Gripping and convoluted thriller

Where does The Point of Rescue rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its up there towards the top along side Sophie Hannah's other books.

What other book might you compare The Point of Rescue to, and why?

Sophie Hannah's other books- I LOVE her characters- they are so flawed, bonkers, loveable, annoying, believable, charming, vile and understandable. I also love that the police people are the same in all her books- yet the stories concentrate on the crime/mystery.

Have you listened to any of Charlotte Strevens’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Her reading is excellent because I don't notice it- I just get the story- no irritating ticks or pronunciations.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was horrified by the episode in the locked room with the dressing gown- awful....

Any additional comments?

Keep them coming Sophie Hannah- they are wonderful stories....

3 people found this helpful

Well Thought Out

This is the first time I've read anything by Sophie Hannah and I found it quite interesting. Most crime novels are written from the perspective of a single detective, or possibly a team, but Hannah bounces back and forth between first person narrative by the victim and third person for the detective team. It opens up the story and challenges the reader to view things from different perspectives. This does, however, mean that you have to pay attention to the story or you will be lost. I found it also made it difficult for me to connect with the characters, which means that the strength of the book is also it's weakness.

The plot is all rather complicated and well thought out. Hats off to Hannah for that. It's not a predictable story line and takes a lot of twist and turns that makes it all a bit confusing, until you think about it a bit. I wish Audible allowed for half stars because I would have liked to give it three and a half. The only reason I felt that it didn't merit four (I rarely rate things 5 stars and then only when I absolutely can't put the book down) is because of my difficulty in connecting with the characters and a little bit because of the narrator. What Charlotte Strevens read well, she lacks in versatility when it comes to voicing the characters. I would still listen to other books she narrated, but I think this particular book would have benefited from a better voice separation. I would also be willing to try more of Hannah's books in the future, but perhaps coupled with a different narrator.

4 people found this helpful

Corrupt

Was quite enjoying this, but chapter 5,6,7 & 8 was unlistenable, maybe the sound file is corrupt. Shame it slipped through the quality control. Managed to pick it up again on chapter 9 but have missed a large chunk if the story.

1 person found this helpful

You can never guess with Sophie

Would you listen to The Point of Rescue again? Why?

Yes - a wonderfully contorted plot

Which character – as performed by Charlotte Strevens – was your favourite?

The narrator's voice was wonderful- the first person voice. However I love the recurring character of Charlie, our tough but soft-inside police woman. Miss Strevens is a versatile performer.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You could never guess.

Any additional comments?

I think I found a teeny weeny plot hole, but I'd have to listen again to be sure.

2 people found this helpful

Irritated

I have been really enjoying this series but found this recording very irritating due to the change in pronunciation of the new Sergeant's name. Surely this is one of the things you would check before recording - consistency with previous story characters? Sounds really minor, but every time it came up I gritted my teeth!

Very good despite a few flaws

Would you listen to The Point of Rescue again? Why?

I had to repeat some parts of it as I went along, just to keep up! The plot got quite complicated, especially the final suspect interrogation which veered in a number of different directions (in a good way). I agree with other reviewers that there were a few holes in the plot. For example,the police were unaware of something I think they would have found out early in the investigation. It was such a good read that I didn't mind the few flaws. I think it might stop me reading the whole thing again though.

What did you like best about this story?

The pace. It stayed interesting through a variety of scenes and voices.

What about Charlotte Strevens’s performance did you like?

I liked the way she varied the voice of each character. Her reading of dialogue was mostly very natural. I say mostly because there were just a few times where her intonation was wrong - eg "WHAT did you say?" instead of "What did YOU say?", which jarred the continuity. Also one bizarre pronunciation of "a colleague's leaving do" as "a college's leaving do". Apart from that, I think she presented the story and characters well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it's not that kind of book. The plot is too complex and there are too many characters. It was better to listen in instalments.

Any additional comments?

It would be fine to read it without knowing the other books in the Spilling CID series.

Having already read a couple of the later ones I had to make a mental adjustment for the police characters being at an earlier stage of their development. It's made me want to start reading the books in order.

its been a while since i actively hated a book

What would have made The Point of Rescue better?

The book started so well and drew me in with its characterization and realism then suddenly became so ridiculous and unrealstic with no warning,the main character was allowed to wonder around a school, given private information and drinks water from an UNLOCKED car that had been vandalised, thats just a couple of stupid points,there is also the pointless subplots about irrelavant characters and page after page of useless detail ,the conclusion is even worst and wrapped up to quickly as if the author grew tired of the ludicrous story herself.What made it worst is that in the beginning i liked sally (the main character) but the author had no respect for her.

What could Sophie Hannah have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

i honstly dont know maybe let the main chracters have more common sense

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Charlotte Strevens?

she wasnt the problem

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

anger and dissapointment

1 person found this helpful

Nobody's Perfect

A woman is disturbed to see a mother and daughter have been murdered in a neighbouring town. Worse than that, she looks like the woman, and the man shown to be her husband is someone she knows can't be him.

1 person found this helpful