PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Published by Headline
Ebook & Hardback: 9 March 2017 | Paperback 5 October 2017
It’s winter, the nights are dark and freezing, and a series of seemingly random assaults is pulling DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake out onto streets of London. When Marnie’s family home is ransacked, there are signs that the burglary can have only been committed by someone who knows her. Then a child goes missing, yet no-one has reported it. Suddenly, events seem connected, and it’s personal.
Someone out there is playing games. It is time for both Marnie and Noah to face the truth about the creeping, chilling reaches of a troubled upbringing. Keeping quiet can be a means of survival, but the effects can be as terrible as killing.
Regular followers of my blog may have seen from previous posts that I am a huge fan of this series which has gone from strength to strength. All three previous books in the series have been reviewed here on the blog – Someone Else’s Skin (#1 – 2014), No Other Darkness (#2 – 2015), Tastes Like Fear (#3 – 2016). As generally, one book is released each year, you can imagine my excitement at the prospect of a new Marnie Rome story.
In my humble opinion, book #4, Quieter than Killing, is the best yet. Over the series, the main characters have been evolving, each with their own back story being developed to show the person behind the police ID badge. With each book, we learn a little more about their home life, their families, and the problems and stresses they bring by association. Aside from Marnie’s complicated issues, Noah is again having problems with his younger brother Sol. It seems that Sol is again in a big pile of trouble and unwittingly brings it to Noah’s door.
Brutal attacks have been taking place, seemingly at random, with one attack leading to a death. With suggestions that a vigilante may be responsible, Marnie and her team have their work cut out in finding who is behind them. Add into the mix a 10 year old missing boy who may or may not be connected to the attacks and at times events get a little too close to comfort for Marnie. Her back story is a tragic but also an intriguing one and now with book number 4, a little more is revealed as to the events of six years before. Her relationship with her foster brother Stephen Keele is under the spotlight again here as other people are manipulating her situation for their own ends. There is definitely more to come from the Marnie/Stephen angle and I’m intrigued to know what further revelations are afoot in the next book.
As usual the characterisations are spot on and totally believable. Marnie’s trusted superior Commander Welland is out of the picture for the time being and his place has been taken by DCS Rebecca Ferguson. There is clearly no love lost between the two women and although at times you could feel the hostility cutting through the atmosphere, there was also a grudging respect. I can’t see those two ever being friends but you can guarantee that Noah has Marnie’s back.
The pace never lets up here – the race against time to find the missing boy; finding those responsible for the attacks and trying to keep one step ahead. When one of her team is taken down, Marnie comes under even more pressure to find the culprits.
I hope Sarah Hilary never decides to give Noah a promotion which would take him away from Marnie. I love the way these two work together – over the series they have bonded and formed a genuine friendship and not just a working partnership. As well as familiar faces in the investigation team, a new character has been introduced – Harry Kennedy. I enjoyed his interaction with Marnie and it would be good to see him appear in a future story.
This is another cracking read from Sarah Hilary and there is now an impatient wait until book 5! If you are new to this series, you could jump straight in with this one without any loss of enjoyment – but why would you want to when the previous books are so good too.
My thanks to Katie and the publisher Headline, for the paperback ARC to review.
About the author:
Sarah Hilary has worked as a bookseller, and with the Royal Navy. Her debut novel, SOMEONE ELSE’S SKIN, won the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2015. It was the Observer’s Book of the Month (“superbly disturbing”), a Richard & Judy Book Club bestseller, and has been published worldwide. NO OTHER DARKNESS, the second in the series was published in 2015. The Marnie Rome series continued in 2016 with TASTES LIKE FEAR. Sarah lives in Bath. The Marnie Rome series is being developed for television.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon UK | Goodreads
