The Carrier - by Sophie Hannah
Sophie Hannah devotees in the United States have waited about a year and a half for the eighth Zailer & Waterhouse crime novel, following its 2013 publication in the UK. Now that it has finally arrived stateside, it does not disappoint. Hannah delivers the trademark elements in fine style: a knotty conundrum of a case, unraveled by a team of razor-sharp but comically damaged detectives. On a fine old Culver Valley estate, a motley collection of people have been living together in the Dower House. One of them confesses to murdering his invalid wife, and his roommates all back up his story, but the facts just don't seem to add up. Meanwhile, a rogue caregiver flees the scene to meet up with the supposed murderer's estranged girlfriend in a German airport. How will Charlie Zailer, Simon Waterhouse, and the rest of the cops at Spilling CID make sense of all this? Much as they always do, thank goodness: in a welter of deduction, backbiting, misunderstanding, secret-keeping, resentment, and personal insecurity. These crime-solvers are dysfunctional in ways that somehow seem wholly original and disturbingly familiar at the same time. The ongoing drama among the cops detracts not at all from the crime portion of the story, but enriches it. The entwined dual narrative makes for entertaining, thought-provoking reading.
