Birth Marks: A Hannah Wolfe Crime Novel
Feb 2005 · Simon and Schuster
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240
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About this ebook
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Birth of Venus comes the first novel in the gripping Hannah Wolfe mystery series.
Hannah Wolfe, a London based private eye, has worked jobs ranging from department store surveillance to babysitting billionaires. But every once in a while she gets a case that's worthy of the great detective novels she ruefully admires—and at first glance, the latest case doesn't fit that bill. She's asked to find a missing ballet dancer, Carolyn Hamilton. Simple enough—Hannah figures the young dancer just doesn't want to be found. But she is found, and not by Hannah. Her body is fished out of the Thames by the police, stones in her pockets and an eight-month old fetus in her belly.
To the police it's a no-brainer case—single pregnant woman can't face her impending responsibilities, writes a suicide note, and takes a leap off a bridge. But Hannah can't shake the suspicion that there's much more to this case than meets the eye. In fact, she's fairly certain that the suicide note the police found in Carolyn's apartment wasn't there when she herself had gone snooping around just hours before the officially established time of death.
Hannah's determination to put together the pieces in the puzzle of Carolyn's short life takes her from the dance world of London to the upper echelons of Parisian society in search of the father of Carolyn's unborn child. When his explanation only raises more questions, Hannah finds the young dancer's pregnancy becoming the focus of her suspicions and her own ambivalent feelings about relationships and motherhood.
Hannah Wolfe, a London based private eye, has worked jobs ranging from department store surveillance to babysitting billionaires. But every once in a while she gets a case that's worthy of the great detective novels she ruefully admires—and at first glance, the latest case doesn't fit that bill. She's asked to find a missing ballet dancer, Carolyn Hamilton. Simple enough—Hannah figures the young dancer just doesn't want to be found. But she is found, and not by Hannah. Her body is fished out of the Thames by the police, stones in her pockets and an eight-month old fetus in her belly.
To the police it's a no-brainer case—single pregnant woman can't face her impending responsibilities, writes a suicide note, and takes a leap off a bridge. But Hannah can't shake the suspicion that there's much more to this case than meets the eye. In fact, she's fairly certain that the suicide note the police found in Carolyn's apartment wasn't there when she herself had gone snooping around just hours before the officially established time of death.
Hannah's determination to put together the pieces in the puzzle of Carolyn's short life takes her from the dance world of London to the upper echelons of Parisian society in search of the father of Carolyn's unborn child. When his explanation only raises more questions, Hannah finds the young dancer's pregnancy becoming the focus of her suspicions and her own ambivalent feelings about relationships and motherhood.
Ratings and reviews
3.5
2 reviews
Linda Strong
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June 23, 2016
This book introduces the reader to Private Investigator, Hannah Wolfe. She gets a call from the man who taught her the ropes. A young woman is missing and her guardian wants someone to find out what has happened to the ballet dancer. Carolyn Hamilton hasn’t been seen or heard from in many months. Hannah starts at the beginning, where she was last seen .. at a ballet company. But no one seems to be willing to talk about her. Days later, Carolyn’s body is found in a river and it’s obvious she was really, really pregnant. The police think it’s a suicide. After all, it’s a single pregnant woman, and chances are she got dumped by the baby’s father, if she even knew who the father was. Hannah isn’t willing to accept that. Her investigation takes her from London to Paris, to dealing with poor ballet dancers to the rich upper crust. The more she looks, the more questions she has and Hannah starts to think she’s in danger herself. The book is well written, in that it is full of twists and turns and misdirection. The characters are finely drawn. I liked how the author made Hannah’s family and family issues a big part of the story. She becomes a real entity and an interesting one, at that. This is the first of a series, so the next one in line should be quite entertaining. Many thanks to the author / Open Road Integrated Media / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
About the author
Sarah Dunant has written eight novels, including The Birth of Venus and three Hannah Wolfe novels—Birth Marks, Fatlands, and Under My Skin. She has worked widely in print, television, and radio. Now a full-time writer, she lives in London and Florence.
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