Product Description

In Fatlands, private investigator Hannah Wolfe, who's independent though not invincible, idealistic but definitely not naive, has taken on one of the less glamorous jobs in the security world -- chaperoning teenage rebel Mattie Shepherd around London. But Mattie's father is paying Hannah lots of money -- more than the job is worth, it seems. Or perhaps not. The girl's father is on the Animal Liberation Front's hit list. But why? When violence explodes, tearing the family apart, this is what Hannah must discover. Her obsession with the truth nearly kills her, wrecking her private life and dragging her into a vortex of lies and betrayal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #465354 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Although plenty of mystery authors are currently rounding up the usual suspects from the ranks of the animal rights movement, Dunant (Birth Marks) claims the territory for her own in this fine work, thanks principally to her sharply ironic, appealingly introspective PI, Hannah Wolfe. Hannah, who never met a bacon sandwich she didn't like, hires on to escort 14-year-old Mattie Shepherd around London on a birthday shopping spree when the teenager's father, Tom Shepherd, says he can't do the honors. It turns out that scientist Tom, whose firm uses animals in its research, has received death threats, most likely from the radical Animal Liberation Front. Then a murder draws Hannah, a quintessential street-smart city gal, to the less than gentle countryside. Dunant's crisp characters compensate for the slightly disappointing ending. Particularly appealing is Hannah, whose observations about such PI indignities as empty larders, loneliness, getting beaten up and needing to discern the thin line between good and evil are frequently funny, occasionally poignant and always insightful.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Series private investigator Hanna Wolfe, based in London, narrates this forcefully written story of an ambitious cancer researcher who unwittingly destroys his own family. The plot begins with the tragic death of the man's troubled teenaged daughter while she was in Hannah's care. As Hannah attempts to identify a murderer, she questions underground animal rights advocates, fractious pig farmers, and manufacturers of chemical "performance boosters" for pigs. While Hannah makes no individual literary references, she does point to the mechanics of writing detective novels-an intriguing, if not ironic note. Recommended.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Private investigator Hannah Wolfe figures the fat fee she's being paid to play baby-sitter for the teenage daughter of a noted research scientist is too good to be true. All Hannah has to do is pick up Mattie Shepherd from her posh boarding school and keep her occupied until the girl's busy father can take over. But when a car bomb blows Mattie to bits while she's in Hannah's care, the stunned PI feels compelled to find out who planted the bomb and why. When Hannah learns that Mattie's father has been the target of threats from an animal rights group, she concludes that the bomb that killed Mattie was no doubt meant for Tom Shepherd. She has got the part about the bomb right, but the animal rights angle is only one tiny piece of a dangerous puzzle involving corporate cover-ups, scientific scams, and rampant greed. Dunant's writing is smooth, polished, funny, and sophisticated, with an inventive plot and some sharp-edged commentary about the ethics of the modern-day business/science community. An outstanding story with style and humor. Highly recommended. Emily Melton

Customer Reviews

A great, female detective in London
I love this series. I am primarily a mystery reader, and this is a series for those of you who are looking for something new must try. Hannah Wolfe is tough yet feminine and real. This is a great series for those who enjoy a good mystery that is not too cosy or hard boiled. Hannah is sort of a free-lance detective in London, but she travels all over. She is human but never a pathetic victim. Unlike many mystery authors today, Dunant never lets the stories get too dark in order to seem real. This is the second in the series with the first being Birth Marks. I recommend this series for those who might also like Anna Lee from Liza Cody. Hannah matures with each new installment and I'm waiting for the fourth.

Crime fiction at its best!
Private detective Hannah Wolfe is not too pleased with her newest job -- chaperoning rebellious teenager Mattie Shepherd around London for a day. Mattie was supposed to spend the day with her father, a scientist and workaholic who calls Hannah to babysit so he can finish up some work. Mattie resents her father for deserting her, and takes her feelings out on Hannah. Their day is already off to a bad start when Mattie is killed by a bomb that has been planted in her father's car. Who's the culprit? Animal rights activists, Mattie's boyfriend, or someone else entirely? It's up to Hannah to deal with her own feelings of guilt over Mattie's death and then to find Mattie's murderer. What at first seems to be a deceptively simple case turns out to be a much larger puzzle. Sarah Dunant's writing is crisp and clear. Her protagonist, Hannah Wolfe, is witty and liberal. Her definite attitude enlivens the story, making Fatlands a highly readable, and highly recommended, book.

A wonderful female detective
You will want to read all three mysteries featuring Hannah Wolfe, a hip, intelligent young London private investigator. They are very well written and very up-to-date, not at all stodgey. In "Fatlands" Hannah is not happy about some demeaning jobs she gets through the detective agency, such as babysitting the wives of mideastern oil princes while they shop at Harrod's. When she has to escort a young girl named Mattie, the boring job becomes a big case leading Hannah to investigate strange happenings in the modern scientific hog raising industry. You won't be eating bacon or ham for a while after reading this mystery. Full of danger, romance, and a very original plot, this is a very exciting mystery, and you will just love Hannah Wolfe.