Reviews

Fatale fout by Sophie Hannah

oddfigg's review against another edition

1.0

I like me a good locked room mystery, but this is anything but that. A book that doesn’t give you a chance to figure out whodunit, in my opinion, is not a successful book.

There were crucial details held back—details, I might add, that the characters knew but were not revealed to the reader—because if they’d been presented up front, we would have figured out the whole thing too soon. (Which is my least favorite thing about mysteries… There's definitely a delicate balance). The twists here were so twisty that they weren’t even shocking, they just seemed extremely implausible. If you read this and figured out who the killer was before it was given up, you are a stunning genius and I applaud you.

I guess in the future I’ll stay away from books dubbed “unputdownable,” which, I’d like to state for the record, is not a word.

kattheloremistress's review against another edition

2.0

I won this book in a Goodreads 'First Reads' giveaway. I have very mixed, very conflicting views on this one. 'The Telling Error' tells the story of Nicki Clements, a young woman who is wrongly dragged into the suspect list of the murder of Damon Blundy, a well known columnist. As the evidence becomes more and more incriminating, she sets out to find out the truth herself, whatever the cost. Firstly, Sophie Hannah is a tremendous writer and knows this genre very well. I was gripped by her story, her writing style and desperate all the way through to find out who the killer was. Unfortunately, I didn't like the characters. In particular, Nicki. As she was the heroine of the story, I hoped I'd like her at least a bit but I just found her irritating. Hannah did think out the big reveal at the end very well though, and so I did end up liking the book. Just not in any way loving it.

For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/book-review-telling-error-sophie-hannah.html

telgo's review against another edition

4.0

This is the British title and will probably be changed when the book comes out in US next year. The latest in the Spilling series and full of the twists and turns we always expect from the author. It's also very funny.

mommurr's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

laurawoods13's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

Way too many characters, a thousand plots that never get resolved, and the author keeps the reader in the dark about EVERYTHING. It’s one thing to have a big reveal at the end, but you’ve still got to learn things along the way. The characters always knew way more than the reader about what was going on and good luck remembering all the details when they don’t hold any meaning. And to top it all off, nearly every character is simply not likeable so you don’t feel like rooting for them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

serenitynowgirl's review against another edition

2.0

Tedious.

kieranshae's review against another edition

3.0

I like to say Sophie Hannah is my Danielle Steel. Her books are sub par okay yet I find Myself reading all of them. They're easy reads that start out wonderfully and then fizzle out to a disappointing end. This book is no different. The first 80% of the book has me on the edge of my seat dying to know what happens next then when I get the result I'm always disappointed. Needless to say this will probably not be my last Sophie Hannah book.

theelliemo's review against another edition

1.0

I started out with high hopes for this one, billed as it is as a psychological thriller.

Sadly it was, well, rather tedious. The (too?) many characters are one-dimensional, irritating and highly unlikeable, and as for the plot, well, I think psychological farce would be a better description. And the ending is terrible. That's the second ending. The first ending comes as welcome relief, but then you discover there's another chapter. Another, totally unnecessary chapter, that answers a question I'd completely forgotten had been asked, and that was, as far as I can see, completely irrelevant.

Not one I'd recommend.

schenderson's review against another edition

4.0

I read this because it was on one of those lists, "If you like X then you'll love this...." And the thing is, I really liked this book! It kept me intrigued, I didn't read the last chapter early to see how it ended (well, I tried but my Nook froze and wouldn't let me), and it now makes me want to seek out Sophie Hannah's other books. I did read it out of series order but I don't think it really hampered my understanding of the story, etc. Recommend!

loreilly13's review against another edition

2.0

This book took forever to get through. Extremely tedious, too many characters I don’t care about, and an ending that I also didn’t care about.