A promising premise that falls flat
There is no denying that Sophie Hannah is a gifted storyteller. Her sharp, smart prose is refreshingly crisp, an unadorned narrative that complements her often far-left-of-center plots and characters.
The premise of her latest novel, The Cradle in the Grave (Penguin), involves three mothers accused of murdering their infants. They are now the subject of a documentary produced by an egomaniacal man bent on destroying the career of the medical expert who gave testimony at each woman's trial that led to their conviction.
The producer's assistant, Fliss Benson, receives a mysterious card with 16 numbers on it just as she learns she's about to take over the film's production. And then one of the mothers is murdered, and on her body is a card with the same 16 numbers on it.