Quieter Than Killing by Sarah Hilary Book Review

BLURB

Sarah Hilary, winner of the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, returns with a new Marnie Rome novel, QUIETER THAN KILLING. The Daily Mail heralds Sarah as one of 'Britain's best new crime writers' - For fans of Val McDermid and Mo Hayder.

Sometimes staying silent is the only way to survive

'You only ever ask that. Why did I do it? You never ask what they did.'

The winter cold is biting, and a series of assaults is pulling DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake out into the frosty, mean streets of London far more than they'd like. The attacks seem random, but when Marnie's family home is ransacked, there are signs that the burglary can have only been committed by a child - and someone who knows all about her. It will take a prison visit to her foster brother, Stephen, to help Marnie see the connections - and to force both her and Noah to face the truth about the creeping, chilling reaches of a troubled upbringing. For how can a damaged child really leave their past behind them?

MY THOUGHTS 

Quieter Than Killing by Sarah Hilary, is quite simply superb. It is the kind of novel that you could quite happily lose an afternoon to and I read it in a heartbeat.

In the latest instalment in the Marine Rome series, Marnie and Noah are investigating a series of assaults. Each victim has been convicted of a serious crime and no matter how hard they have tried to move on it appears that someone isn’t ready to put the past in its place.

Sarah’s writing is second to none. I love her writing style and descriptive techniques which she uses expertly to build Marnie’s world and you really feel as though you are seeing London through her eyes. In her latest book, Sarah introduces us to DCS Ferguson who has been drafted in from Manchester whilst Marnie’s boss, Tim Welland is on temporary leave. Undoubtedly there are tensions between Marnie’s team and her new boss. I thought that this was a great idea for Sarah to explore and it added something fresh to the series as well which I liked.

Marnie’s relationship with her foster brother Stephen is also explored further in this book. For those of you who have not read Sarah’s previous novels, in the opening pages of Someone Else’s Skin (book one) we learn that Stephen Keele, murdered Marnie’s parents when he was only fourteen-years-old. The scenes with just the two of them talking really have me on the edge of my seat and hanging on every word that is said. As the reader I really felt Marnie’s pain, she is still fighting to understand what made Stephen do what he did. It makes you wonder why she keeps going back to see him it’s almost as though he is a drug to her.

Another reason why I was looking forward to reading this book was because I was featuring as a character in the story after winning an auction this year for the CLIC Sargent charity for children with cancer. I felt that I couldn’t finish this review without mentioning my character. Sarah, I loved my role in the story, there were several moments where I had to chuckle to myself, particularly when I meet Marnie for the first time.

Once again, Sarah has proved herself to be at the top of her game. Her books always leave you with a hunger for more and I’m already looking forward to the next installment in the series.

I can’t recommend Quieter Than Killing highly enough. And if you haven’t read the previous novels in the series, Someone Else’s Skin, No Other Darkness and Tastes Like Fear are available to buy now. Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for the review copy. 

Publisher: Headline

Print length: 416 pages

Publication date: 9th March 2017

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