whereas he is just weird...I did start the book three times and gave up, but left with nothing to read one hot Sunday I persevered - the ending is very disappointing indeed - as is the explanation for Tim's silly dream-Obviously these books are a series, I haven't read them in sequence, I haven't read the one where Charlie gets married, perhaps it should be made plainer on the covers where each title lies in the chronology? I haven't give up on Sophie yet - but another written in this style may change my mind!

As in most of Sophie Hannah's books, characters don't really behave as the might in real life. But it's a story and not meant to be real life, so putting that aside it is a 'good read'. I like the humour, especially in Charlie, who could be my best friend! One or two of the characters are a little annoying though, I'm not sure if they're meant to be. But the plot keeps you guessing almost to the end, I wanted to keep reading, and get there as soon as possible. I definitely would recommend it but think the earlier books need to be read first, otherwise, with no understanding of Charlie and Simon's relationship, the dynamics in the story could be a little confusing.

There is little that annoys me more than characters who are hyper-aware of their own intelligence and go on and on about their own genius (even just as part of the first person narrative rather than out loud as dialogue) and the protagonist of this novel is exactly that kind of character. I found her totally unlikable. This may just be my personal preference, but if you are also annoyed by these kinds of characters I would avoid this book.Other than that there was nothing horribly wrong with the writing, but the reveal of what really happened left me feeling pretty underwhelmed. The line on the cover, "He swore he was a killer, the truth was worse" really intrigued me and had me expecting a really dark twist, but it was a bit disappointing really.

Having previously enjoyed kind of cruel by the same author I was looking forward to this book, however I found it incredibly difficult reading.There was so much unnecessary highly intelligent language that I found it difficult to remember the plotline most of the time. (Maybe I should point out that I have an msc?)Unless you have an interest in poetry and a fantastic grasp of literature this book will not be light reading which is a shame because underneath all it's bluster there is a good story.Despite not enjoying and at times struggling with the way this book is written I felt the subject at its core was interesting and worthwhile.