Tome Time - The Other Half Lives by Sophie Hannah

Started July 31st, finished 7th August.  552 pages.

I was lent this book by a friend who really enjoyed it.  I was keen to read it as it was by a local author.

It's best described as a psychological thriller.  It's a hulk of a novel that is definitely very cleverly written.  It takes you through many twists and turns.  Looking back to people's pasts as well as telling the story of their present.  The length of the book gives plenty of time to look into the character's and let them grow on you. The main two characters are well written.  I didn't believe the male characters as I did the female though.  They seemed a little more caricature.  I didn't get a sense of depth with the male figures in the book.  especially the male police officers that pop up here and there.

My downfall with this book was the style of writing.  It's written in a very 'trendy' style and it grated on me somewhat.  It didn't feel natural it felt like a style had been adopted.  This grew less grating as the book went on but never really disappeared.  Because the story is well thought out, clever and quite gripping it didn't manage to spoil the book for me.  I did enjoy the story but I can't see me reading any more of this author's work.  It's not that she's a bad writer, just that the style of writing isn't for me.  I was left satisfied with the ending.  Which is always a worry when a novel is all about the suspense.

3 out of 5 pawprints.

Next - Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich