Share for friends:

Read Birth Marks (2005)

Birth Marks (2005)

Online Book

Author
Series
Rating
3.33 of 5 Votes: 4
Your rating
ISBN
0743270215 (ISBN13: 9780743270212)
Language
English
Publisher
scribner

Birth Marks (2005) - Plot & Excerpts

It started out really well, subtle and smart puns interwoven with the narrative to tell more about the heroine and comment on the world. For the main part of the book it then reminded me of Val McDermid's novels, perhaps less emotionally engaging (no laughs or worries). The fly in the ointment was the slightly offensive assurance that all women had to think about babies, which got worse towards the end when her brother in law's opinion of Hannah being afraid of men and pining after an ex-boyfriend are out of the blue considered true and a tiny moment in a bar said to be the melting of her ice-berg-y self.On the story side, the facts were so obvious that Hannah appeared stupid for never seeing them. While the steps she took were solid, this frustrating lack of intelligence culminated in an "artistically" dubious ending - with the plot so obvious, to have scrimped there, to have bailed out on the only thing the author could actually have told us was really annoying.Dunant didn't show enough about the people involved in the crime to make them come alive; one can't care about any affection or betrayal Hannah feels if she never actually has much of a connection, nor any serious problems. It's surprising to me how bland the secondary characters are, and I had to strain to see this was supposed to be a story about mothers. Dunant also writes the worst bodice ripper cliches to indicate a small sexual attraction that she couldn't show.I still remember the pleasant beginning, making me appreciate British Ladies of Crime all over again, but if this hormonol patronising gets worse, I'm not sure if I want to read her other two novels - I ordered the one that isn't about "plucking out ones hair = pampering oneself" - and moved on to Val McDermid for good.

I'm not much for crime novels, and I'd never read a British crime novel before this one. I must say, however, that Birth Marks really held my interest. I am constantly amazed by the craft of writing. Keeping together all of those details, providing foreshadowing that the reader will only discover later, and tying it all up into a neat conclusion (most of the time) seems an altogether arduous and incredible feat of magic to me. This novel really provides all of that. Well done, Sarah Dunant. I'd like to read others, I think.

What do You think about Birth Marks (2005)?

I was ready. for a good solid mystery. In the beginning that seemed to be the case, but our sleuth, Hannah Wolfe, is so self obsessed, that she doesn't see what is right in front of her. I also got sick of Hannah's quasi sarcastic, bellicose tone. Is it really necessary for a private detective to be anti social, devoid of empathy? I have not read any of the other Hannah Wolfe mysteries, and I don't feel inclined to do so, because the protagonist is such a whiner. Writing in the first person singular demands a protagonist who can convince the reader to take their point of view. Hannah was determined to annoy her audience.Another big minus was the predictability of it all. A good mystery should not be so predictable. Dunant would have done better if she had thrown in some more plausible suspects. I was also put out by how fast the police brushed this murder case off as suicide just because of a note. I think police doesn't take suicide notes at face value. I thought it was weak to suddenly put all the weight on a far fetched medical report, which untangled all the knots in a rush to end the book, without caring about logical character development.I was disappointed.
—Marietje

Hannah Wolfe (“a lonely, broke, female private eye on the wrong side of thirty”) is hired to find a missing person, a young ballet dancer called Carolyn Hamilton. She’s hired by Carolyn’s benefactor and stand-in mother, Miss Patrick, her own mother not interested in her dancing ambitions and that sets up one of the key themes for the book. When Carolyn’s pregnant body is found, a suicide victim, Hannah’s detecting leads her from seedy dance clubs to France and the powerful boss of an aviation company. This is a dark book, taking the well-used private eye tropes and utilising the female character well - childbirth and motherhood feature prominently, with Hannah’s sister Kate providing some much needed opinion at times - and is all the better for it. The plot gets a little convoluted once you realise what’s happening and the last couple of chapters have a sense of tying everything up quickly, but it’s a cracking book, it moves quickly and is beautifully written. Shame Sarah Dunant only wrote three Wolfe books. Very highly recommended.
—Mark

This is the first in the series of Hannah Wolfe crime novels. Hannah, a likeable character, is a private investigator asked to find a missing ballet dancer. When Carolyn Hamilton’s body is discovered in the Thames, eight months pregnant and with stones in her pockets, Hannah’s client, an elderly dancer who promoted Carolyn’s career, doesn’t want to know any more. But soon, Hannah is investigating the missing period in Carolyn’s life and traveling from London to Paris. This was a pleasant read wi
—Mrsgaskell

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Read books by author Sarah Dunant

Read books in series hannah wolfe

Read books in category Science Fiction