Product Description

An atmospheric and sinister novel of psychological suspense, set in Nottingham. Peter is a planning officer at Nottingham City Council. Every day, as he boards the bus for work, he notices a girl who gets on at the same stop and spends the journey scribbling furiously in a battered notebook. One day she doesn't get off at her usual stop, but dashes off to the railway station instead, leaving her notebook on the bus. Peter picks it up and starts to read. When the girl (Sophie) goes missing and the police are called in, Peter, having read her journal, knows more about her than anyone else. He also knows that the truth about what finally happened to Sophie is a truth he must keep entirely to himself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #403268 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
The novel opens quietly, with a portrait of an unremarkable man sitting on his usual bus. Peter observes the other passengers, noting, apparently idly, any deviation from the daily routine. One of his fellow travellers is a young woman named Sophie, who drops a notebook as she hurriedly leaves the bus at a local railway station. This seemingly trivial incident is the key to a slowly unfolding account of obsession and stifled lust. Sophie disappears, and her brother, her schoolfriend and the man on the bus are all asking questions. The police become involved and Peter's life is turned upside down when they arrive to search his home. Like the reader, Peter's girlfriend Alison is uncertain whether he is an innocent swept up in events beyond his control or a sinister manipulator. This is the first novel by a thriller writer of some note. Devoid of sensationalism, it is nevertheless chilling, and keeps the reader uncertain about the truth until the very last page. Is Sophie the unfortunate victim of possessive masculine rage, as the police believe, or is Peter right when he insists that she staged her own disappearance? Is he really her saviour, her only ally, or is his account of her plan the last violation? We never see Sophie except through Peter's eyes and we cannot be certain that the notebook, which he insists he read and then burned, ever existed. We are given only the testimony of an unreliable narrator, and Sophie's ultimate fate is left to our imagination. An unsettling story, deftly controlled by a skilful author. (Kirkus UK)

About the Author
Born in Bedford in 1973, 28-year-old Clare Littleford used to work at Nottingham City Council, in the housing department, before taking an MA in Writing at Nottingham Trent University. She now works for a lottery-funded community development project in inner city Nottingham. BEHOLDEN is Clare's first novel.

Customer Reviews

a disturbing, yet fascinating, read
As a fan of psychological thrillers, any novel described as dealing with ‘lies, obsession, infatuation and its terrible consequences’ interests me – and this unsettling tale more than lived up to the summary on the back cover.
The story cuts between the narration of the main character, Peter, and entries in the diary of a girl who drops her notebook on the bus just before going missing. Exactly what has caused her to abandon everything and disappear? As Peter slowly reads the diary it yields up details about events in the missing girl’s life – including hints as to just why she felt the need to run away. However these clues never fully explain her behaviour or where she has gone and Peter, concerned for her well being, is compelled to approach her friends and family in a quest for the truth. As his investigation leads him to ever more dark places, Peter’s life starts fragmenting too.
A sinister story full of well observed details on life as it shifts from the everyday into far more disturbing territory, and one I couldn't leave alone until I'd reached the very chilling end.

Excellent debut
This is a fantastic debut from a very gifted writer. Right from the start the story grips you and you want to find out more.

What I really loved about this story is the way that it moves effortlessly through the different stages all the way to the brilliant climax.

It's nice to read novels about places you know. This is the second Nottingham-based crime novel I have read recently and whilst the other one was awful and I wonder how it got to print, I loved this one. I really liked the carachters and the scenes were set very well. The quality of writing is excellent. This is the sort of book that leaves you chomping at the bit for more. I can't wait for the next book by this author! Fantastic!

Intriguing, scary, a great debut
I was really impressed by this book - a first novel, but unlike many first novels where I wonder how they ever found a publisher, I think this one is really good. It's a really tense story, and the suspense made me race through the pages, especially towards the end. The writing is really good too, creating mood and tension, and I really felt I was inside the characters head. I can't wait to read more by this author!