The Surrogate: A Novel

by Tania Carver

Overview

A shocking double-murder scene greets Detective Inspector Philip Brennan when he is called to a flat in Colchester. Two women are viciously cut open and lying spread-eagled, one tied to the bed, one on the floor. The woman on the bed has had her stomach cut into and her unborn child is missing. But this is the third time Phil and his team have seen such an atrocity. Two other pregnant women have been killed in this way and their babies taken from them. No one can imagine what sort of person would want to commit such horrible crimes. When psychologist Marina Esposito is brought in, Phil has to put aside his feelings about their shared past and get on with the job. But can they find the killer before another woman is targeted?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605984056
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	02/13/2013
Series:	Brennan and Esposito Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Tania Carver lives in the south of England with her husband and two children. She is the author of The Surrogate, The Creeper, and Cage of Bones, all available from Pegasus Books.

Editorial Reviews

With a plot that snares from the start, Carver's debut novel sets the crime thriller bar high.

A cracking read that promises to keep you up all night.

A detective is shocked by the murder of a pregnant woman whose unborn child was cut out of the womb before she died. A fantastic debut.

An impressive debut, an intense police procedural. Carver never crosses the line into gratuitous violence, while myriad clues and surprising twists keep the reader off-kilter. Fans of Mo Hayder, Chelsea Cain, and Karin Slaughter will find much to like.

From the Publisher

With a plot that snares from the start, Carver’s debut novel sets the crime thriller bar high.

The Irish Examiner

A detective is shocked by the murder of a pregnant woman whose unborn child was cut out of the womb before she died. A fantastic debut.

Marie Claire

 A cracking read that promises to keep you up all night.

The Sun (London)

A cracking read that promises to keep you up all night.

The Sun [London]

A detective is shocked by the murder of a pregnant woman whose unborn child was cut out of the womb before she died. A fantastic debut.

Marie Claire [London]

Carver's debut novel, a thriller with a decidedly British flair, isn't for the squeamish or easily frightened.

Something's decidedly not right in Colchester: Four women, three of them pregnant, have been brutally murdered. In the cases of the pregnant victims, the murderer cut the babies from their mothers' wombs and police believe the last child is still alive. The case falls to Detective Inspector Phil Brennan, chief investigating officer of the Major Incident Squad (the British equivalent of chief of detectives). Brennan and his officers, Anni Hepburn and Clayton Thompson, are trying to make sense of killings so brutal that even veteran officers find themselves sickened by the gory crime scenes. Colchester is unprepared for the homicides; it's a peaceful, family-oriented place where homicides like these simply don't happen. Officials, scrambling to solve the killings and find the missing baby, call in psychologist Marina Esposito. Marina is Phil's former lover; they met over a case that turned sour and dangerous. Marina moved on and is, in fact, pregnant herself, although she's not yet showing and doesn't share her news. Soon, the investigation takes them to the last victim's strapping former boyfriend and a woman with secret and deadly ties to police. While Phil, Marina and other investigators race against time to save the life of the infant, the killer is out again, looking for another victim. Graphic violence may turn off readers who prefer their thrillers less bloody, but the action is both convincing and necessary to the narrative arc. What's less convincing is the plodding pace at which the police move in this case, with Marina providing dubious expert input, but plenty of emotional conflict. The book, a success in Europe, may also prove too heavily laden with English colloquialisms for American audiences. No attempt has been made to explain much of the slang, leaving those unfamiliar with the King's English scratching their heads.

A good premise that's long on promise, but the choppy writing, dominated by melodramatic one-liners, and stilted repetition of phrases (no one simply drinks anything, instead they take mouthfuls of their drinks) prove more distracting than thrilling.

Kirkus Reviews