Sibel Hodge
Author of The Fashion Police
About the Author
Series
Works by Sibel Hodge
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Awards and honors
- Shortlisted for Harry Bowling Prize 2008, Highly Commended by Yeovil Literary Prize 2009, Runner up Chapter One Pormotions Novel Competition 2010, Norminated Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010 by The Romance Reviews
- Short biography
- Sibel Hodge has dual British/Turkish Cypriot nationality, dividing her time between Hertfordshire and North Cyprus. She is a qualified personal trainer, sports and massage therapist, and writes freelance feature articles on health, fitness, and various lifetyle subjects. Prior to this, she also worked for Hertfordshire Constabulary for ten years.
Her first novel, Fourteen Days Later, was short listed for the Harry Bowling Prize 2008 and received a highly commended by the Yeovil Literary Prize 2009. It is a romantic comedy with a unique infusion of British and Turkish Cypriot culture. Written in a similar style to Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes, Fourteen Days Later is My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Bridget Jones. My Perfect Wedding is the sequel to Fourteen Days Later, although it can be read as a standalone novel.
The Fashion Police is her second novel and was a runner up in the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition 2010 and nominated Best Novel with Romantic Elements 2010 by The Romance Reviews. It is a screwball comedy-mystery, combining murder and mayhem with romance and chick-lit, and the first in a series featuring feisty, larger-than-life insurance investigator, Amber Fox. Written in a similar style to Janet Evanovich and Myron Bolitar, The Fashion Police is Stephanie Plum meets Harlan Coben. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
I can often be found browsing the 3 for £10 on Amazon, so when I saw a few bloggers reading Beneath the Surface it miraculously found its way into my basket. Feeling a bit guilty about buying yet more books, I wrapped it up and gave it as a gift to my Mam ensuring that I would get it to read it too - RESULT! There was method in my madness: my Mam has a medical background, having worked in various parts of the health service for all of her working life, so I knew she would appreciate this show more book. She didn't just appreciate it, she LOVED it and plans to pass it on to family and friends.
Holly lost touch with her good friend, Jess, when Holly went to London to pursue her career in journalism. When Holly finds herself back in her hometown, she thinks she has all the time in the world to reconnect with Jess, but then Jess and her husband are found murdered by their own son, Dean. Nobody can understand what drove Dean to commit such an act, it seems so out of character for him. So Holly starts to investigate but she doesn't realise how far this web reaches and that some people will do ANYTHING to stop the truth getting out.
Beneath the Surface is my first Sibel Hodge book but I will definitely be looking at her back catalogue. I love books with even a grain of truth in them, and knowing a bit about pharmaceutical companies, I'm sure that Beneath the Surface has a whole bushel of truth in it. We know there is big money in pharmaceuticals, and I'm not for one minute suggesting that companies would go to the extremes in Beneath the Surface, but when the board is pressurised into making profit, when do morals outweigh money?
Beneath the Surface is a very clever thriller that leaves you with so much food for thought. How many of us walk out of the doctors' surgery with that magical green slip in our hand? It promises to make us feel better and we put 100% trust in the doctor who gave it to us, but we need to remember that our slip of green turns into another slip of green with the Queen's head on it once we 'cash it in'. What many people don't realise is that incentives are offered for doctors to prescribe certain drugs. What I didn't realise is that doctors could prescribe 'off-label' so that if a drug hasn't been recommended for a particular age group, they can legally prescribe it to this untested age group.
This book isn't necessarily about Prozac but I have heard about the effects of Prozac and find it amazing that a common side effect of anti-depressant drugs is suicidal thoughts. Surely then, it is the wrong drug to administer to a person already depressed and considering suicide? Then again, if the doctor gets an all-expenses trip to Barbados for prescribing the drug, why wouldn't they prescribe it to all and sundry? I remember a few years ago when everyone seemed to come away from the doctors with a prescription for codeine. Now we see news articles about the addictive nature of codeine and I wonder who should be held accountable. The doctors for prescribing it or the pharmaceutical reps for 'pushing' it?
I've digressed from the book slightly, but you can see how thought-provoking I found Beneath the Surface to be. It's a cracking thriller with that little bit extra that makes it a book I will definitely remember and continually recommend. show less
Holly lost touch with her good friend, Jess, when Holly went to London to pursue her career in journalism. When Holly finds herself back in her hometown, she thinks she has all the time in the world to reconnect with Jess, but then Jess and her husband are found murdered by their own son, Dean. Nobody can understand what drove Dean to commit such an act, it seems so out of character for him. So Holly starts to investigate but she doesn't realise how far this web reaches and that some people will do ANYTHING to stop the truth getting out.
Beneath the Surface is my first Sibel Hodge book but I will definitely be looking at her back catalogue. I love books with even a grain of truth in them, and knowing a bit about pharmaceutical companies, I'm sure that Beneath the Surface has a whole bushel of truth in it. We know there is big money in pharmaceuticals, and I'm not for one minute suggesting that companies would go to the extremes in Beneath the Surface, but when the board is pressurised into making profit, when do morals outweigh money?
Beneath the Surface is a very clever thriller that leaves you with so much food for thought. How many of us walk out of the doctors' surgery with that magical green slip in our hand? It promises to make us feel better and we put 100% trust in the doctor who gave it to us, but we need to remember that our slip of green turns into another slip of green with the Queen's head on it once we 'cash it in'. What many people don't realise is that incentives are offered for doctors to prescribe certain drugs. What I didn't realise is that doctors could prescribe 'off-label' so that if a drug hasn't been recommended for a particular age group, they can legally prescribe it to this untested age group.
This book isn't necessarily about Prozac but I have heard about the effects of Prozac and find it amazing that a common side effect of anti-depressant drugs is suicidal thoughts. Surely then, it is the wrong drug to administer to a person already depressed and considering suicide? Then again, if the doctor gets an all-expenses trip to Barbados for prescribing the drug, why wouldn't they prescribe it to all and sundry? I remember a few years ago when everyone seemed to come away from the doctors with a prescription for codeine. Now we see news articles about the addictive nature of codeine and I wonder who should be held accountable. The doctors for prescribing it or the pharmaceutical reps for 'pushing' it?
I've digressed from the book slightly, but you can see how thought-provoking I found Beneath the Surface to be. It's a cracking thriller with that little bit extra that makes it a book I will definitely remember and continually recommend. show less
I had a hard time deciding on a rating for this book. I detested the main character from the beginning. I could find nothing about the story that rated anything other than the 1 lonely, solitary star that I gave it. Olivia, the heroine, and I use the term loosely. was a despicable character that I just couldn't find any reason to even begin to try to like. Her father-in-law suffers from Alzheimer, but he confesses to a murder. A murder that only may, and probably is, only in his jumbled show more mind, but Olivia disregards the advice of everyone...her husband, her brother-in-law...her sister-in-law who all said he was a sick old man, and the "murder", if it indeed there ever was a murder, was supposed to have happen years ago. Off Olivia goes to the police with the information. The police determine that no murder had occurred. The father-in-law divulges additional confessions and Olivia is off and running once again. Oliva thought that the supposed murder victim was a former friend of hers, so she decides it is her "duty" as the former "best friend" of this person to solve the mystery. Sometimes things are best left alone as Olivia soon learns that her "best friend" was not all who, or what, she thought she was, but hey, let's rally to her defense anyway. What added to my dislike of Olivia was that every time she thought she had a clue she immediately jumped to the most negative response that went from her weak little mind to her uncontrollable mouth. Anyone who was associated with the new clue was immediately determined, by her, to be guilty. Even her husband was accused of some horrific crimes. As for Olivia...Can we say "sanctimonious"? By the middle of the book, I had thoughts of closing Olivia and her goody two shoes' opinions, tightly between the pages, but I wanted so badly to see her get everything that she deserved. Sadly, I was disappointed. I do believe this was the worst book I have EVER read. I'm going to post this before I take the 1 star away. show less
When I read the first page of Sibel Hodge’s Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave, I knew to proceed with caution. Hodge notes that the novella is inspired by “real victims’ accounts and research into the sex trafficking underworld.” I wondered if Hodge would be able to engage the reader while drawing attention to the actual issue or, on the contrary, entertain readers with a story loosely based on an important issue à la Stieg Larsson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Not to show more disparage Larsson’s juxtaposition of a touchy subject with an entertaining storyline but the socially conscious writer must realize the importance of balance and these two possible outcomes when writing a book with a phrase like “sex slave” in the title.
Fortunately, the novella does seem more focused on bringing attention to the issue rather than simply entertaining readers. While the story is obviously engaging, as evidenced by my finishing the fifty-three pages in one sitting, I do have one suggestion for improvement. Rather than being told that “people [are] going about their life as if everything in the world is normal” (pg. 12) or having it pointed out how unnatural it is for a woman to be a part of the trafficking industry (pg.6), I wish I was provided with the sensory descriptions and/or details necessary for me to make these conclusions myself. Readers, by their very nature, have the imagination necessary to draw conclusions or understand irony on their own. The novella may have been more successful at drawing attention to the horrors of sex slavery and the trafficking industry by allowing the reader to use these innate skills more often. Once, when she has obviously gone through a horrid ordeal, Hodge’s main character, Elena, does make the following statement: “I have not written much because I do not want to describe the things they make me do. You can imagine every depravity and increase it a hundred times, then you will understand” (pg. 16). From that statement I know that Hodge has faith in her readers' imaginations. I just wish she would have more readily relied on it throughout the novella.
In conclusion, I laud Hodge, a self-described “chicklit” author, for stepping outside of her preferred genre to draw attention to such an important, under-addressed twenty-first century issue. By doing this herself, she will most likely draw the attention of a whole readership who may not have been aware of the pain and suffering many women across the world still go through today in the unfortunately enduring practice of sex slavery. show less
Fortunately, the novella does seem more focused on bringing attention to the issue rather than simply entertaining readers. While the story is obviously engaging, as evidenced by my finishing the fifty-three pages in one sitting, I do have one suggestion for improvement. Rather than being told that “people [are] going about their life as if everything in the world is normal” (pg. 12) or having it pointed out how unnatural it is for a woman to be a part of the trafficking industry (pg.6), I wish I was provided with the sensory descriptions and/or details necessary for me to make these conclusions myself. Readers, by their very nature, have the imagination necessary to draw conclusions or understand irony on their own. The novella may have been more successful at drawing attention to the horrors of sex slavery and the trafficking industry by allowing the reader to use these innate skills more often. Once, when she has obviously gone through a horrid ordeal, Hodge’s main character, Elena, does make the following statement: “I have not written much because I do not want to describe the things they make me do. You can imagine every depravity and increase it a hundred times, then you will understand” (pg. 16). From that statement I know that Hodge has faith in her readers' imaginations. I just wish she would have more readily relied on it throughout the novella.
In conclusion, I laud Hodge, a self-described “chicklit” author, for stepping outside of her preferred genre to draw attention to such an important, under-addressed twenty-first century issue. By doing this herself, she will most likely draw the attention of a whole readership who may not have been aware of the pain and suffering many women across the world still go through today in the unfortunately enduring practice of sex slavery. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
I love the simple but powerful cover and it definitely pertains to the story inside. Does it make you curious? Good! I love Sibel Hodge’s work and was so excited when she gave me a copy for review.
Detective Warren Carter retired…with a haunting secret, so when the call came from the Chief Superintendent of the Professional Standards Department, he was on full alert. She wanted his help and gave him free rein to investigate. He felt the justice system failed many, all politics, all the show more time, so he didn’t always follow the rules, going rogue and I like that. I feel his frustration. This time, it was with approval.
Nice touch, with the old neighbor. I felt his feebleness, oldness, loneliness.
I wondered how Warren and Becky’s cases would intersect.
Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge is one of those books that takes off early, ticking me off, getting my emotion in an uproar. Human trafficking and enslavement. The reason for the women’s abductions was a new one for me and that just added to my disgust. I loved trying to understand what could possibly make someone think that is okay. Delving into the minds of twisted characters fascinates me.
Becky…she eats often…she’s a grazer. I almost snorted out loud. LOL Sibel Hodge’s writing. She creates complex characters and she knows how to ‘show’ their personalities.
Early on, I find HER very fishy. My spidey senses are tingling and instinct is a valuable tool when reading, writing, and investigating.
I love flawed characters and Warren is one for sure. I would want him and Becky in my corner if I am ever in trouble. Their tenacity and instinct lead them to success.
Well done, Sibel. You hooked me from beginning to end. The characters are filled with depth and personality and that made me me love and hate them. The storyline is one I am familiar with, kidnapping and trafficking, but you added that little bit extra that I am always looking for, getting my emotion in an uproar, filling me with disgust at the villains and empathy with those that can find no way out of the position they find themselves in, just because they wanted a better life. Their Last Breath has the feeling of reality, of events that go on today.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge.
See more at http://www.fundinmental.com show less
Detective Warren Carter retired…with a haunting secret, so when the call came from the Chief Superintendent of the Professional Standards Department, he was on full alert. She wanted his help and gave him free rein to investigate. He felt the justice system failed many, all politics, all the show more time, so he didn’t always follow the rules, going rogue and I like that. I feel his frustration. This time, it was with approval.
Nice touch, with the old neighbor. I felt his feebleness, oldness, loneliness.
I wondered how Warren and Becky’s cases would intersect.
Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge is one of those books that takes off early, ticking me off, getting my emotion in an uproar. Human trafficking and enslavement. The reason for the women’s abductions was a new one for me and that just added to my disgust. I loved trying to understand what could possibly make someone think that is okay. Delving into the minds of twisted characters fascinates me.
Becky…she eats often…she’s a grazer. I almost snorted out loud. LOL Sibel Hodge’s writing. She creates complex characters and she knows how to ‘show’ their personalities.
Early on, I find HER very fishy. My spidey senses are tingling and instinct is a valuable tool when reading, writing, and investigating.
I love flawed characters and Warren is one for sure. I would want him and Becky in my corner if I am ever in trouble. Their tenacity and instinct lead them to success.
Well done, Sibel. You hooked me from beginning to end. The characters are filled with depth and personality and that made me me love and hate them. The storyline is one I am familiar with, kidnapping and trafficking, but you added that little bit extra that I am always looking for, getting my emotion in an uproar, filling me with disgust at the villains and empathy with those that can find no way out of the position they find themselves in, just because they wanted a better life. Their Last Breath has the feeling of reality, of events that go on today.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge.
See more at http://www.fundinmental.com show less
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 38
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 875
- Popularity
- #29,265
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 87
- ISBNs
- 80
- Languages
- 5
