Kind of Cruel - Hardcover

"This is a dark exploration of the intricacies of control and desire, and what can happen when they turn horribly warped. This may be Sophie Hannah's best book yet." - Tana French, bestselling author of "In The Woods" and "Broken Harbor"

"Sophie Hannah is a prodigious talent. I can't wait to see what she does next." - Laura Lippman, author of "The Most Dangerous Thing"

"Hannah, who understands psychological mayhem as well as Ruth Rendell and maybe even Sigmund Freud, is best read with a crisis counselor on speed-dial. The tight plotting and excruciatingly precise clues make for a superlatively uneasy read." -- "Kirkus"

"Hannah takes domestic scenarios, adds disquieting touches and turns up the suspense until you're checking under the bed for murderers . . . it's this real-life research that helps make it so convincing - and so unsettling." --"The Independent"

"Meticulously plotted . . . so dark and shocking." --"Associated Press"

"This utterly gripping thriller should establish Hannah as one of the great unmissables of this genre--intelligent, classy and with a wonderfully Gothic imagination." --"The Times" (London)

"The power this novel packs derives from narrators that play fast and loose with what they know. . . . The solution is a stunner." --"The Boston Globe"

"Sophie Hannah has quickly established herself as a doyenne of the 'home horror' school of psychological tension, taking domestic situations and wringing from them dark, gothic thrills." --"Financial Times" (UK)

"A master of intricate plotting, Hannah seamlessly melds the police procedural with a gothic-inspired whodunit." --"Publishers Weekly "(starred review)

"Sophie Hannah has been rightly praised for intricate and accomplished psychological thrillers which dissect the dark side of human relationships." --"The Guardian" (London)
"This is [a] brilliantly executed psychological suspense with a complex plot brought to a horribly logical conclusion." - "Booklist" (starred review)

"An exploration of memory and the way trauma lives on in the present. Cool, calculating and utterly chilling, "Kind of Cruel "is another compulsive book from Hannah, to be gulped down with all the lights on and someone to grab when the sense of menace grows too great." - "The Observer" (London)

"[Hannah] has outdone herself with "Kind Of Cruel"...Her trademark precision-layered structure creates a multi-dimensional maze that holds at its centre a revelation which is truly hair-raising, even by Hannah's standards." - "Independent on Sunday "(London)

"An audacious puzzle of a novel that is impossible to second guess. There are clues on virtually every page but only when you reach the final chapter does it become apparent how they slot together....Crime novels are often dismissed in literary circles for not being literary enough. Yet "Kind Of Cruel" is exactly the intelligent, reflective and stunningly written novel that has "literary" critics swooning and judging panels lining up to reward. The fact that it has a police investigation at its heart is a plus, not a minus, and makes for one hell of a journey." - "Sunday Express" (London)

"Addictive - "PW""

"This is [a] brilliantly executed psychological suspense with a complex plot brought to a horribly logical conclusion." - "Booklist" (starred review)

"An exploration of memory and the way trauma lives on in the present. Cool, calculating and utterly chilling, "Kind of Cruel "is another compulsive book from Hannah, to be gulped down with all the lights on and someone to grab when the sense of menace grows too great." - "The Observer" (London)

"[Hannah] has outdone herself with "Kind Of Cruel"...Her trademark precision-layered structure creates a multi-dimensional maze that holds at its centre a revelation which is truly hair-raising, even by Hannah's standards." - "Independent on Sunday "(London)

"An audacious puzzle of a novel that is impossible to second guess. There are clues on virtually every page but only when you reach the final chapter does it become apparent how they slot together....Crime novels are often dismissed in literary circles for not being literary enough. Yet "Kind Of Cruel" is exactly the intelligent, reflective and stunningly written novel that has "literary" critics swooning and judging panels lining up to reward. The fact that it has a police investigation at its heart is a plus, not a minus, and makes for one hell of a journey." - "Sunday Express" (London)

While visiting a hypnotherapist, Amber resurrects a vague memory during her session before being arrested for the brutal murder of a woman she does not know, compelling her to investigate the memory in order to clear her name.