I am thrilled to be part of the #blogtour for Sarah Hilary’s latest DI Marnie Rome book NEVER BE BROKEN and my thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and the publisher for my copy of the book.
About the book: Children are dying on London’s streets. Frankie Reece, stabbed through the heart, outside a corner shop. Others recruited from care homes, picked up and exploited; passed like gifts between gangs. They are London’s lost.
Then Raphaela Belsham is killed. She’s thirteen years old, her father is a man of influence, from a smart part of town. And she’s white. Suddenly, the establishment is taking notice.
DS Noah Jake is determined to handle Raphaela’s case and Frankie’s too. But he’s facing his own turmoil, and it’s becoming an obsession.
DI Marnie Rome is worried, and she needs Noah on side. Because more children are disappearing, more are being killed by the day and the swelling tide of violence needs to be stemmed before it’s too late.
About the author: Sarah Hilary’s debut, Someone Else’s Skin, won Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection for 2016. The Observer’s Book of the Month (‘superbly disturbing’) and a Richard & Judy Book Club bestseller, it has been published worldwide. No Other Darkness, the second in the series was shortlisted for a Barry Award in the US. Her DI Marnie Rome series continued with Tastes Like Fear, Quieter Than Killing and Come And Find Me.
My Review: Be still my beating, broken heart – Oh Sarah – what have you done to me? This is the latest in the wonderful Marnie Rome series, however it really is “all about Noah” in Never Be Broken.
With an opening chapter that had me gasping and imagining the worst, my heart began to break worrying about Marnie and Noah and the rest of cast of characters I’ve grown to love and respect since book 1 (Someone Else’s Skin).
Never Be Broken covers Knife Crime, Gang Culture and the senseless killings of young adults/teenagers in London which is, unfortunately, highly topical at the moment. This makes the story line even more plausible and uncomfortable to read, but once again the author is sensitive whilst writing about these crimes and the youth of today.
Never Be Broken almost “broke” me emotionally, the raw and often brutal account of grief was breathtakingly, beautifully written and whilst there is a crime to solve Never Be Broken concentrates primarily on the main characters and digs deeply into their emotions.
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the bloggers on the #blogtour.
‘Never Be Broken gloriously demonstrates that modern crime fiction really isn’t all about the murders’ Val McDermid
‘It’s brilliant. Tough, tender, absolutely terrifying’ Erin Kelly
‘Deeply contemporary, painfully real, heartbreakingly good’ Mick Herron
‘Just brilliant. Tense, traumatic, clever insightful, beautifully written and it’s very emotional. Sarah Hilary goes from strength to strength’ Liz Barnsley
‘Relevant, gritty and immersive, Hilary demonstrates the police procedural at its absolute best – a masterclass!’ Lucy Atkins
‘The latest in the superb Marnie Rome series. Addictive, chilling, and beautifully written. The timely story pulls you in deep. You care for the characters . FANTASTIC’ Will Dean
‘The Marnie Rome series is magnificent. If you’ve not discovered it yet, you’ve been missing out’ Alex Marwood
‘I have always loved Sarah Hilary’s writing – the Marnie Rome stories are clever and sharp, but they also have the most incredible emotional depth and clarity… I adored it’ Joanna Cannon
‘A novel full of heart, wrapped in a compulsive, page turning thriller that had me speeding through the pages late into the night. Fantastic’ Kate Hamer
‘I loved it, the emotional depth she brings to her characters, her keen sense of social justice, and the up-to-the minute issues she describes’ Cath Staincliffe
‘Beautifully crafted, Never Be Broken is a beating heart of a book. Don’t miss it’ Lucy Dawson
‘Sarah Hilary hits it out of the park again. London was never so shadowy, terrifying or real before’ Jane Casey
‘The writing is razor sharp and deeply insightful, beautifully composed and often heart-breaking in its emotional intensity. Crime fiction doesn’t come much better than this’ Paul Burston
‘Dark, gripping and so well written, Never be Broken is another brilliant addition to the Marnie Rome series.’ Rachel Abbott
‘It’s always such a treat to spend time with DI Marnie Rome. [Sarah Hilary] never fails to deliver a gripping plot with a big beating heart and #NeverBeBroken is no exception. A writer absolutely at the top of her game.’ Ali Land
