What’s it all about?:
Some secrets keep you safe, others will destroy you…
Detective Inspector Marnie Rome. Dependable; fierce; brilliant at her job; a rising star in the ranks. Everyone knows how Marnie fought to come back from the murder of her parents, but very few know what is going on below the surface. Because Marnie has secrets she won’t share with anyone.
But then so does everyone. Certainly those in the women’s shelter Marnie and Detective Sergeant Noah Jake visit on that fateful day. The day when they arrive to interview a resident, only to find one of the women’s husbands, who shouldn’t have been there, lying stabbed on the floor.
As Marnie and Noah investigate the crime further, events begin to spiral and the violence escalates. Everyone is keeping secrets, some for survival and some, they suspect, to disguise who they really are under their skin.
Now, if Marnie is going to find the truth she will have to face her own demons head on. Because the time has come for secrets to be revealed…
What did I think?:
I first came across this book on the Richard and Judy Autumn Book Club list and as I’m a religious follower of the novels they pick, I was looking forward to giving it a go. What I wasn’t expecting was exactly how much I enjoyed it. Our main character is Detective Inspector Marnie Rome who may be excelling in her day-to-day work but underneath is suffering from a great personal tragedy, the murder of her parents. She is, as many of us attempt to do, trying to keep her personal life separate from her work life and is succeeding for the most part, yet still waters run deep and Marnie is dealing with her grief in quite a unique manner. From time to time, she visits the murderer of her parents in prison believing that eventually she will be able to get some answers as to why this person so brutally took the life of her parents.
Throwing herself into work, Marnie and her colleague Detective Sergeant Noah Jake visit a woman’s refuge as they are attempting to persuade a young woman to give evidence against her brothers for a savage attack they perpetuated on her. Unfortunately, things don’t quite go to plan as when they arrive at the refuge, all hell has broken loose. A man lies on the floor, halfway between life and death, stabbed by his wife, who had been staying at the refuge at the time. This is just the beginning of an intriguing and baffling case for the officers involved with a plot which is overflowing with suspense and excitement. There are also a lot of sub-plots going on involving multiple characters which I loved as it held my interest and curiosity. I’m not going to say too much more about the plot as I really don’t want to spoil things for those who haven’t read the book, but believe me you are not going to want to put this book down.
The characterisation in this novel was fantastic. I have to admit, Marnie was a character that kind of grew on me throughout the book, but by the end I loved her. Noah Jake is also another ball of surprises. His sexuality leads to him suffering from discrimination and prejudice (sadly, from his own colleagues) but his partnership with Marnie is a match made in heaven and they bounce off each other perfectly. And as for the plot? What can I say? Intricate, thrilling, compelling, with multiple twists and turns that both tease and delight. For a debut novel, it’s such an accomplishment and has Sarah Hilary sitting up the top with the best of the crime/thriller fiction writers. I’m so excited to hear that there will be more DI Marnie books and I can’t wait until I can get my hands on the next one!
For another perspective on Someone Else’s Skin, please see Cleopatra Loves Books fabulous review HERE.
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
