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skzats_we's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
purplesky02's review against another edition
3.0
This book was ok. Interesting premise, but certain things irked me. I did not like Fliss. I thought she did a lot of things that didn't make much sense.
SPOILERS
For instance, throwing away the cards sent to her? As a TV reporter (is that what she was? I was unclear as to her exact title. Producer?), I would think she would want to investigate them. If she didn't take them to the police, at least her curiosity should've been peaked to look into it on her own. I don't know...I felt like the book could've been better. This was the first Sophie Hannah book I've read, and I will try others by her.
Also, I couldn't stand Laurie and I had no clue why Fliss would've been in love with him. He didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities at all.
SPOILERS
For instance, throwing away the cards sent to her? As a TV reporter (is that what she was? I was unclear as to her exact title. Producer?), I would think she would want to investigate them. If she didn't take them to the police, at least her curiosity should've been peaked to look into it on her own. I don't know...I felt like the book could've been better. This was the first Sophie Hannah book I've read, and I will try others by her.
Also, I couldn't stand Laurie and I had no clue why Fliss would've been in love with him. He didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities at all.
bookedmybook's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
When Fliss Benson takes over an important documentary about women falsely accused of murdering their babies, she receives a mysterious card with numbers on it. Soon she learns one of the mothers was murdered, and had a similar card in her pocket. The neurotic DC Simon Waterhouse tries to figure out a nest of clues.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-cradle-in-the-grave/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/the-cradle-in-the-grave/
hippybrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mikewa14's review against another edition
4.0
The weakest in the series so far and following a slightly different approach, but still a good read
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/a-room-swept-white-sophie-hannah.html
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/a-room-swept-white-sophie-hannah.html
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Fliss, a producer on the low end of her production company's totem pole receives an odd card featuring a block of numbers. She's working for the brilliant Laurie Nattrass, who is making a documentary about a doctor whose expert testimony about crib deaths may have sent innocent and grieving mothers to prison. At the same time, one of the women who spent time in prison, but who was eventually acquitted and who was working with Nattrass on his documentary, is found murdered in her home, and an identical card is found on her body.
Sophie Hannah writes well-plotted mystery novels that are reminiscent of Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters. The locale and police working the cases remain the same through all of her books, but as they are a secondary focus, it's not necessary to read her books in order. I am, because of the slowly developing relationships between the different detectives are so interesting; in this installment, Waterhouse is no longer working with Zailer and is forced into closer proximity to his supervisor, a man for whom he feels nothing but contempt. Waterhouse is a seething mass of anger and repression and it's always interesting to see if he can hold himself together, let alone solve the crime.
Hannah's books are always fun to read; there are always several twists to the plot and she keeps the reader guessing until the final pages without cheating or pulling her punches. This was a solid offering in a well written and diverting series.
I will add that her books have different titles in Britain and the US, with the US titles being utterly devoid of meaning and therefore hard to keep track of. The author was told that Americans need unambiguous titles that reflect the genre, instead of intriguing titles that reflect the actual book. The British title for this book is A Room Swept White, which makes perfect sense if you've read the book and is a much better title than the mystery-genre-appropriate and forgotten tomorrow, The Cradle in the Grave.
Sophie Hannah writes well-plotted mystery novels that are reminiscent of Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters. The locale and police working the cases remain the same through all of her books, but as they are a secondary focus, it's not necessary to read her books in order. I am, because of the slowly developing relationships between the different detectives are so interesting; in this installment, Waterhouse is no longer working with Zailer and is forced into closer proximity to his supervisor, a man for whom he feels nothing but contempt. Waterhouse is a seething mass of anger and repression and it's always interesting to see if he can hold himself together, let alone solve the crime.
Hannah's books are always fun to read; there are always several twists to the plot and she keeps the reader guessing until the final pages without cheating or pulling her punches. This was a solid offering in a well written and diverting series.
I will add that her books have different titles in Britain and the US, with the US titles being utterly devoid of meaning and therefore hard to keep track of. The author was told that Americans need unambiguous titles that reflect the genre, instead of intriguing titles that reflect the actual book. The British title for this book is A Room Swept White, which makes perfect sense if you've read the book and is a much better title than the mystery-genre-appropriate and forgotten tomorrow, The Cradle in the Grave.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
1.0
I liked the idea of the book more than the actual book itself.Three women have been freed or aquitted of murdering children in their care and the doctor who testified against them is facing misconduct charges.As a documentary about their cases is being filmed,one woman is murdered and everyone connected to the project is in danger.
A good idea that did not work for me as I read the book.Our heroine Fliss is a cardboard cutout female,placed there to fall in love with her boss and interview one of the women,but there seems to be no point to her!Her own 'dark secret' was a good one but I felt the author just threw it into a conversation for no reason and could have explored it a bit more.Simon the policeman was an obnoxious caveman whose obsessive hatred of his boss seemed more important at times in the story than the murder investigation which I found really annoying.It was also a bit obvious to me who the killer was.
overall I was very disappointed by this book.
A good idea that did not work for me as I read the book.Our heroine Fliss is a cardboard cutout female,placed there to fall in love with her boss and interview one of the women,but there seems to be no point to her!Her own 'dark secret' was a good one but I felt the author just threw it into a conversation for no reason and could have explored it a bit more.Simon the policeman was an obnoxious caveman whose obsessive hatred of his boss seemed more important at times in the story than the murder investigation which I found really annoying.It was also a bit obvious to me who the killer was.
overall I was very disappointed by this book.