Reviews

The Carrier by Sophie Hannah

avsfan08's review against another edition

2.0

First time I've struggled through a book in this series and was tempted several times just to flick to the end to find out the solution. Annoying characters and as much as I love the CID side, it couldn't save the book for me.

m3l89's review against another edition

I spent the first 80 pages contemplating whether to give up or not, and on finishing the book I wish I had. Something clicked for me with the plot at the 80 page mark, but unfortunately this didn't continue. There were too many characters for me to get my head around, and when I finished I had absolutely no idea what the last 400 pages had been about. I don't know how the Daily Mail book reviewer came up with the comparison of Sophie Hannah to Agatha Christie, and I definitely didn't feel any 'ever-increasing dread'. Likewise, I disagree with the Daily's Express' comment about being 'hooked throughout this compelling novel'.
This is the third Sophie Hannah book I have attempted, and have not enjoyed a single one. Next time I come across one, I will not be picking it up, no matter how alluring or intriguing the blurb is.

beccabarpel's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Satisfying mystery that sticks the landing

20000leagues's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

cement_tree's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Sexual assault

Minor: Ableism and Rape

judenoseinabook's review against another edition

2.0

Decided to give this writer a try but I didn't enjoy it overall. It drew me in at first, then I got bogged down and didn't really know what was going on with the police officers. Their own relationships, or lack of them, seemed to dominate; maybe there is an earlier one with these characters but they just didn't grab me enough to be interested to find out. I thought the author was trying to be too clever and it wasn't my cup of tea over all

rebecca_isreading's review against another edition

2.0

I had very high hopes for this new Sophie Hannah novel, and unfortunately, it didn't quite meet my expectations. The first few novels I read by this author had me tearing through the pages to find out what happened, but this one didn't quite deliver the same level of intrigue. While the premise was no less promising than others, it seemed to me that the story was overwhelmed with characters and it was hard to follow or invest in any of them. Also disappointing was the lack of any focus on Simon and Charlie- many issues were brought up for these characters, and none of them were explored or resolved. Review copy provided by Edelweiss.

indiescribbles's review against another edition

5.0

This is the first and only Sophie Hannah novel I've read. I was hooked by the premise, but put off reading it for a early long time because I read so many negative reviews on various websites. But I'm so glad I read it - I loved it. The characters are hilarious - I loved Gaby and Charlie in particular - even if you wouldn't necessarily love them in real life. The mystery part of it is genuinely intriguing and head-scratching. All of the characters are easy to rule out of having committed the murder and you're left creating far-out theories that aren't borne out by the story. The whole novel was so well-written, and I was so stumped as to whodunnit (and I'm usually *pretty* good at working these things out) that towards the end I actually started getting a little bit worried about the big reveal, because I didn't see how it could possibly live up to everything that came before. But the ending is well and truly genius. I know others haven't enjoyed it, but for me it was perfectly satisfying and so I would highly recommend this book.

bambhee's review against another edition

2.0

Ho sentito parlare molto bene di Sophie Hannah, ma il risultato è stato ‘underwhelming’, a dir poco. Sembra quasi una regola non scritta: può qualcosa è acclamato, più a me non piacerà. A dire il vero, mi è capitato anche di leggere — a metà dell'opera — di diversi fan dell'autrice che sconsigliavano di partire proprio da questo libro, per avvicinarsi a lei, dato che loro stessi lo reputano molto meno riuscito di altri. Probabilmente è così — e comunque non avrebbe senso giudicare qualcuno solo da una delle mille cose che ha scritto — quindi, semmai ne avrò l'occasione, ritornerò volentieri su quest'autrice e le darò la seconda chance che si merita. Per ora, però, non ne ho la minima intenzione.
La trama scorre lenta, il mistero viene portato a lungo fin troppo, i personaggi sono uno più odioso dell'altro. L'unica che apprezzato, tra mille virgolette, è Francine. La trovo di un realismo spietato e più volte, leggendo di lei, ho pensato ad una persona che un tempo è stata una mia cara amica. Sono proprio due gocce d'acqua, dunque non posso che complimentarmi con l'autrice per aver saputo descrivere così bene una personalità tanto ‘tossica’. Persino il finale mi ha delusa: troppo veloce, troppo poco chiaro. Spero davvero che la mia seconda lettura del 2019 possa risollevare un attimo il morale, sigh...

lizzie_evans's review against another edition

2.0

Really didn't enjoy this on I'm afraid Sophie! It ticked along at a good pace but I didn't like any of the characters and felt lots of loose ends weren't addressed.
The social lives of the police were just touched on but even these could have had a bit more attention.