Yet again this Keighley author hooks the reader with an original and intriguing set-up.

And again she keeps us gripped with frequent twists, involving characters and a constant air of menace.

The Point of Rescue begins as married mother Sally Thorning hears a name she recognises on the TV news.

Mark Bretherick's wife and young daughter are dead and the police think it was a murder-suicide.

Sally had a week-long affair with Mark the previous year after meeting him for the first time at a countryside hotel.

Sally realises the Mark on television is not the same when she slept with -- so she launches her own investigation.

Meanwhile police uncover a tangled web of secrets, murder and deception concerning the Broderick's family and friends.

Sophie Hannah's third crime novel, like the others, is a combination of psychological thriller and police procedural.

Surprisingly the mix works even though the ongoing private lives of the regular characters might confuse new readers.

Giving the story extra depth is a perceptive, and disturbing, exploration of how mothers can come to resent their children.

The page-turning plot has developments that on the surface might seem incredible but through Hannah's writing are always believable.

And although the explanation for the mystery becomes a little over-complicated, the ending of this excellent crime novel is satisfying.

David Knights