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The Carrier by Sophie Hannah

26 replies

Zoe999 · 04/09/2013 20:10

Normally I like sH and if I had a complaint it would be that her books are a bit too long. the carrier is shorter than her usual stuff but I can't get into it. If you have read it, please can you pm me what the ending is. got as far as gaby struthers going round to Kerry and dan's house where Charlie has shown up with sam to interview .. somebody. not sure who. so, who killed Francine? tim breary confessed to murder but according the the back of the book "the truth is worse". ok just tell me... please!

OP posts:
bottleofbeer · 09/09/2013 22:27

Honestly, it's that bad I can't even remember the ending other than it didn't make sense/was really weak.

The truth is not worse, it just turns out he's a bit of a wimp.

She's trying to keep a very average detective series going when she should forget them and try a few stand alone books (mind you, The Orphan Choir is crap too).

She had one good idea....

SarahAndFuck · 10/09/2013 20:12

I can remember the ending and it was fairly normal by SH standards.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
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Gaby solves the case.

Tim went back to Francine when she had her stroke, not to take care of her but to torture her day after day by telling her how awful she was, how much he hated her and how they all laughed at her behind her back.

Kerry and Dan wrote the notes for the same reason, sitting by her bed to write them and then stuffing them under her mattress without a word so she had to lie on them and wonder what they said.

Lauren realised this and she murdered Francine to save her. Apparently Francine was her best friend and Lauren was upset that she was trapped and being abused so badly, but as Gaby said so often, Lauren was thick and she didn't know how to tell anybody about it so she thought killing her was best. Hmm

Lauren also murdered her husband Jason later on, because he attacked Gaby and because he was abusive. Lauren's father took the blame but they all knew it was her really.

Kerry was in love with Tim all along and sent the valentine card that split him and Gaby up. Dan knows but doesn't care because Kerry isn't Tim's type and he loves him too in a non-romantic way.

Dan and Kerry disappear with Lauren so she isn't prosecuted.

Gaby still loves Tim and once he's out of prison they go to Switzerland to solve the mystery of his dream where Francine tries to kill him with a handbag. Turns out the white room was a mountain, the handbag was a cable car and she never tried to kill him, his subconscious just thought he shouldn't marry her.

But, Gaby leaves him there and returns without him because she's upset he went back to Francine and although she still loves him she wants him to get a grip and stop being so useless.

SH needs to write another book in which Waterhouse and Zailer explain what everyone saw in such a wet lettuce as Tim. Because I really don't get it, he was completely useless, spineless and bland in every way.

But at least she didn't write three endings that made no sense, like she did in Lasting Damage.

SarahAndFuck · 10/09/2013 20:14

"She had one good idea...."

And now she's going to ruin someone else's.

Why they are letting her loose on Poirot I will never know.

bottleofbeer · 10/09/2013 21:03

Kill him with a handbag.

Actually LOL'ed then!

Handbag was a cable car....snorts

Yes, that's how ridiculous she is Grin

Nerfmother · 10/09/2013 21:08

It was so forgettable I actually thought it was the other one where the sister and family disappeared on Xmas day in some holiday cottage , came back, and no one pulled them up on it.

bottleofbeer · 10/09/2013 21:14

Ohhhh, the one where she was psychically insomniac? turns out she hadn't been able to sleep for years because in the distant future there was going to be a house fire, and if she'd slept they'd all have been dead!

I can only assume she's got an eight book deal or something with really tight deadlines so she's churning out any old crap.

Luckily, we have Simon the psycho (who regularly fantasises about punching various women but I think we're all supposed to fancy him) to explain it all to us after he has a lightbulb moment. I honestly don't know how her last couple of books have got past editors.

Nerfmother · 10/09/2013 21:21

Is that what it was? I just remember a locked room ? Was so weird. And dull.

Nerfmother · 10/09/2013 21:22

Sister was called Jo? And was scared of becoming a carer for her disabled sister?

Zoe789 · 10/09/2013 21:32

Tm was a right old wet lettuce, thank you SarahAndF*&^ it made no sense, why would two women love somebody so spineless and fucked up? just cos he quoted a bit of poetry here and there? nah. don't buy it!!

I only finished the book yesterday and t was so forgettable I will have forgotten whodunit by tomorrow. Right, that was my last Sophie Hannah.

oh yes, that dream thing was ridiculous.......

SarahAndFuck · 10/09/2013 21:36

That one was Kind of Cruel and it was all a bit weird and mad. That has to be one of the most bizarre plots ever.

Taffeta · 10/09/2013 21:37

I have gone right off Sophie Hannah after the Carrier.

The bloody picture on the front gave it all away.

SarahAndFuck · 10/09/2013 21:39

Was the picture a cable car holding a pillow shaped handbag?

Because I read it on my kindle and didn't get a front cover.

Taffeta · 10/09/2013 21:46

ROFL. No it was some chairs with rope tied round them.

Taffeta · 10/09/2013 21:47

That pisses me right off with Kindles. Why don't you get a front cover, eh? Is it that the graphics are more MB or whevs to download?

Zoe789 · 10/09/2013 21:49

I think the first two were good. It's a long time ago now though.

The picture on the cover gave it away!!?? either I'm thick or you're a genius!

Right, going to get try Nicci French's series. See if they're better.

Cantdothisagain · 10/09/2013 21:51

Agree agree agree- and it almost hurts to agree because I loved her early writing....

EeTraceyluv · 10/09/2013 21:55

Have read all of the previous books and Sophie H is virtually my neighbour Wink but I've had this on my Kindle for ages and just can't get beyond the first few pages. I must persevere...

Nicci French's latest lot - YES!! Absolutely recommend!!

SarahAndFuck · 10/09/2013 21:58

I forgot to say, Tim takes the blame not out of any great concern for Lauren, but because the minute Francine was dead he stopped hating her and regretted being cruel to her.

So he felt he deserved to go to prison anyway for forcing Lauren to protect Francine from him by suffocating her to death.

And because it was still better than going back to Gaby, which would have spoilt his 'nice' image of himself as a lovely person. Instead of my image of him as an antisocial, psychotic but weirdly boring little grey man. In my head he was this weird hybrid of John Major's spitting image puppet and Mr Bean. I'll never in a million years work out why all these women were fighting over him.

Zoe789 · 10/09/2013 21:58

press delete !

Thanks for the Nicci French recommendation. going to get the one with Monday in the title. Confused I know what I mean.

Nerfmother · 10/09/2013 22:15

Okay good. Now I remember tim. Ick.

EeTraceyluv · 10/09/2013 22:28

Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday - they follow on - and are proper suspenseful - love Nicci French full stop.

mizu · 12/09/2013 09:00

Agree it was a bit rubbish.

Liked Sophie Hannah's first couple of books but the last few have not been memorable.

SarahAndFuck · 12/09/2013 13:17

Actually I think that with the way the books have been going her next ones might be very memorable.

After the cable car/handbag attempted murder dream I'm expecting the next one to involve a murder by stabbing where the killer turns out to be a flying unicorn, which Simon knew existed all along but didn't mention until the end so he could look clever because it took everyone else a lot longer to figure out.

bottleofbeer · 12/09/2013 21:23

SarahAndFuck you're summing up everything I've been trying to articulate about the last few books, beautifully!

I saw SH on some news interview the other day and she so obviously takes herself very seriously. Poet dontchya know.

I'm expecting Proust to progress to full on murder in his office which nobody will ever mention again. Because it's totally normal and acceptable to be an arsehole bully.

EeTraceyluv · 14/09/2013 12:35

Have to say I love her poetry - saw her at the ADC theatre in Cambridge with John Hegley in 1995, when she was just a poet and all keen and stuff.