Birth Marks: A Hannah Wolfe Crime Novel

Sarah Dunant

Feb 2005 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In Birth Marks, private investigator Hannah Wolfe gets a case worthy of the great detective novels she so admires. At first glance, this one doesn't fit the bill: she's asked to find a missing ballet dancer, Carolyn Hamilton. When Carolyn's body is fished out of the Thames, stones in her pockets and an eight-month-old fetus in her belly, the police think it's a no-brainer: Single pregnant woman can't face her impending responsibilities, takes a leap off a bridge. But Hannah can't shake the suspicion that something else is going on. Hannah's investigation takes her from the London dance world to the upper echelons of Parisian society in search of the unborn child's father. But his explanation only raises more questions, and for Hannah the case grows more treacherous, fueling her own ambivalent feelings about relationships and motherhood.

Ratings and reviews

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.