Woman with a Secret (Zailer & Waterhouse Series #9)

by Sophie Hannah, Julia Barrie (Read by), David Thorpe (Read by)

Overview

Traffic on Elmhirst Road has come to a halt. The police are stopping cars, searching for something. Nicki Clements waits patiently, until she glimpses a face she hoped she’d never see again. It’s him—and he’s the cop checking each car. Desperate to avoid him, she makes a panicky U-turn and escapes.

But Nicki’s peculiar behavior did not go unnoticed, and now the police have summoned her for questioning. A resident of Elmhirst Road has been murdered—a controversial newspaper columnist named Damon Blundy. The detectives begin peppering her with questions. Why was she seen fleeing the scene? What is her connection to the victim? Why was the knife that killed him used in such a peculiar way? Why were the words “HE IS NO LESS DEAD” painted on the wall of Blundy’s study? and what do they signify?

One simple answer could clear her. But she can’t explain why she fled Elmhirst Road that day without revealing the secret that could ruin her.

Nicki isn’t guilty of murder. But she’s far from innocent …

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665032995
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Series:	Zailer & Waterhouse Series , #9
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sophie Hannah is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers and The Monogram Murders, the first novel to be authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie, and its follow up, The Closed Casket. Her books have received numerous awards, including the United Kingdom’s National Book Award, and are published in twenty-seven countries. She lives in Cambridge, England.

Julia Barrie, winner of three AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, is an actress who has appeared in such movies and shows as Doctors, Where There’s Smoke, and Close Relations.

David Thorpe has appeared in numerous stage plays, in repertory, and on tour. Twice a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company, he has been heard in many radio plays and readings. An award-winning audiobook narrator, he has voiced several fantasy and science fiction books, including a number of the original Doctor Who books and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

Editorial Reviews

Mesmerizing! Sophie Hannah puts the ‘psycho’ in psychological suspense with this riveting thriller involving the ultimate closed-door crime scene—and a narrator who is both more and less than what she seems.” — Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Crash and Burn and Fear Nothing

“No one writes twisted, suspenseful novels quite like Sophie Hannah. I just love her dry, edgy wit and the way she brings her weirdly wonderful characters to life. Woman With a Secret is unpredictable, unputdownable, and unlike anything you’ve read before.” — Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret

“Her plots are ingenious—she’s a writer in complete command of her material—and it’s O.K. if you haven’t quite kept up. She keeps you puzzled and intrigued, right until the end.” — The New York Times Book Review

“Kept me guessing at every turn. Sophie Hannah...has clearly mastered the psychological methodology [of] Gillian Flynn or Tana French. Her unreliable narrator commands our attention and even our sympathy.” — NPR

“Witty and suspenseful...moves with the speed and unpredictability of a pinball. The author portions out Nicki’s secrets in ways that both heighten tension and increase sympathy for this unusual protagonist.” — The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

Mesmerizing! Sophie Hannah puts the ‘psycho’ in psychological suspense with this riveting thriller involving the ultimate closed-door crime scene—and a narrator who is both more and less than what she seems.

Lisa Gardner

Witty and suspenseful...moves with the speed and unpredictability of a pinball. The author portions out Nicki’s secrets in ways that both heighten tension and increase sympathy for this unusual protagonist.

The Wall Street Journal

No one writes twisted, suspenseful novels quite like Sophie Hannah. I just love her dry, edgy wit and the way she brings her weirdly wonderful characters to life. Woman With a Secret is unpredictable, unputdownable, and unlike anything you’ve read before.

Liane Moriarty

Her plots are ingenious—she’s a writer in complete command of her material—and it’s O.K. if you haven’t quite kept up. She keeps you puzzled and intrigued, right until the end.

The New York Times Book Review

Kept me guessing at every turn. Sophie Hannah...has clearly mastered the psychological methodology [of] Gillian Flynn or Tana French. Her unreliable narrator commands our attention and even our sympathy.

NPR

Perfect.

Tana French

Her books are so distinctive that they deserve to be placed in a sub-genre of their own.

The Spectator

The rising star of [suspense] fiction.

The Times (London)

An exceptional storyteller.

Elle

Everyone has a secret, but Nicki Clements has many—perhaps even one involving a murder. Narrator Julia Barrie performs the sections of this mystery that are told from Nicki's viewpoint, beautifully portraying the protagonist's growing paranoia as her dual lives—suburban mother and online risk taker—collide, threatening to destroy her life. David Thorpe takes over the narration when the audiobook switches to DC Simon Waterhouse's perspective. Thorpe smoothly alters the register of his voice to believably characterize both men and women as the detective and his team sort out the details surrounding the murder of a local celebrity. Together, Barrie and Thorpe build the tension and maintain consistent personalities for the many suspects. Although part of a series, this audiobook also works well as a stand-alone. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2015 - AudioFile