Hurting Distance

Sophie Hannah

3.7

6,647 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 0753128349 ISBN 13: 9780753128343

Publisher: ISIS Publishing, 2007

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Three years ago, something terrible happened to Naomi Jenkins - so terrible that she never told anybody.

Now Naomi has another secret - the man she has fallen passionately in love with, unhappily married Robert Haworth. When Robert vanishes without trace, Naomi knows he must have come to harm. But the police are less convinced, particularly when Robert's wife insists he is not missing.

In desperation, Naomi has a crazy idea. If she can't persuade the police that Robert is in danger, perhaps she can convince them that he is a danger to others. Then they will have to look for him - urgently. Naomi knows how describe in detail the actions of a psychopath. All she needs to do is dig up her own troubled past...

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Review:

A superbly creepy, twisty thriller about obsessive love, psychological torture, and the darkest chambers of the human heart (The Times)

Hair-raising psychological thriller (SHE)

An utterly gripping plot, this is the standout thriller of the year (Read of the Year, Elle)

Here's a psychological thriller that gets its hooks into you and refuses to let go (The Sunday Times)

Sophie Hannah's LITTLE FACE startled the British thriller market a year ago, and her new book is another superbly creepy foray in the genre. The plots are brilliant - I couldn't see through this one at all (Guardian)

Hurting Distance confirms Sophie Hannah as a rivetingly original arrival in crime fiction (The Sunday Times)

What makes this novel work so well is that more than one character has a bit of a screw loose - even the detectives on the case are grappling with some crippling personal issues - and it takes the full ride of the novel to find out who is playing whom. (Time Out)

Hannah's second novel is a beautifully written chiller-thriller about the after-effect of rape. It grips from start to finish. . . I couldn't put it down (Literary Review)

This is a far better-written book than any genre label might suggest. Hannah is a respected poet and uses the fascinating motif of the sundial not only to provide the reader with clues but to underline perceptions of life, time and death. It's also significant that she won a Daphne du Maurier award. Her powerful subjects of obsession with the past, and fear in the present, testify that she has made a transition to the narrative world of that iconic writer (Independent)

In the world of psychological thrillers, it is rare to come across a novel that conforms absolutely to the rules of the genre at the same time as being genuinely original, satisfyingly unpredictable and totally enthralling. This is what Sophie Hannah has achieved with Hurting Distance, and she's done it with considerable style. (Yorkshire Post)

This story is thrilling from the first page . . . This book is not simply a whodunnit. The snappy, witty dialogue and clarity make it a thoroughly entertaining read. I thought I had the whole book pegged after the first chapter, but how wrong I was. Pick it up, but be warned, you won't put it down (Birmingham Post)

Another success for this inventive writer (Sunday Telegraph)

Tale of obsession and manipulation (Sainsbury's)

'This is a far better-written book than any genre label might suggest. Hannah is a respected poet and uses the fascinating motif of the sundial not only to provide the reader with clues but to underline perceptions of life, time and death. It's also significant that she won a Daphne du Maurier award. Her powerful subjects of obsession with the past, and fear in the present, testify that she has made a transition to the narrative world of that iconic writer.' (Independent)

'Sophie Hannah's LITTLE FACE startled the British thriller market a year ago, and her new book is another superbly creepy foray in the genre. The plots are brilliant - I couldn't see through this one at all.' (Guardian)

'The hurting distance in a relationship is apparently like an elastic band around your wrist that's being pulled tighter and tighter.

You know it could snap at some point, but it's a question of when. The further it goes, the more painful it is when it breaks, like most relationships seem to in Hurting Distance.

This story is thrilling from the first page... This book is not simply a whodunnit. The snappy, witty dialogue and clarity make it a thoroughly entertaining read.

I thought I had the whole book pegged after the first chapter, but how wrong I was. Pick it up, but be warned, you won't put it down.'

(Birmingham Post)

'Poet and children's writer Sophie Hannah is proving to be equally adept at turning her hand to pscyhological thrillers. In HURTING DISTANCE, Naomi's concern for her married lover's well-being grows when his wife insists he is fine, just away. Naomi uses the story of a rape from her past to get the police to sit up and take notice. What makes this novel work so well is that more than one character has a bit of a screw loose - even the detectives on the case are grappling with some crippling personal issues - and it takes the full ride of the novel to find out who is playing whom.' (Time Out)

'Hannah's second novel is a beautifully written chiller-thriller about the after-effect of rape. It grips from start to finish - a grip which held me against my will because the sustained atmosphere of mild hysteria is hard to take . . . I couldn't put it down' (Literary Review)

'A superbly creepy, twisty thriller about obsessive love, psychological torture, and the darkest chambers of the human heart.' (The Times)

'Another success for this inventive writer.' (Sunday Telegraph)

'The terror created by Hannah will continue to lurk on the edges of your sub-conscious long after you've put this book down' (The News of the World)

'Hannah's second novel is a beautifully written chiller-thriller about the after-effect of rape. It grips from start to finish - a grip which held me against my will because the sustained atmosphere of mild hysteria is hard to take . . . I couldn't put it down' (Literary Review)

'The terror created by Hannah will continue to lurk on the edges of your sub-conscious long after you've put this book down' (News of the World)

'I have been devouring poet and novelist Sophie Hannah's psychological thriller LITTLE FACE. I can't remember when I was more intrigued by the premise of a book... I read this book greedily, longing to know why anyone would swap a baby . . . The tension ratchets up throughout the book; the scenes of David's increasingly vile psychological torture of Alice are particularly gripping . . . A toothsome read; I'm eager to get my hands on the next one' (Naomi Alderman, The Bookselller)

'Hannah's novels combine traditional police procedurals with intense psychological thrillers . . . compelling' (Weekend Herald, Auckland)

'I have been devouring poet and novelist Sophie Hannah's psychological thriller LITTLE FACE. I can't remember when I was more intrigued by the premise of a book... I read this book greedily, longing to know why anyone would swap a baby . . . The tension ratchets up throughout the book; the scenes of David's increasingly vile psychological torture of Alice are particularly gripping . . . A toothsome read; I'm eager to get my hands on the next one' (Naomi Alderman, The Bookseller)

From the Author:

I had the idea for 'Hurting Distance' one day when I was standing on Durham station. I was feeling miserable after being badly let down by someone...well, let's just say someone who ought not to have let me down! Anyway, I was feeling sorry for myself, and trying to tell myself, 'It could be worse, worse things could happen.' Then, out of nowhere, I had this idea about something truly terrible that one person might do to another - it was so awful, it made me shudder. A few minutes later, I had the villain in 'Hurting Distance' fixed in my mind - I knew what that person would do and why he/she would do it, and I could have written the big revelation scene at the end there and then. I like to write chronologically, though, so I worked backwards to construct the rest of the story from my twist at the end. Writing a novel is very hard, but from the start 'Hurting Distance' was one that just fell into place - everything seemed organic and 'meant to be', and it was a dream to write. I hope readers enjoy it, if enjoy is the right word for such a chilling story!

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