The Carrier

Written by Sophie Hannah

Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre

An edge-of-your-seat novel from the phenomenal Sophie Hannah. When her plane is delayed overnight, Gaby Struthers finds herself forced to share a hotel room with a stranger: a terrified young woman named Lauren Cookson - but why is she scared of Gaby in particular? Lauren won't explain. Instead, she blurts out something about an innocent man going to prison for a murder he didn't commit, and Gaby soon suspects that Lauren's presence on her flight can't be a coincidence. Because the murder victim is Francine Breary, the wife of the only man Gaby has ever truly loved. Tim Breary has confessed, and even provided the police with evidence. The only thing he hasn't given them is a motive. He claims to have no idea why he murdered his wife...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490650210

Sophie Hannah

SOPHIE HANNAH is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers, which have been published in 51 countries and adapted for television, as well as The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie, and its sequels Closed Casket, The Mystery of Three Quarters, and The Killings at Kingfisher Hill. Sophie is also the author of a self-help book, How to Hold a Grudge, and hosts the podcast of the same name. She lives in Cambridge, UK.

Reviews for The Carrier

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Now there are four main plot points: Zailer/Waterhouse marriage, Gibbs/Liv affair, Snowman antagonisms and outrages, and the plot of the murder. In this one: marriage is getting better, as are Charlie and Simon's confidences to each other; Liv and Gibbs are pretty silly, as she's getting married and he's got Debbie and the twins; the Snowman in this one is off the rails, and left incomplete, just as Proust's actions are; and this plot's a bit weak, with too many suspects and only a brilliantly horrible victim with no redeeming qualities to love.

[jfe16 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The byzantine path to the resolution of the mystery surrounding the murder of Francine Breary is hardly worth the reader’s effort. This tedious tale is filled with thoroughly unlikeable characters, not the least of which is the supercilious Gaby Struthers whose sarcastic attitude is quite off-putting. None of the characters are particularly empathetic and it stretches credibility for readers to believe that so many people would willingly choose to remain in such unhappy, dysfunctional relationships. Unfortunately, “The Carrier” is a difficult book to slog through, far too easy [and much too tempting] for the reader to simply set aside. There are some beautifully-written passages, but they are not enough to carry this disappointing story.

[doseofbella · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Carrier (A Zailer & Waterhorse Mystery)By; Sophie Hannah January 13, 2014G.P. Putnam’s Sons New York Pages. 470Copy Courtesy of Goodreads First ReadsReviewed By: tkWhat would you do if you were going to go to prison for something you did not do? Tim Breary is doing the unthinkable. His wife is dead, he confessed, and now he’s going to prison. Other’s know that Tim is NOT guilty. They refuse to tell the truth of what really happened to Tim’s wife, yet they all hated her. Sometimes dead is better.This book has it ALL. Love and hate, good cop and dirty cop, cheating, lying, painful truths, and unstoppable twists and turns to name a few. It will keep you hooked into an unforgettable intense tale. I really enjoyed the characters of Simon Waterhorse and Charlie Zailer. They compliment each other strengths and weaknesses. Absolutely a brilliant couple. I also can relate to Gaby. Once you read the book I’m sure most of us can. I won’t say more due to spoilers. A great read, and addition to your library. 5/5

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Carrier continues Sophie Hannah's series of crime novels loosely centered around a small group of detectives working in the fictional Culver Valley in England. In this one, a businesswoman named Gaby discovers that a man she had had a sort of relationship with has confessed to the murder of his disabled wife. Gaby is certain that he could not have killed her, which causes her to rush back to save him. Returning to a group of old friends, she finds things are quite a bit more complicated than she'd assumed, but her faith in the man's innocence is undaunted. Meanwhile, the detective leading the investigation, Simon Waterhouse, is dealing simultaneously with his conviction that something is wrong with the case as well as the machinations of his somewhat unhinged boss. Hannah writes as though Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine had combined their novels (yes, I do know they are the same author), with Vine's odd and compelling psychological suspense forming the heart of each novel, but with Rendell's solid and intuitive police work going on simultaneously. Of course, Wexford and Burden would be shocked and dismayed by the sheer unprofessionalism of Waterhouse and his colleagues, but their determination and interest in motivations are similar. Hannah's plots are growing more convoluted, and I'm not sure that she entirely sold me on the resolution to this one. But her books are always fun to read and to puzzle out and I'm happy that she's allowing both Zailer and Waterhouse, her lead detectives, to become more rounded as characters and to begin to give the reader the background needed to understand why Waterhouse is such a repressed and angry individual. Secondary characters were also fleshed out, which makes the crime-solving team much more enjoyable to spend time with. I really enjoy this series, in part because Hannah is willing to create central characters who border on the unlikeable, although they are growing on me.

[annejacinta · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A compelling read, very intriguing and unusual. It does take a little while to sort out the police characters, a whole complex story by themselves. The main character, Gaby, is a terrific creation- powerfully strong minded, an unusually independent woman, with a weakness for one man. Sounds trite but believe me, it unfolds in a away that can only be done by a very talented psychological thriller writer. The ending left me with some unanswered questions - eg I'm not sure I could tell you the significance of the title. And that one man ..... On the other hand, I did appreciate finding out whodunnit.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What kept me reading THE CARRIER is that I wanted to find out who murdered Francine Breary but the path to resolution was a bit long and tortuous.I haven't read anything by Sophie Hannah before and I thought that perhaps my struggle to understand parts of the novel, particularly the dynamics of the police investigating team, must be because it was part of a series.But Fantastic Fiction lists THE CARRIER as a stand-alone, not part of the Spilling CID series. But there are obviously connections between this novel and that series. And Sophie Hannah, on her website, lists it as her "eighth psychological crime novel to feature Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer".Tim Breary who claims to have murdered his bed-ridden and paralysed wife Francine by smothering her with a pillow refuses to give any motive for her murder. In the absence of an identified motive, Simon Waterhouse wonders if this means that the murder was a collective action by those living in the house. There are number of references to Agatha Christie's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.Gaby Struthers is travelling in Germany when she meets Lauren Cookson who had been employed as Francine's carer. Gaby's entanglement with Tim Breary took place many years earlier, before the stroke that left Francine paralysed. Until she meets Lauren, Gaby has no idea that Tim has been arrested for murder and that he is in gaol. She can't believe that Tim is a murderer.The main story is told from a number of points of view including a series of letters written to Francine by various characters and "posted" under the immobile Francine's mattress. Other reviews of this book talk about the complexity of the plot, the exploration of psychological relationships between Tim and Francine and their other friends, and the way that Sophie Hannah makes the reader wait until the very end for the plot resolution. I certainly have to agree with most of them on these points but my problem is that I never really liked any of the characters, not even the police investigators. This tended to make reading the book, chosen by my face-to-face reading group, more a chore than a pleasure. And yet it is a book that has left me thinking.

[teresa1953_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gaby Struthers's plane is delayed and not only is that a major inconvenience, she is then is expected to share a shabby hotel room with an hysterical female fellow passenger. Lauren Cookson, the terrified young woman, appears to be frightened of Gaby herself? Why? Gaby has never met her and Lauren refuses to explain her behaviour. All she will say is that an innocent man is going to prison for a murder he didn't commit. Gaby is perplexed, but eventually she ascertains that this "random meeting" is not so unplanned as first thought. There is a connection between the two women.The murder victim was a woman who is paralysed with locked-in syndrome. This woman Francine, was the wife of the man that Gaby has always loved and believed that there was "unfinished business" as far as their relationship was concerned. It is Tim, the widower, who is charged with Francine's murder and has confessed to the crime. Lauren, and her partner, happen to live in the same house as Tim and Francine, along with another somewhat weird couple Kerry and Dan. It's a strange set up,and it gets even stranger as the plot unfurls.This is no open and shut case? Of course not. This is Sophie Hannah writing and this is the return of the detectives we have enjoyed in her previous novels.I love Sophie's writing. It is intelligent and enjoyable. However, I did find the first half of the book quite a hard slog. After the half way point, I couldn't put it down. The storyline is a good one, as usual for Ms Hannah, but it was overlong and a bit tedious. So much so, I nearly abandoned it, but I am relieved that I kept going. None of the characters are very likeable...but that is human nature...and Sophie Hannah is clearly fascinated by human behaviour and how people react in different situations. That is her forte, and why I continue to read her novels.Recommended, but with some reservations.