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DI Marnie Rome #3
Tastes Like Fear
Sarah Hilary won the 2015 Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year with her debut, the 2014 Richard and Judy pick. She followed up with NO OTHER DARKNESS, proclaimed as 'riveting' by Lisa Gardner, 'utterly gripping' by Eva Dolan and 'truly mesmerising' by David Mark. Now D.I. Marnie Rome returns in her third novel.
You'll never be out of Harm's way
The young girl who causes the fatal car crash disappears from the scene.
A runaway who doesn't want to be found, she only wants to go home.
To the one man who understands her.
Gives her shelter.
Just as he gives shelter to the other lost girls who live in his house.
He's the head of her new family.
He's Harm.
DI Marnie Rome has faced many dangerous criminals but she has never come up against a man like Harm. She thinks that she knows families, their secrets and their fault lines. But as she begins investigating the girl's disappearance nothing can prepare her for what she's about to face.
Because when Harm's family is threatened, everything tastes like fear...
You'll never be out of Harm's way
The young girl who causes the fatal car crash disappears from the scene.
A runaway who doesn't want to be found, she only wants to go home.
To the one man who understands her.
Gives her shelter.
Just as he gives shelter to the other lost girls who live in his house.
He's the head of her new family.
He's Harm.
DI Marnie Rome has faced many dangerous criminals but she has never come up against a man like Harm. She thinks that she knows families, their secrets and their fault lines. But as she begins investigating the girl's disappearance nothing can prepare her for what she's about to face.
Because when Harm's family is threatened, everything tastes like fear...
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2016
46 people are currently reading
1084 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Hilary
39 books583 followersSarah’s debut, Someone Else's Skin, won Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and was a World Book Night selection. The Observer's Book of the Month ("superbly disturbing”) and a Richard & Judy Book Club bestseller, it was a Silver Falchion and Macavity Award finalist in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in the series was shortlisted for a Barry Award. Her DI Marnie Rome series continued with Tastes Like Fear (longlisted for Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2017) and Quieter Than Killing (Observer’s Thriller of the Month). Come and Find Me was published in 2018, with Never Be Broken to come in 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
September 6, 2019
Well - so much for MY detection skills, I had almost every character questioned, charged, and put behind bars, but I never did guess who was committing murder most foul, in this excellent third book in the D.I Marnie Rome crime series.
The latest case for DI Rome is the scary world of vulnerable teenage runaways. Someone is giving these runaways shelter - a place of warmth and safety and food. This 'someone' calls himself Harm, but as we are soon to discover, there is a definite 'taste of fear' when the nucleus of Harm's family is threatened in any way. Be warned!
Sarah Hilary doesn't shy away from the darker side of life, and it's easy to see how these teens can so readily fall into the clutches of those with sinister intentions. She takes us into dark and smelly subways, and run-down housing estates where crime is just a normal way of life for it's inhabitants.
There is some really intelligent writing here, and an all pervading air of menace throughout. Add to that, the fact that there are enough red herrings to supply a fish market, and you've got yourself a gem of a read. It's a true page turner that will have you waiting with bated breath for what's coming next - and you just know that there WILL be plenty coming next!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishing for my free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*
The latest case for DI Rome is the scary world of vulnerable teenage runaways. Someone is giving these runaways shelter - a place of warmth and safety and food. This 'someone' calls himself Harm, but as we are soon to discover, there is a definite 'taste of fear' when the nucleus of Harm's family is threatened in any way. Be warned!
Sarah Hilary doesn't shy away from the darker side of life, and it's easy to see how these teens can so readily fall into the clutches of those with sinister intentions. She takes us into dark and smelly subways, and run-down housing estates where crime is just a normal way of life for it's inhabitants.
There is some really intelligent writing here, and an all pervading air of menace throughout. Add to that, the fact that there are enough red herrings to supply a fish market, and you've got yourself a gem of a read. It's a true page turner that will have you waiting with bated breath for what's coming next - and you just know that there WILL be plenty coming next!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishing for my free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review*
March 27, 2016
I'll just give a small insight into my reading experience...
Imagine me, relaxing on a big, comfy sofa with my Kindle and a cup of tea. I'm half way through the book and i'm feeling smug. I'm thinking that I know what's going on and where this is heading. I read a lot of these kind of books. I KNOW.
Then all of a sudden, Sarah Hilary creeps up behind me and smashes me over the head with a brick. I'm shocked. I have tea all over me.
But i'm still having a good time, because the book is brilliant.
The End.
(^this is why I don't write books, just review them)
Once again Sarah Hilary has managed to confound expectations, using a subject matter which has been done before in an innovative and unconventional way. As my teaser review suggests, I was completely fooled by the first half of the book. The author began to weave all the strands of the story and I believed that I knew the end pattern she was creating. Boy, was I wrong. I’m writing this review right after finishing and i’m still punch drunk from the blows. In trying to think of how to describe the second half of the book, all I can say is: ‘I was not expecting that’.
As ever, Hilary’s characters are the biggest draw. Even over the suburb plotting. In this instalment, we get a tantalising glimpse of Marnie's stepbrother, Stephen, all grown up and scary as a nightmare. It is no understatement to say that i’m desperate to find out more about this mystery. There is more darkness to come with this story, I can feel it.
Many thanks to Sarah Hilary, Headline, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Imagine me, relaxing on a big, comfy sofa with my Kindle and a cup of tea. I'm half way through the book and i'm feeling smug. I'm thinking that I know what's going on and where this is heading. I read a lot of these kind of books. I KNOW.
Then all of a sudden, Sarah Hilary creeps up behind me and smashes me over the head with a brick. I'm shocked. I have tea all over me.
But i'm still having a good time, because the book is brilliant.
The End.
(^this is why I don't write books, just review them)
Once again Sarah Hilary has managed to confound expectations, using a subject matter which has been done before in an innovative and unconventional way. As my teaser review suggests, I was completely fooled by the first half of the book. The author began to weave all the strands of the story and I believed that I knew the end pattern she was creating. Boy, was I wrong. I’m writing this review right after finishing and i’m still punch drunk from the blows. In trying to think of how to describe the second half of the book, all I can say is: ‘I was not expecting that’.
As ever, Hilary’s characters are the biggest draw. Even over the suburb plotting. In this instalment, we get a tantalising glimpse of Marnie's stepbrother, Stephen, all grown up and scary as a nightmare. It is no understatement to say that i’m desperate to find out more about this mystery. There is more darkness to come with this story, I can feel it.
Many thanks to Sarah Hilary, Headline, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 2018
Sarah Hilary is a genius. An absolutely shining star of an author and a welcome strong voice in the genre of crime fiction, GOOD crime fiction. I just love the way Sarah writes, her books grab me quickly and the hold is tight. I read this feeling I was unable to devour the story quick enough and everything about me fully engaged in this fictional world, forgetting the world around me.
Tastes Like Fear is an outstanding novel that stands out as the type of crime fiction novel that budding crime novelists should read and study. The book is simply an exceptional read!
There are a lot of great female detectives in book land at the moment but I have to put D.I. Marnie Rome up there with the best and above so many. I adore her, I love the way she thinks, I love how smart she is, I love the soft side that sometimes shines through the strong and determined exterior. She is a formidable woman and holds her own in a world full of men without breaking a sweat. If you have not met her you, you should - you would love her.
I loved the storyline in this book, teenage girls are missing from home, then being found but in that process of being found enter into even more dangerous waters than what they ever thought they were in before. This plot has a great psychological edge to and reveals some astonishing depths around the thoughts, fears and belief systems of teenage girls. Sarah Hilary has a way of making her characters so incredibly real that you feel like you know them inside out. Not one of them is hard to "see" or understand. I am not going to divulge further into the plot except to say it's got some great unique elements to it and will take you on one hell of a ride.
The plot kicks off with a cracking pace from the start and there is not a page of lull in this book, it's continuous, brilliant entertainment that you won't want to end. Some of the twists and surprises in this book are excellent, so much so that not one of them I predicted or saw coming, I spent quite a few moments with my mouth hanging open. This is one cracking crime read!
There was nothing I did not like. From the characters I despised to those that I loved, each and every one took me on a fantastic reading journey. The descriptive wording used in the book at times just blew me away, some paragraphs just honestly stunned me with the beauty of the words and how the words combined to create a scene that seared on my brain. It's impressive stuff.
As the book hurtles towards a close and D.I. Marnie Rome has her sights on solving the cases like a dog with a bone I was riveted, involved and entertained. I swayed with the twists and turns, crashed into a few surprising reveals and found myself wishing every book I ever read was as good as, and as entertaining as this one. Then I would never be bored reading a book again.
It's a no-brainer really - five well awarded stars for what is yet again another incredible book from Sarah Hilary who has rapidly become one of my favourite authors. You know you will get quality writing and a brilliant read with Sarah's name on the cover. Highly recommended and you don't need to read the series in order, so if you have not read the first or second books and this appeals, go for it, but don't forget to go back and read the other two also. This is on my long-list of books vying for my Top Reads of 2016.
Many thanks to Headline Books for an ARC of this novel to read and review.
For more of my book reviews, plenty of awesome books to win, and author Q&A events come to: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
To follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook
Tastes Like Fear is an outstanding novel that stands out as the type of crime fiction novel that budding crime novelists should read and study. The book is simply an exceptional read!
There are a lot of great female detectives in book land at the moment but I have to put D.I. Marnie Rome up there with the best and above so many. I adore her, I love the way she thinks, I love how smart she is, I love the soft side that sometimes shines through the strong and determined exterior. She is a formidable woman and holds her own in a world full of men without breaking a sweat. If you have not met her you, you should - you would love her.
I loved the storyline in this book, teenage girls are missing from home, then being found but in that process of being found enter into even more dangerous waters than what they ever thought they were in before. This plot has a great psychological edge to and reveals some astonishing depths around the thoughts, fears and belief systems of teenage girls. Sarah Hilary has a way of making her characters so incredibly real that you feel like you know them inside out. Not one of them is hard to "see" or understand. I am not going to divulge further into the plot except to say it's got some great unique elements to it and will take you on one hell of a ride.
The plot kicks off with a cracking pace from the start and there is not a page of lull in this book, it's continuous, brilliant entertainment that you won't want to end. Some of the twists and surprises in this book are excellent, so much so that not one of them I predicted or saw coming, I spent quite a few moments with my mouth hanging open. This is one cracking crime read!
There was nothing I did not like. From the characters I despised to those that I loved, each and every one took me on a fantastic reading journey. The descriptive wording used in the book at times just blew me away, some paragraphs just honestly stunned me with the beauty of the words and how the words combined to create a scene that seared on my brain. It's impressive stuff.
As the book hurtles towards a close and D.I. Marnie Rome has her sights on solving the cases like a dog with a bone I was riveted, involved and entertained. I swayed with the twists and turns, crashed into a few surprising reveals and found myself wishing every book I ever read was as good as, and as entertaining as this one. Then I would never be bored reading a book again.
It's a no-brainer really - five well awarded stars for what is yet again another incredible book from Sarah Hilary who has rapidly become one of my favourite authors. You know you will get quality writing and a brilliant read with Sarah's name on the cover. Highly recommended and you don't need to read the series in order, so if you have not read the first or second books and this appeals, go for it, but don't forget to go back and read the other two also. This is on my long-list of books vying for my Top Reads of 2016.
Many thanks to Headline Books for an ARC of this novel to read and review.
For more of my book reviews, plenty of awesome books to win, and author Q&A events come to: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
To follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook
April 20, 2016
Quite simply superb.
Looking back to when the blog was in its infancy, one of the very first advance novels I read was Sarah Hilary’s “Someone Elses Skin” – later to become winner of the 2015 Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year – so began a readers love affair with a new crime fiction series. The day I met Marnie Rome is one I genuinely have not forgotten – not only because it WAS one of the first times I was reading something long before it was published but because of the sheer emotional impact of the story, the writing and the character.
No Other Darkness followed in which the depth of writing went up a notch, the character came into her own, I also fell for Noah and again Sarah Hilary took me to a dark dark place – one of brutal reality, no punches held, no quarter given and managed to make me cry. (Yes I’m a big big baby I cannot lie)
So here we are at Tastes Like Fear then – a novel I am late in reviewing, many have come before me to tell you how great it is, one of my favourite reviews of it can be found HERE
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yes Emma she got tea all over me too!
Sarah Hilary is an incredible writer tis true – but being an incredible writer does not necessarily mean you can tell a STORY – the main thing is Ms Hilary tells a brilliantly plotted, deep, beautifully written, emotionally resonant STORY. Every single time. She messes with her characters (and therefore her readers) she points out flaws in our society with an insightful eye whilst keeping it entertaining, addictive and entirely believable. It is a talent. A rarer one than you might think.
Harm is scary. He is drop down, drop dead scary. There is that. But even MORE scary is the fact that he could be oh so real, the girls he manipulates could be within your eyeline, the person standing behind you in the bus queue could be hiding the darkest secret and you would never know it – this author brings all those possibilities to creepy, delightful life. Those deeper darker things stay with you long after reading any one of her novels and Tastes Like Fear is the best yet.
Reading is very subjective – this is a discussion I’ve had with friends recently – what speaks to one of us may disappoint the next – but for ME the type and quality of fiction that Sarah Hilary (and others) are producing is the type and quality that I love, read for, live for, want on my bookshelves to return to.
Tastes Like Fear is immense. And clever. And Highly Recommended by me. For what its worth.
Looking back to when the blog was in its infancy, one of the very first advance novels I read was Sarah Hilary’s “Someone Elses Skin” – later to become winner of the 2015 Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year – so began a readers love affair with a new crime fiction series. The day I met Marnie Rome is one I genuinely have not forgotten – not only because it WAS one of the first times I was reading something long before it was published but because of the sheer emotional impact of the story, the writing and the character.
No Other Darkness followed in which the depth of writing went up a notch, the character came into her own, I also fell for Noah and again Sarah Hilary took me to a dark dark place – one of brutal reality, no punches held, no quarter given and managed to make me cry. (Yes I’m a big big baby I cannot lie)
So here we are at Tastes Like Fear then – a novel I am late in reviewing, many have come before me to tell you how great it is, one of my favourite reviews of it can be found HERE
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yes Emma she got tea all over me too!
Sarah Hilary is an incredible writer tis true – but being an incredible writer does not necessarily mean you can tell a STORY – the main thing is Ms Hilary tells a brilliantly plotted, deep, beautifully written, emotionally resonant STORY. Every single time. She messes with her characters (and therefore her readers) she points out flaws in our society with an insightful eye whilst keeping it entertaining, addictive and entirely believable. It is a talent. A rarer one than you might think.
Harm is scary. He is drop down, drop dead scary. There is that. But even MORE scary is the fact that he could be oh so real, the girls he manipulates could be within your eyeline, the person standing behind you in the bus queue could be hiding the darkest secret and you would never know it – this author brings all those possibilities to creepy, delightful life. Those deeper darker things stay with you long after reading any one of her novels and Tastes Like Fear is the best yet.
Reading is very subjective – this is a discussion I’ve had with friends recently – what speaks to one of us may disappoint the next – but for ME the type and quality of fiction that Sarah Hilary (and others) are producing is the type and quality that I love, read for, live for, want on my bookshelves to return to.
Tastes Like Fear is immense. And clever. And Highly Recommended by me. For what its worth.
May 12, 2016
So, we come to book three of the DI Marnie Rome series and this one does not fail to entertain.
From the blurb we know that there is a character called Harm and that children are going missing. I'm mindful of plot spoilers so won't delve too deeply there, but what follows is an engaging and excellently plotted tale that doesn't need to be devoured. Not in my opinion, anyways! I might be wrong here but having read the previous two novels and now this one, I've come away thinking that each book seems to take on a slightly different approach, which I think is really clever. No two books feels like it's the same writing style. Book one was a terrific debut showcasing the main characters, book two was a punchy, rollercoaster of a ride that was fast and furious, especially the second half. And this book has a different feel again. Here, for me, the absolute strength was the way layer upon layer was laid out for the reader to explore. There were no hard edges, no cliches, just soft, wonderfully indepth character driven storytelling that can be enjoyed at a steady pace without losing any thread or semblance of what's going on. Ms Hilary has a great talent for capturing the ordinary perfectly. Nuances that are taken for granted or rarely observed are brought to the fore and subtly weaved in. Whether it be place descriptiveness or character insight it's all done with a resonance that feels realistic and not gushy or over the top. That in itself is a winner for me.
As always the plot is woven in ways that keep the reader guessing and whilst in previous books I had an idea where things were going ..... here I really didn't. I mean..... I suspected everyone ..... and came away totally kicking myself for not seeing it. I've said before how I love the main players, namely Marnie and Noah and nothing much changes for me here. They're still great characters and following their storyline is compelling. I'm especially keen to find out more about Marnie's relationship with her brother and am hoping that this aspect will be delved into a lot more in future books... well, I can ask!!
Tastes Like Fear is a terrific read from little players to those taking centre stage. It's addictive but moreover one to be enjoyed for the simply engaging and realistically observed storytelling. A well earned 5* read that I highly recommend. I'm just thrilled that I'm lucky enough to receive an ARC to read and review so my thanks go out for that.
If you haven't started reading this series yet.... it's high time you did!
From the blurb we know that there is a character called Harm and that children are going missing. I'm mindful of plot spoilers so won't delve too deeply there, but what follows is an engaging and excellently plotted tale that doesn't need to be devoured. Not in my opinion, anyways! I might be wrong here but having read the previous two novels and now this one, I've come away thinking that each book seems to take on a slightly different approach, which I think is really clever. No two books feels like it's the same writing style. Book one was a terrific debut showcasing the main characters, book two was a punchy, rollercoaster of a ride that was fast and furious, especially the second half. And this book has a different feel again. Here, for me, the absolute strength was the way layer upon layer was laid out for the reader to explore. There were no hard edges, no cliches, just soft, wonderfully indepth character driven storytelling that can be enjoyed at a steady pace without losing any thread or semblance of what's going on. Ms Hilary has a great talent for capturing the ordinary perfectly. Nuances that are taken for granted or rarely observed are brought to the fore and subtly weaved in. Whether it be place descriptiveness or character insight it's all done with a resonance that feels realistic and not gushy or over the top. That in itself is a winner for me.
As always the plot is woven in ways that keep the reader guessing and whilst in previous books I had an idea where things were going ..... here I really didn't. I mean..... I suspected everyone ..... and came away totally kicking myself for not seeing it. I've said before how I love the main players, namely Marnie and Noah and nothing much changes for me here. They're still great characters and following their storyline is compelling. I'm especially keen to find out more about Marnie's relationship with her brother and am hoping that this aspect will be delved into a lot more in future books... well, I can ask!!
Tastes Like Fear is a terrific read from little players to those taking centre stage. It's addictive but moreover one to be enjoyed for the simply engaging and realistically observed storytelling. A well earned 5* read that I highly recommend. I'm just thrilled that I'm lucky enough to receive an ARC to read and review so my thanks go out for that.
If you haven't started reading this series yet.... it's high time you did!
August 29, 2016
Thank you to Sarah and Headline for the ARC copy of this book.
I always find it quite exciting when I start a new Sarah Hilary book, and this didn't disappoint at all - a sheer pleasure to read.
With a quite unique storyline, this novel is extremely well plotted. The dialogue is faultless and the characters once again, are frighteningly believable - D.I Marnie Rome & D.S Noah Jake have already established themselves as a winning team in crime fiction - brilliant characters.
This is a book I didn't want to put down and always eager to pick back up. Expertly written, scary, sad, psychologically thrilling and tackling the horrid underbelly of the streets of London with an insight that must've taken a lot of research.
I only wish it had been even more gritty, but that is just my taste.
Crime, thriller readers. This is a must read this year. Highly recommended. 5*
I always find it quite exciting when I start a new Sarah Hilary book, and this didn't disappoint at all - a sheer pleasure to read.
With a quite unique storyline, this novel is extremely well plotted. The dialogue is faultless and the characters once again, are frighteningly believable - D.I Marnie Rome & D.S Noah Jake have already established themselves as a winning team in crime fiction - brilliant characters.
This is a book I didn't want to put down and always eager to pick back up. Expertly written, scary, sad, psychologically thrilling and tackling the horrid underbelly of the streets of London with an insight that must've taken a lot of research.
I only wish it had been even more gritty, but that is just my taste.
Crime, thriller readers. This is a must read this year. Highly recommended. 5*
January 18, 2021
After loving the first book, and finding the second a bit messy, what a relief to see a return to form with the third!
Sarah Hilary writes beautifully (messy plotlines or not), and has no fear when it comes to tackling tricky plotlines in a sensitive way. She does tend to have a lot going on with this series, but in Tastes Like Fear, I'm so relieved to see she was able to pare it back - which resulted in a much more streamlined, easy to follow book.
The key good points to this series remain - protagonists in successful, healthy relationships; a really well-tuned balance between following the lives of Marnie and Noah and focussing on the particular case of the book; beautiful writing and sense of place; original but realistic cases. This is a great procedural series, and one I'm happy to continue.
Sarah Hilary writes beautifully (messy plotlines or not), and has no fear when it comes to tackling tricky plotlines in a sensitive way. She does tend to have a lot going on with this series, but in Tastes Like Fear, I'm so relieved to see she was able to pare it back - which resulted in a much more streamlined, easy to follow book.
The key good points to this series remain - protagonists in successful, healthy relationships; a really well-tuned balance between following the lives of Marnie and Noah and focussing on the particular case of the book; beautiful writing and sense of place; original but realistic cases. This is a great procedural series, and one I'm happy to continue.
March 8, 2016
What a brilliant crime thriller! This is the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely adored it. Sarah Hilary writes compelling and complex characters, I loved DI Marnie and Noah. The story is meticulously plotted and a gripping police procedural that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. It also provides social commentary on our world in its focus on teenage runaways, homelessness and the culture on rough council estates.
Teenage girls have gone missing and one is suspected of causing a serious traffic accident. However, this turns out to be erroneous thinking. A missing girl is found dead instigating a search for a killer is on by DI Marnie and Noah. We encounter gangs and troubling council estates. And a mysterious and sinister character called Harm who takes in vulnerable runaways. A controlling man, he is dangerous. In an investigation full of twists and turns, DI Marnie and Noah are determined in their hunt for a killer.
A fabulous book that is well researched and beautifully written. I am delighted to have discovered a new writer who has such a distinctive voice in crime fiction. Many thanks to Headline, the publishers for a copy of the book via netgalley.
Teenage girls have gone missing and one is suspected of causing a serious traffic accident. However, this turns out to be erroneous thinking. A missing girl is found dead instigating a search for a killer is on by DI Marnie and Noah. We encounter gangs and troubling council estates. And a mysterious and sinister character called Harm who takes in vulnerable runaways. A controlling man, he is dangerous. In an investigation full of twists and turns, DI Marnie and Noah are determined in their hunt for a killer.
A fabulous book that is well researched and beautifully written. I am delighted to have discovered a new writer who has such a distinctive voice in crime fiction. Many thanks to Headline, the publishers for a copy of the book via netgalley.
January 3, 2018
Outstanding. Absolutely superb. Wow!
April 7, 2016
I was a bit of a latecomer to this series by Sarah Hilary having started with No Other Darkness last year then having to backtrack to read Someone Else's Skin, both of which can be read as standalone novels and both of which I loved! So it was with great excitement (and rather a great deal of trepidation-those books had a lot to live up to!) that I got an ARC of Tastes Like Fear.
DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake become involved in a murder investigation when the body of a young girl is found. The girl had been involved in a traffic accident along with another teenager when they caused a fatal collision between two cars as they ran, seemingly terrified, across the road. It leads Marnie and Noah into the world of the teenage runaway, those seeking refuge from the world but what if that safe harbour is more evil than the problems they are running from?
What draws me to these books and this one especially is just how normal they seem. Sarah Hilary really seems to have her finger on the pulse of the social and economic problems in the UK and brings us a main character who feels very real to the reader. Both Marnie and Noah have very interesting back stories which are always there in the background moulding their personalities but never interfering in the main events-just making the way they deal with the job more understandable. The atmospheric backdrop of the towers at Battersea Power Station loomed darkly adding a real touch of menace to the crime scenes and the situation that the girls found themselves in.
This book is intricately plotted, perfectly paced and written with an empathetic understanding of the world in which Marnie finds herself. I think this author has now got into her literary stride and has created a very likeable detective pairing that makes readers look forward expectantly to where they go from here. If this is your first taste of Marnie Rome then you will need to clear some time in your schedule as you will want to read her other cases as soon as you can! A well deserved 5* from me!
I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake become involved in a murder investigation when the body of a young girl is found. The girl had been involved in a traffic accident along with another teenager when they caused a fatal collision between two cars as they ran, seemingly terrified, across the road. It leads Marnie and Noah into the world of the teenage runaway, those seeking refuge from the world but what if that safe harbour is more evil than the problems they are running from?
What draws me to these books and this one especially is just how normal they seem. Sarah Hilary really seems to have her finger on the pulse of the social and economic problems in the UK and brings us a main character who feels very real to the reader. Both Marnie and Noah have very interesting back stories which are always there in the background moulding their personalities but never interfering in the main events-just making the way they deal with the job more understandable. The atmospheric backdrop of the towers at Battersea Power Station loomed darkly adding a real touch of menace to the crime scenes and the situation that the girls found themselves in.
This book is intricately plotted, perfectly paced and written with an empathetic understanding of the world in which Marnie finds herself. I think this author has now got into her literary stride and has created a very likeable detective pairing that makes readers look forward expectantly to where they go from here. If this is your first taste of Marnie Rome then you will need to clear some time in your schedule as you will want to read her other cases as soon as you can! A well deserved 5* from me!
I received a copy of this book via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
June 1, 2020
“That no matter how loud you shout, sometimes you’re left alone. Sometimes, no one comes.”
I first met DI Rome a few years back when I did a challenge where I needed to read a book with a character with the same name as mine.
And from that very first book I just knew I discovered a new favorite series. And I wasn't wrong.
These books are just getting better and better. I can't wait for the next one.
I first met DI Rome a few years back when I did a challenge where I needed to read a book with a character with the same name as mine.
And from that very first book I just knew I discovered a new favorite series. And I wasn't wrong.
These books are just getting better and better. I can't wait for the next one.
September 11, 2020
Tastes Like Fear is the third book in Sarah Hilary’s DI Marnie Rome series, but it works perfectly fine as a standalone story. I’d been planning to read the series in order but ended up getting my hands on this one and enjoyed it just fine without any prior knowledge.
Although it took me a while to get into this story, I was hooked and desperate to see how the pieces would come together. There were some details I worked out easily from early in the book, but I remained curious as to how the specifics would play out. With plenty packed into the pages, I powered through this one in no time and am eager to read the other books in the series.
All in all, an addictive read that has me wanting to read more of the series.
Although it took me a while to get into this story, I was hooked and desperate to see how the pieces would come together. There were some details I worked out easily from early in the book, but I remained curious as to how the specifics would play out. With plenty packed into the pages, I powered through this one in no time and am eager to read the other books in the series.
All in all, an addictive read that has me wanting to read more of the series.
August 30, 2021
Tastes Like Fear is the third book in the Detective Inspector Marnie Rome series by Sarah Hilary. This series should be right up my alley: it’s a British police procedural featuring a female protagonist set in an urban landscape with a strong, diverse cast of secondary/supporting characters. But Hilary tends to focus the central questions of the books in the psychology of the characters, not only the perpetrators but also in the investigators. (And this is where she lost me in the first and second books, especially when she put her female protagonist in mortal danger in order to raise the stakes.)
Marnie Rome is a police detective who left home as a rebellious teenager and had the horrendous experience of being called to her childhood neighborhood while on duty to discover the teenage boy her parent had adopted a few years after she left home had brutally murdered them with a kitchen knife. Her primary partner and main supporting character is Detective Sargent Noah Jake, a handsome British-Jamaican, openly gay multiracial cop who all his police colleagues think is being helped by what they call “positive discrimination” in Britain (affirmative action in the USA). Marnie has had experience being a member of an historically excluded group in the London Police and uses her influence to train/nudge Noah to be the best coo he can be and ignore the racist flak he gets from fellow officers and the public alike.
It’s not that I’m opposed to psychological thrillers in general. Other authors I often read and enjoy like Louise Penny, Karin Slaughter and of course Tana French often include this aspect in their books but to me there’s something different and off-putting in the way Hilary’s depicts murderous psychoses and emotional trauma from The ways these other authors do it. I think one aspect may be that they leaven it with either humor/genuine goodness (Penny), romance (Slaughter) and incredibly smooth prose (French) while it seems to play a larger role in Hilary’s books.
All that being said, I decided to dip back into the Marnie Rome series with Tastes Like Fear and I’m glad that I did. DS Jake plays a larger role in Book 3 than he did in Book 1 and since I would read an entire series built around him (Hint! Hint!) this was a plus for me. Another interesting feature of the series is that the central mystery is very different in each outing. This time it’s about missing/runaway teenage girls who are showing up as corpses. So we spend a lot of time in the minds of messed-up teenage girls in Tastes Like Fear, but surprisingly it wasn’t as off-putting as one may have thought. Hilary also sets the story in an area of London where urban blight and runaway construction/gentrification are battling with another, which is basically another front in the ongoing class war in Britain. This is subtly well-done and another interesting part of the book.
Overall, I would say that I am glad I changed my mind and continued the Marnie Rome series by reading Tastes Like Fear. I do intend to finish the entire 6-book series at some point now, with the hope that DS Jake’s role gets bigger in later entries. (I also wouldn’t be opposed to both Noah’s and Marnie’s boyfriends having a larger part in the story.) The two ongoing plot threads that are not resolved invoke siblings(Noah’s brother is trying to escape a sketchy/gang-related youth and Marnie’s murderous half-brother is now old enough for adult prison) and I am curious to see how both stories develop further.
Marnie Rome is a police detective who left home as a rebellious teenager and had the horrendous experience of being called to her childhood neighborhood while on duty to discover the teenage boy her parent had adopted a few years after she left home had brutally murdered them with a kitchen knife. Her primary partner and main supporting character is Detective Sargent Noah Jake, a handsome British-Jamaican, openly gay multiracial cop who all his police colleagues think is being helped by what they call “positive discrimination” in Britain (affirmative action in the USA). Marnie has had experience being a member of an historically excluded group in the London Police and uses her influence to train/nudge Noah to be the best coo he can be and ignore the racist flak he gets from fellow officers and the public alike.
It’s not that I’m opposed to psychological thrillers in general. Other authors I often read and enjoy like Louise Penny, Karin Slaughter and of course Tana French often include this aspect in their books but to me there’s something different and off-putting in the way Hilary’s depicts murderous psychoses and emotional trauma from The ways these other authors do it. I think one aspect may be that they leaven it with either humor/genuine goodness (Penny), romance (Slaughter) and incredibly smooth prose (French) while it seems to play a larger role in Hilary’s books.
All that being said, I decided to dip back into the Marnie Rome series with Tastes Like Fear and I’m glad that I did. DS Jake plays a larger role in Book 3 than he did in Book 1 and since I would read an entire series built around him (Hint! Hint!) this was a plus for me. Another interesting feature of the series is that the central mystery is very different in each outing. This time it’s about missing/runaway teenage girls who are showing up as corpses. So we spend a lot of time in the minds of messed-up teenage girls in Tastes Like Fear, but surprisingly it wasn’t as off-putting as one may have thought. Hilary also sets the story in an area of London where urban blight and runaway construction/gentrification are battling with another, which is basically another front in the ongoing class war in Britain. This is subtly well-done and another interesting part of the book.
Overall, I would say that I am glad I changed my mind and continued the Marnie Rome series by reading Tastes Like Fear. I do intend to finish the entire 6-book series at some point now, with the hope that DS Jake’s role gets bigger in later entries. (I also wouldn’t be opposed to both Noah’s and Marnie’s boyfriends having a larger part in the story.) The two ongoing plot threads that are not resolved invoke siblings(Noah’s brother is trying to escape a sketchy/gang-related youth and Marnie’s murderous half-brother is now old enough for adult prison) and I am curious to see how both stories develop further.
August 17, 2016
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The following is my honest opinion of the book.
A girl, seemingly distressed, runs in front of a car and causes a fatal accident. Marnie Rome and her team are on her trail but before she can be found another girl is found dead. Are the two girls linked? Where have they been staying? It is with Harm, a man who offers shelter to those who live on the streets. But is there more to Harm than meets the eye? Just how safe are the lost girls? After all, home is where Harm is….
There are some authors whose books find you in a quandary. You eagerly await the release of their latest novel but once it is in your hands you want to eek out reading it, delaying the gratification you know will follow, wanting to treasure each moment you have with the world they have created. Sarah Hilary’s books are such books as these. I eagerly await each new Marnie Rome novel, then put off reading it for as long as possible, knowing the wait for the next will be interminable. But then I got to the point I could wait no longer. But worth the wait it was.
It was a joy to return to Marnie’s often dark and twisted world, a world where she has to conquer devilish criminals and her own feelings for her foster brother Stephen Keene, the brother who murdered her parents. Stephen doesn’t feature as much in this story, but he is still there, lurking in the background, casting a sinister shadow over Marnie’s life. It was also great to see more of Noah Jake, and his personal life, insights into his relationship with Dan and background as to the troubled past of his brother Sol. As for the other characters they were all perfectly placed and imagined. They brought with them sadness, fear and pulled the story together perfectly. Particularly Harm, a terrifying yet abstract man, used to hiding his true self, which made the real him, when revealed, all the more terrible.
This case hits close to home for Marnie, involving runaway girls, girls she can see mirroring herself as a teenager. It is with sadness that she can now look back on her actions, and those of her parents, with an adult understanding, one she wishes she could share with the children involved.
A staple of Sarah Hilary’s novels is the choice of an abstract, little known or written about crime or condition as a driving force for the story. This is the case for Tastes Like Fear. Harm casts a strange spell over his victims, one which Marnie and Noah have not experienced before, but find chilling. The clues are carefully revealed, leaving a trail that allows the reader to work out parts of the story just before Marnie and Noah reach the same conclusion. It was as always a great source of reading fun, pitting my investigative wits against Harm, trying to figure out who it was or what had happened.
This is the third novel to feature Marnie Rome and whilst it can be read as a standalone I would urge you to read Someone Else’s Skin and No Other Darkness first, simply so you don’t miss out on such terrific novels.
As always, Sarah Hilary has written a taut, gripping and brilliantly stifling thriller, one which grabs you at the first page and makes you want to cling on until the very end.
In Someone Else’s Skin Sarah Hilary set herself out as one to watch. She is now an author that is firmly on the crime writing scene, and a standout author at that. It is often suggested that genre novels, in particular crime novels, aren’t as ‘worthy’ as literary fiction, not a notion I’d endorse. I’d suggest that whoever says this hasn’t read a novel such as one by Sarah Hilary. She is an author that can be relied upon to create compelling, moving crime thrillers, tackling little mentioned crimes, shied away from or unknown in the wider world but which lend themselves to moving, thought-provoking stories.
Sarah Hilary joins the short list of authors, including Jonathan Kellerman and Donna Leon that I eagerly anticipate. Now that I have devoured Tastes Like Fear I am sadly waiting for the next Marnie Rome novel, and waiting impatiently at that.
A girl, seemingly distressed, runs in front of a car and causes a fatal accident. Marnie Rome and her team are on her trail but before she can be found another girl is found dead. Are the two girls linked? Where have they been staying? It is with Harm, a man who offers shelter to those who live on the streets. But is there more to Harm than meets the eye? Just how safe are the lost girls? After all, home is where Harm is….
There are some authors whose books find you in a quandary. You eagerly await the release of their latest novel but once it is in your hands you want to eek out reading it, delaying the gratification you know will follow, wanting to treasure each moment you have with the world they have created. Sarah Hilary’s books are such books as these. I eagerly await each new Marnie Rome novel, then put off reading it for as long as possible, knowing the wait for the next will be interminable. But then I got to the point I could wait no longer. But worth the wait it was.
It was a joy to return to Marnie’s often dark and twisted world, a world where she has to conquer devilish criminals and her own feelings for her foster brother Stephen Keene, the brother who murdered her parents. Stephen doesn’t feature as much in this story, but he is still there, lurking in the background, casting a sinister shadow over Marnie’s life. It was also great to see more of Noah Jake, and his personal life, insights into his relationship with Dan and background as to the troubled past of his brother Sol. As for the other characters they were all perfectly placed and imagined. They brought with them sadness, fear and pulled the story together perfectly. Particularly Harm, a terrifying yet abstract man, used to hiding his true self, which made the real him, when revealed, all the more terrible.
This case hits close to home for Marnie, involving runaway girls, girls she can see mirroring herself as a teenager. It is with sadness that she can now look back on her actions, and those of her parents, with an adult understanding, one she wishes she could share with the children involved.
A staple of Sarah Hilary’s novels is the choice of an abstract, little known or written about crime or condition as a driving force for the story. This is the case for Tastes Like Fear. Harm casts a strange spell over his victims, one which Marnie and Noah have not experienced before, but find chilling. The clues are carefully revealed, leaving a trail that allows the reader to work out parts of the story just before Marnie and Noah reach the same conclusion. It was as always a great source of reading fun, pitting my investigative wits against Harm, trying to figure out who it was or what had happened.
This is the third novel to feature Marnie Rome and whilst it can be read as a standalone I would urge you to read Someone Else’s Skin and No Other Darkness first, simply so you don’t miss out on such terrific novels.
As always, Sarah Hilary has written a taut, gripping and brilliantly stifling thriller, one which grabs you at the first page and makes you want to cling on until the very end.
In Someone Else’s Skin Sarah Hilary set herself out as one to watch. She is now an author that is firmly on the crime writing scene, and a standout author at that. It is often suggested that genre novels, in particular crime novels, aren’t as ‘worthy’ as literary fiction, not a notion I’d endorse. I’d suggest that whoever says this hasn’t read a novel such as one by Sarah Hilary. She is an author that can be relied upon to create compelling, moving crime thrillers, tackling little mentioned crimes, shied away from or unknown in the wider world but which lend themselves to moving, thought-provoking stories.
Sarah Hilary joins the short list of authors, including Jonathan Kellerman and Donna Leon that I eagerly anticipate. Now that I have devoured Tastes Like Fear I am sadly waiting for the next Marnie Rome novel, and waiting impatiently at that.
April 7, 2016
I was thrilled to receive a copy of this, the latest in the DI Marnie Rome series, from the publishers Headline as Sarah Hilary really has bought something quite special to a genre which already has plenty of sub-genres. This series is not quite a police procedural, there is far too much detail about the perpetrators and victims thoughts, hopes and fears in her books for that, but nor is a full on psychological thriller, as there is the ever-present police work with its procedures and methodology, although refreshingly, not so much about police politics to fit into that category, but hey wherever these books fit, I love them.
Tastes Like Fear didn’t disappoint in any way at all although I was a little wary when I read the synopsis as the words teenagers and harm jumped out at me, but I needn’t have worried because of course Sarah Hilary has tackled the subject of teenage runaways without resorting to endless descriptions of excessive violence, not that this book is all nicey-nicey, but I really got the feeling that this is a book that will take you behind the headlines, to the reality of life as a teen in the UK (and probably many other places in the world too.)
As in the previous two books there are multiple strands of plot as Marnie Rome and her partner DS Noah Jakes are off trying to find out who the girl was that caused a fatal traffic accident by running out into the road half-dressed. With two sets of casualties from the car accident, a missing runaway girl what the pair don’t need is a body found in a show-room apartment at Battersea Power Station. Just working out how whoever killed the girl could get into the building is a big enough puzzle. And that’s without the personal issues that both are facing with their brothers. These storylines subtly intersect with the other strands of the novel enhancing the story without taking over the investigation into a number of missing girls in the Bristol area.
One of the best things about this series is that it is firmly set in the present time; the author covers subjects as wide as gangs terrorising a council estate along with the misplaced teenagers who are disenfranchised for a whole variety of reasons, and not those that we instantly think of. The way some of our young people need to hide in a world where privacy isn’t always possible. With all the secondary characters as finely drawn as the chief protagonists, this is one book where I didn’t doubt for one moment that the story which was unfolding before my eyes could happen, the mark of a truly skilled writing by Sarah Hilary.
Although the reader has an insight into where the girls are and what is happening in their lives through short excerpts that doesn’t mean that this is a book without a mystery and nor is it one without action, I found myself gripping the book tightly as the ending got nearer and everything began to become clear.
This is an outstanding read, one I would recommend to anyone who likes intelligent crime fiction, this is a book that made me think about those who evade our eyes in the busy modern world. Although I’m sure this would work well-enough as a stand-alone read, you will be missing out if you don’t experience this series from the beginning.
I’d like to thank the publishers Headline who sent me a proof copy of Tastes Like Fear prior to publication on 7 April 2016. This review is my thank you to them.
Tastes Like Fear didn’t disappoint in any way at all although I was a little wary when I read the synopsis as the words teenagers and harm jumped out at me, but I needn’t have worried because of course Sarah Hilary has tackled the subject of teenage runaways without resorting to endless descriptions of excessive violence, not that this book is all nicey-nicey, but I really got the feeling that this is a book that will take you behind the headlines, to the reality of life as a teen in the UK (and probably many other places in the world too.)
As in the previous two books there are multiple strands of plot as Marnie Rome and her partner DS Noah Jakes are off trying to find out who the girl was that caused a fatal traffic accident by running out into the road half-dressed. With two sets of casualties from the car accident, a missing runaway girl what the pair don’t need is a body found in a show-room apartment at Battersea Power Station. Just working out how whoever killed the girl could get into the building is a big enough puzzle. And that’s without the personal issues that both are facing with their brothers. These storylines subtly intersect with the other strands of the novel enhancing the story without taking over the investigation into a number of missing girls in the Bristol area.
One of the best things about this series is that it is firmly set in the present time; the author covers subjects as wide as gangs terrorising a council estate along with the misplaced teenagers who are disenfranchised for a whole variety of reasons, and not those that we instantly think of. The way some of our young people need to hide in a world where privacy isn’t always possible. With all the secondary characters as finely drawn as the chief protagonists, this is one book where I didn’t doubt for one moment that the story which was unfolding before my eyes could happen, the mark of a truly skilled writing by Sarah Hilary.
Although the reader has an insight into where the girls are and what is happening in their lives through short excerpts that doesn’t mean that this is a book without a mystery and nor is it one without action, I found myself gripping the book tightly as the ending got nearer and everything began to become clear.
This is an outstanding read, one I would recommend to anyone who likes intelligent crime fiction, this is a book that made me think about those who evade our eyes in the busy modern world. Although I’m sure this would work well-enough as a stand-alone read, you will be missing out if you don’t experience this series from the beginning.
I’d like to thank the publishers Headline who sent me a proof copy of Tastes Like Fear prior to publication on 7 April 2016. This review is my thank you to them.
October 26, 2022
I've read the previous "Marnie Rome" books & I have to say I'm surprised by this - surprised that it's even better than the last two! You may think that a novel about runaways couldn't hold anything new but oh my friend, how wrong you'd be....
This a is a cleverly plotted novel that comes together in a way that kept me engrossed. It's gritty, at times it's heart-breaking (I'm thinking about poor Loz in particular) but most of all it's believable. The characters are all credible with Marnie & Noah in particular, having good, solid personalities that makes me want to read about them again..& again...
As I said, it's a bit of a different take on runaways & homelessness with the story revealing something that came wholly unexpected to me on more than one occasion - how I love to be caught unawares, it just doesn't happen enough these days! In short, I'd highly recommend this series & I shall be hunting book four down shortly...
This a is a cleverly plotted novel that comes together in a way that kept me engrossed. It's gritty, at times it's heart-breaking (I'm thinking about poor Loz in particular) but most of all it's believable. The characters are all credible with Marnie & Noah in particular, having good, solid personalities that makes me want to read about them again..& again...
As I said, it's a bit of a different take on runaways & homelessness with the story revealing something that came wholly unexpected to me on more than one occasion - how I love to be caught unawares, it just doesn't happen enough these days! In short, I'd highly recommend this series & I shall be hunting book four down shortly...
April 7, 2016
Tastes Like Fear is number three in the DI Marnie Rome series. The previous two, Someone Else's Skin and No Other Darkness have both been reviewed on my blog. This is a series that I very much look forward to and I was delighted to receive an advance copy.
This is a series that just gets better. Sarah Hilary doesn't shy away from the darker side of life and this story will keep you completely engrossed. The scene is set from the start with a young girl walking into the road and causing a fatal car crash. She then disappears.
Marnie and Noah are searching for a missing teen. When a body is found, their investigations lead them to the world of the homeless and dispossessed. Vulnerable young homeless girls are being lured off the streets into what they think is a place of safety. However the truth is far more sinister and dangerous than they could imagine.
The run down council estates, where residents are terrorised by gangs of children, the backdrop of Battersea Power Station, the tunnels where homeless young people spend their days - all these locations add to the chilling atmosphere and frighteningly realistic story.
Marnie Rome is of my favourite female detectives. She has an insight and empathy with the youngsters that she encounters and can recognise something of her younger self in them. Her life took a different path but it could so easily have mirrored theirs. Her working relationship with Noah Jake is noticeably different and develops with each book. She may be his superior officer, but she trusts his judgement and relies on his insight a great deal. There is definitely something even more sinister to come with the story between Marnie and her foster brother, Stephen Keele, and I can't wait to see which way this story will go. Noah's private life also plays a more prominent part - although his relationship with his partner Dan is strong, his younger brother Sol has always been a problem and Noah is concerned that Sol is getting himself into some deep trouble.
Tastes Like Fear is a frightening and realistic commentary on modern society and how easy it is for people to fall into the clutches of those who wish them harm. The writing is descriptive but not so much that it pulls you out of the story; the tension and pace never let up and the clever twists and gradual reveals of information will keep you turning the pages.
This could be read as a standalone but the characters of Marnie and Noah are developing with each book and I strongly advise you to read the previous two books in the series to get the best out of the series.
Sarah Hilary is a top quality crime author. Her debut, Someone Else's Skin, won the 2015 Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year and was also a Richard and Judy selection. Tastes Like Fear, I think, is her best yet and I am sure will gain her a following of new fans.
I can hardly wait for next year for number 4 in the series. I need my Marnie fix now!
This is a series that just gets better. Sarah Hilary doesn't shy away from the darker side of life and this story will keep you completely engrossed. The scene is set from the start with a young girl walking into the road and causing a fatal car crash. She then disappears.
Marnie and Noah are searching for a missing teen. When a body is found, their investigations lead them to the world of the homeless and dispossessed. Vulnerable young homeless girls are being lured off the streets into what they think is a place of safety. However the truth is far more sinister and dangerous than they could imagine.
The run down council estates, where residents are terrorised by gangs of children, the backdrop of Battersea Power Station, the tunnels where homeless young people spend their days - all these locations add to the chilling atmosphere and frighteningly realistic story.
Marnie Rome is of my favourite female detectives. She has an insight and empathy with the youngsters that she encounters and can recognise something of her younger self in them. Her life took a different path but it could so easily have mirrored theirs. Her working relationship with Noah Jake is noticeably different and develops with each book. She may be his superior officer, but she trusts his judgement and relies on his insight a great deal. There is definitely something even more sinister to come with the story between Marnie and her foster brother, Stephen Keele, and I can't wait to see which way this story will go. Noah's private life also plays a more prominent part - although his relationship with his partner Dan is strong, his younger brother Sol has always been a problem and Noah is concerned that Sol is getting himself into some deep trouble.
Tastes Like Fear is a frightening and realistic commentary on modern society and how easy it is for people to fall into the clutches of those who wish them harm. The writing is descriptive but not so much that it pulls you out of the story; the tension and pace never let up and the clever twists and gradual reveals of information will keep you turning the pages.
This could be read as a standalone but the characters of Marnie and Noah are developing with each book and I strongly advise you to read the previous two books in the series to get the best out of the series.
Sarah Hilary is a top quality crime author. Her debut, Someone Else's Skin, won the 2015 Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year and was also a Richard and Judy selection. Tastes Like Fear, I think, is her best yet and I am sure will gain her a following of new fans.
I can hardly wait for next year for number 4 in the series. I need my Marnie fix now!
March 21, 2016
This is the third book in the increasingly popular series featuring DI Marnie Rome and her team.
Young girls, who are on the run and homeless are disappearing and Marnie Rome and her team are tasked with finding them. It turns out that the girls are becoming part of a bigger family with a man nicknamed ‘Harm’ as head of the clan. Some of the girls end up dead but the questions that need to be answered are “how” and “why”?
My first reaction on finishing this book was “wow, wow, wow”. I have enjoyed all three of Sarah’s books but for me this was the best of the three. The series just improves as each new book is released.
This book is really well written and horrifyingly realistic in that it deals with subjects, which are certainly topical, such as homelessness, abuse & grooming. The runaways accept “Harm” at face value and are grateful to him, as they view his place as a safe haven. However they fail to understand quite how dangerous his hospitality could turn out to be. I found that this book encourages the reader to reassess certain situations and see things differently.
I love the way Sarah writes her characters and I especially love the way that they all link up with one another. DI Marnie Rome is an ambitious lady who has been “damaged” by past experiences. Her parents were murdered by her foster brother, who was infatuated with her and who genuinely thought that the murders were what she wanted. Tim Welland (Marnie’s boss) takes a paternal type of role in her life. He was there when her parents were found and he has looked after her ever since. It is as if he now feels responsible for her. DS Noah Jake is Marnie’s work partner. Noah is young, ambitious, black and gay. Noah has faced prejudice for most of his life and yet he still behaves with dignity, pride and he remains civil at all times. In spite of the problems that Noah has faced, he is kind, compassionate, patient and he has faced adversity at work and at home. Noah is in a long term relationship and lives with his partner. Noah also cares for his easily led younger brother, who is possibly involved with gang culture.
I found that reading this book was like being on a rollercoaster ride in that there were plenty of twists, turns and stomach churning moments. Just when you thought that your stomach had started to settle, off it went again. There were definitely several OMG moments.
I would definitely recommend this book to others and I can’t wait to read further books in this series. This is one series that you really do not want to miss.
Young girls, who are on the run and homeless are disappearing and Marnie Rome and her team are tasked with finding them. It turns out that the girls are becoming part of a bigger family with a man nicknamed ‘Harm’ as head of the clan. Some of the girls end up dead but the questions that need to be answered are “how” and “why”?
My first reaction on finishing this book was “wow, wow, wow”. I have enjoyed all three of Sarah’s books but for me this was the best of the three. The series just improves as each new book is released.
This book is really well written and horrifyingly realistic in that it deals with subjects, which are certainly topical, such as homelessness, abuse & grooming. The runaways accept “Harm” at face value and are grateful to him, as they view his place as a safe haven. However they fail to understand quite how dangerous his hospitality could turn out to be. I found that this book encourages the reader to reassess certain situations and see things differently.
I love the way Sarah writes her characters and I especially love the way that they all link up with one another. DI Marnie Rome is an ambitious lady who has been “damaged” by past experiences. Her parents were murdered by her foster brother, who was infatuated with her and who genuinely thought that the murders were what she wanted. Tim Welland (Marnie’s boss) takes a paternal type of role in her life. He was there when her parents were found and he has looked after her ever since. It is as if he now feels responsible for her. DS Noah Jake is Marnie’s work partner. Noah is young, ambitious, black and gay. Noah has faced prejudice for most of his life and yet he still behaves with dignity, pride and he remains civil at all times. In spite of the problems that Noah has faced, he is kind, compassionate, patient and he has faced adversity at work and at home. Noah is in a long term relationship and lives with his partner. Noah also cares for his easily led younger brother, who is possibly involved with gang culture.
I found that reading this book was like being on a rollercoaster ride in that there were plenty of twists, turns and stomach churning moments. Just when you thought that your stomach had started to settle, off it went again. There were definitely several OMG moments.
I would definitely recommend this book to others and I can’t wait to read further books in this series. This is one series that you really do not want to miss.
April 26, 2016
This a truely remarkable book that works on a number of levels. It is a story about misplaced childhood and the struggle to be understood and loved by someone especially when parental love is not expressed. It is about missing children and the effect that has on families especially siblings.
It has a real sense of place, set in London, where new developments fail to impact on large council estates. Both looking onto the former power station and symbol of the old and the renewed.
I loved the sense of safety and security, that was missing for homeless young people and ex-servicemen alike but could be found in relationships, order and routine.
At the heart of this book is what motivates someone to kill. How secrets are kept and people can hide in plain sight. But the driving factor of this book is how young people could be taken from the streets and be offered a sense of home by someone they can grow to respect and love but whose motives are unclear.
This is especially so when we learn that one leaves the group and others are seemingly killed when their usefulness is passed or they have breached some hidden rule or their purpose fulfilled.
Another terrific novel from Sarah Hilary who writes with the insight into human characteristics while being able to understand what makes for tense and thrilling writing.
The book is not a crusading account for better social care but it has sufficient depth to point that a little give on both sides would improve teenagers and their parents; communication can not be put off as barriers will be established and made secure. The homeless are sometimes the lost and the lonely, who need support from a society that believes in their value and worth.
The premise of this novel is that when others step in for different reasons whose motives can become warped the homeless and young people are the most vulnerable.
I was pleased this book was not about sexual exploitation but within the research undertaken by the author is an insight into how minds and emotions can be manipulated. It is a dark tale where no-one is quite who they appear, and as a police procedural is a balanced book on the issues modern policing encounters.
I loved the reality of the voices given to the younger characters especially but Hilary's gift is the wider portrayal of established characters whose lives we care about and learn are as frail as we often feel.
An author rapidly making a name for herself; this latest novel will only enhance her reputation further.
It has a real sense of place, set in London, where new developments fail to impact on large council estates. Both looking onto the former power station and symbol of the old and the renewed.
I loved the sense of safety and security, that was missing for homeless young people and ex-servicemen alike but could be found in relationships, order and routine.
At the heart of this book is what motivates someone to kill. How secrets are kept and people can hide in plain sight. But the driving factor of this book is how young people could be taken from the streets and be offered a sense of home by someone they can grow to respect and love but whose motives are unclear.
This is especially so when we learn that one leaves the group and others are seemingly killed when their usefulness is passed or they have breached some hidden rule or their purpose fulfilled.
Another terrific novel from Sarah Hilary who writes with the insight into human characteristics while being able to understand what makes for tense and thrilling writing.
The book is not a crusading account for better social care but it has sufficient depth to point that a little give on both sides would improve teenagers and their parents; communication can not be put off as barriers will be established and made secure. The homeless are sometimes the lost and the lonely, who need support from a society that believes in their value and worth.
The premise of this novel is that when others step in for different reasons whose motives can become warped the homeless and young people are the most vulnerable.
I was pleased this book was not about sexual exploitation but within the research undertaken by the author is an insight into how minds and emotions can be manipulated. It is a dark tale where no-one is quite who they appear, and as a police procedural is a balanced book on the issues modern policing encounters.
I loved the reality of the voices given to the younger characters especially but Hilary's gift is the wider portrayal of established characters whose lives we care about and learn are as frail as we often feel.
An author rapidly making a name for herself; this latest novel will only enhance her reputation further.
August 17, 2016
Having read books one and two and really enjoying them, I wondered whether this book Would be as enjoyable, well I was wrong, Sarah once again kept the main characters and there are undertones from the two previous books mainly to do with Di Marnie Rome's character and her past namely Stephen the young man who committed a horrific crime that touched Marnie's life personally. I will say no more well worth reading the books in order. Although they are individual stories, I liked understanding some of the few references to past characters. I like the way Marnie's character seems to have grown as a person in her job and in particular her relationship with her colleague DS Jake they work so well as a team. My only qualm was that I was time short as I would have liked to have completed this book in one sitting. If you like thrillers then this book is for you.
June 27, 2016
A. D. I. Marnie Rome thriller.
Joe Eaton swerved his Audi trying not to hit the girl who had run out in front of him. The sixteen year old girl literally walked away. Twelve weeks ago the police had been looking for Mary Beswick, known as May Beswick. The girl who joe described to the police that ran out in front of his Audi was skinny with red hair. To the police this doesn't seem to be like the missing school girl Mary Beswick that the police are looking for. But could Mary Beswick in twelve weeks be skinny now and to have dyed her hair red? As the police investigation begins into the girls disappearance nothing can prepare them for what they are about to face.
Joe Eaton swerved his Audi trying not to hit the girl who had run out in front of him. The sixteen year old girl literally walked away. Twelve weeks ago the police had been looking for Mary Beswick, known as May Beswick. The girl who joe described to the police that ran out in front of his Audi was skinny with red hair. To the police this doesn't seem to be like the missing school girl Mary Beswick that the police are looking for. But could Mary Beswick in twelve weeks be skinny now and to have dyed her hair red? As the police investigation begins into the girls disappearance nothing can prepare them for what they are about to face.
February 28, 2016
The third book in the Marnie Rome series does not disappoint. A hard hitting story about young teenage runaways and the search for a killer when a missing girl is found dead. Delving deep into the murky world of gangs and troubled kids on housing estates and also touching on the emotions of youngsters wanting to fit in and feel loved. I would definitely recommend this book.
April 5, 2016
I've read each one in the series and loved the way in which the author takes a topical subject and then turns it on its head, shows that there are much deeper issues underneath the obvious ones. This time it's the topic of runaway teenagers and homelessness and it's perhaps the best to date of an already outstanding series.
July 15, 2020
The first half of this was okay - police procedural, some interesting hooks which compelled me to continue reading - and I was successfully drawn in by this tale of teenage girl runaways going missing, taken in by a mysterious benefactor.. connected to a dead body and an apparent escapee involved in a road accident. Though there was a little too much soap opera between the characters, a little too much clunky introspection in a matter which started to feel unrealistic, it held promise.
It ended up disappointing me, however. The interestingly complex plot became too ridiculous and inconceivable in the final parts of the book, several members of the public behaving in an unbelievable manner, and a reliance on disbelief not so much suspended as utterly dispensed with. Had this not been happening in the final quarter of a book I would have given up in disgust, but as it was.. I carried on and finished. It'll appeal to some, it wasn't all bad, but it wasn't my kind of thing in the end.
It ended up disappointing me, however. The interestingly complex plot became too ridiculous and inconceivable in the final parts of the book, several members of the public behaving in an unbelievable manner, and a reliance on disbelief not so much suspended as utterly dispensed with. Had this not been happening in the final quarter of a book I would have given up in disgust, but as it was.. I carried on and finished. It'll appeal to some, it wasn't all bad, but it wasn't my kind of thing in the end.
April 4, 2020
A gripping and heartbreaking story of runaway teens, DI Marnie Rome was busy again.
Tastes Like Fear is pretty much Jake's showtime than Marnie but their investigation still kept me on edge. Especially the wicked twist........didn't see it coming!
Tastes Like Fear is pretty much Jake's showtime than Marnie but their investigation still kept me on edge. Especially the wicked twist........didn't see it coming!
January 9, 2016
Tastes Like Fear, by Sarah Hilary, is the third book in the DI Marnie Rome series of crime thrillers. It is preceded by the 2015 Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year, Someone Else’s Skin and its fabulously disturbing sequel, No Other Darkness. All of these books may be read and enjoyed standalone. I was fortunate to receive an early proof copy, hot off the press. It went straight to the top of my TBR pile and was devoured within a day. This is crime fiction of the highest calibre.
The author takes the difficult theme of teenage runaways, surviving unseen, a blight within the shadows of London; and creates a fast paced, twisty and riveting tale. Set in and around the iconic remains of Battersea Power Station, between the glass boxes rising up on their fetid foundations to provide protected homes for the wealthy, we are introduced to the dregs of a broken society. Those with homes in the remaining ghettos live in fear. Those without homes look at any sort of shelter as safer than life on the streets.
In a junction between the worlds of the despised and the revered there is a car crash. A partially clothed teenager runs across a road causing a driver to swerve into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Seemingly decent families’ lives are thrown into turmoil by life threatening injuries. The girl who caused the accident has disappeared.
Marnie Rome and her sidekick Noah are called in to investigate. There is a possibility that the girl could be May Beswick, photogenic and therefore cared about by a fickle public, missing for twelve weeks and of a family from whom she should have had no reason to run. Eye witnesses confirm that May was not the mysterious girl, but subsequent investigations suggest a possible link between her and other teenage runaways. She lived a life that her parents knew nothing about.
The story is told from several points of view. There exists a ‘safe’ house run by a man named Harm who collects lost girls in order to care for them. They are his family but they must do as they are told. He lectures them on the dangers that lurk in the outside world from which he rescued them and where they may no longer go. He provides clothes, food and shelter but demands a compliant, childlike purity in return.
Alternating between the stories of the girls in Harm’s dubious refuge is the progression of what soon becomes a multiple murder investigation. Accident investigators take over the details of the crash, eager to press charges against one of the drivers. Marnie and Noah are left to search for the terrified looking girl who ran across the road. It is possible she found shelter in a run down housing estate, but it is populated by people with no reason or desire to help the police.
Each time I thought ‘it could be him’ there was a reveal that opened up new and chilling possibilities. Every character is significant and preconceptions are played with before facts remind that all is rarely as it first seems. The writing has depth which belies the ease with which the chapters are read. This is the work of a skilled writer with a sharp and uncompromising understanding of how individuals allow themselves to be manipulated.
At no point did I guess the denouement; I had wandered down several blind alleys along the way. It was a masterful tidying up of threads, some of which I had not even noticed until the reason for their inclusion was made clear. This is truly a book where every word has fought for its place.
I couldn’t wait to reach the end to find out who had done the deeds and why. I then felt bereft that I had allowed myself to finish such an enjoyable read so quickly.
If you enjoy crime thrillers then add this to your wish list for the coming year. It is devious, dark, deliciously chilling. A formidable addition to an accomplished series that just keeps getting better and better.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
The author takes the difficult theme of teenage runaways, surviving unseen, a blight within the shadows of London; and creates a fast paced, twisty and riveting tale. Set in and around the iconic remains of Battersea Power Station, between the glass boxes rising up on their fetid foundations to provide protected homes for the wealthy, we are introduced to the dregs of a broken society. Those with homes in the remaining ghettos live in fear. Those without homes look at any sort of shelter as safer than life on the streets.
In a junction between the worlds of the despised and the revered there is a car crash. A partially clothed teenager runs across a road causing a driver to swerve into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Seemingly decent families’ lives are thrown into turmoil by life threatening injuries. The girl who caused the accident has disappeared.
Marnie Rome and her sidekick Noah are called in to investigate. There is a possibility that the girl could be May Beswick, photogenic and therefore cared about by a fickle public, missing for twelve weeks and of a family from whom she should have had no reason to run. Eye witnesses confirm that May was not the mysterious girl, but subsequent investigations suggest a possible link between her and other teenage runaways. She lived a life that her parents knew nothing about.
The story is told from several points of view. There exists a ‘safe’ house run by a man named Harm who collects lost girls in order to care for them. They are his family but they must do as they are told. He lectures them on the dangers that lurk in the outside world from which he rescued them and where they may no longer go. He provides clothes, food and shelter but demands a compliant, childlike purity in return.
Alternating between the stories of the girls in Harm’s dubious refuge is the progression of what soon becomes a multiple murder investigation. Accident investigators take over the details of the crash, eager to press charges against one of the drivers. Marnie and Noah are left to search for the terrified looking girl who ran across the road. It is possible she found shelter in a run down housing estate, but it is populated by people with no reason or desire to help the police.
Each time I thought ‘it could be him’ there was a reveal that opened up new and chilling possibilities. Every character is significant and preconceptions are played with before facts remind that all is rarely as it first seems. The writing has depth which belies the ease with which the chapters are read. This is the work of a skilled writer with a sharp and uncompromising understanding of how individuals allow themselves to be manipulated.
At no point did I guess the denouement; I had wandered down several blind alleys along the way. It was a masterful tidying up of threads, some of which I had not even noticed until the reason for their inclusion was made clear. This is truly a book where every word has fought for its place.
I couldn’t wait to reach the end to find out who had done the deeds and why. I then felt bereft that I had allowed myself to finish such an enjoyable read so quickly.
If you enjoy crime thrillers then add this to your wish list for the coming year. It is devious, dark, deliciously chilling. A formidable addition to an accomplished series that just keeps getting better and better.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
October 23, 2020
Auf "Puppenheim" war ich schon sehr gespannt, da mich die Kurzbeschreibung direkt angesprochen hat. Ich mag Geschichten, in denen es um verschwundene Menschen geht und London ist immer ein toller Ort, der viel hergibt, von daher waren meine Erwartungen doch relativ hoch. Leider entpuppte sich "Puppenheim" jedoch als eine recht fade Angelegenheit, bei der man die Spannung quasi suchen musste, denn diese war nahezu nicht spürbar.
Wenn junge Frauen verschwinden und später ihre Leichen gefunden werden, die dazu auch noch wie Puppen aufgebahrt werden, ist dies an sich ein ziemlich interessanter Plot. Umso bedauerlicher ist es, dass der Schreibstil bei mir nicht zünden konnte. Die Autorin verstrickt sich in zahlreiche Erklärungen und Wiederholungen, ohne dabei auf den berühmten roten Faden zu achten oder eine gewisse Spannung zu erzeugen. Stattdessen plätschert die Geschichte vor sich hin und brachte kaum überraschende Wendungen mit sich, sodass ich mich immer mehr gelangweilt und oftmals nur noch quergelesen habe.
Auch die Figuren konnten mich leider nicht überzeugen. Von Marnie Rome, eine Ermittlerin bei der Kriminalpolizei in London, habe ich mir letztendlich mehr erhofft. Leider wurde sie jedoch sehr klischeehaft gezeichnet, denn natürlich hat auch sie eine gewisse Vergangenheit, weshalb sie überhaupt Ermittlerin geworden ist und natürlich (!) ist sie genau deswegen auch die Beste ihres Faches. Das kann man natürlich mögen, mein Fall war es allerdings nicht.
Letztendlich hat mir der Fall rund um die verschwundenen jungen Frauen und dessen Ermittlungen so wenig zugesagt, dass ich das Buch nach etwas mehr als der Hälfte abgebrochen habe.
Wenn junge Frauen verschwinden und später ihre Leichen gefunden werden, die dazu auch noch wie Puppen aufgebahrt werden, ist dies an sich ein ziemlich interessanter Plot. Umso bedauerlicher ist es, dass der Schreibstil bei mir nicht zünden konnte. Die Autorin verstrickt sich in zahlreiche Erklärungen und Wiederholungen, ohne dabei auf den berühmten roten Faden zu achten oder eine gewisse Spannung zu erzeugen. Stattdessen plätschert die Geschichte vor sich hin und brachte kaum überraschende Wendungen mit sich, sodass ich mich immer mehr gelangweilt und oftmals nur noch quergelesen habe.
Auch die Figuren konnten mich leider nicht überzeugen. Von Marnie Rome, eine Ermittlerin bei der Kriminalpolizei in London, habe ich mir letztendlich mehr erhofft. Leider wurde sie jedoch sehr klischeehaft gezeichnet, denn natürlich hat auch sie eine gewisse Vergangenheit, weshalb sie überhaupt Ermittlerin geworden ist und natürlich (!) ist sie genau deswegen auch die Beste ihres Faches. Das kann man natürlich mögen, mein Fall war es allerdings nicht.
Letztendlich hat mir der Fall rund um die verschwundenen jungen Frauen und dessen Ermittlungen so wenig zugesagt, dass ich das Buch nach etwas mehr als der Hälfte abgebrochen habe.
March 18, 2016
D.I. Rome and her team are on the hunt for missing girls, with a killer leaving bodies like breadcrumbs, revealing the darker side of London.
This was my first time reading one of D.I. Marnie Rome books, and I received this one from Netgalley.
I loved it! It was a fantastic and thrilling story, and I felt in no way impeded by the fact that I haven't read the rest of the series. This book is excellent as a stand-alone. Even the plotlines that are obviously arcs to cover the whole series, are perfectly easy to absorb and understand.
I will definitely be diving into the other books in the series.
But anyways, let's get back to Tastes Like Fear.
I loved the setting, with the focusses on normal, and very average London. Of the council estates where everyone keeps their heads down, just trying to survive physically and mentally to the next step. Of the homeless, and children who just want to get lost. Those with real problems; and those with minor problems that magnify until they can't cope.
I thought it was all portrayed in a perfect balance; Hilary doesn't try to glamorise, or dramatise the lives of these down-and-outs. They're just people, just communities, getting on with their daily life, doing what they have to do.
As the arguments and conflicts continue, and the facts all roll out, I was surprised how naturally my pity shifted from one person to another, when you learn of their perspective.
Everything worked together so well, and built on the surrounding plots.
D.I. Marnie Rome and D.S. Noah Jake are great characters, when it comes to the case they are professional and insightful; at home they are human. They are still strong, but they have families and problems that shadow them.
The supporting cast are all good, well-rounded characters, even the ones that you only meet briefly.
Loz was one of my favourites; a thirteen-year-old girl ready to take on the world; aware of all its evils and still not daunted. She was a hero, as far as I'm concerned.
The plot itself is very clever. From the beginning, you know the girls involved; where they're being kept and why. But it keeps you guessing at to who the murderer is; who Harm is; where the safehouse is. Just as you start to think that you've pieced it all together, something comes along to change everything.
The first half of the book is pleasant to read, with a few teasers along the way. I felt that it got a little bit repetitive in places, with some circular thinking, mulling over the same facts and thoughts; but I suppose it helped make everything a very natural progression.
So yeah, up until that point I was thinking it was a solid 4 stars.
From around page 300, I could not put this book down. The rest of the story flew by, filled with nail-biting confrontations; and more than a few revelations that made me pause!
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not going to say any more. I would definitely recommend picking up this book.
This was my first time reading one of D.I. Marnie Rome books, and I received this one from Netgalley.
I loved it! It was a fantastic and thrilling story, and I felt in no way impeded by the fact that I haven't read the rest of the series. This book is excellent as a stand-alone. Even the plotlines that are obviously arcs to cover the whole series, are perfectly easy to absorb and understand.
I will definitely be diving into the other books in the series.
But anyways, let's get back to Tastes Like Fear.
I loved the setting, with the focusses on normal, and very average London. Of the council estates where everyone keeps their heads down, just trying to survive physically and mentally to the next step. Of the homeless, and children who just want to get lost. Those with real problems; and those with minor problems that magnify until they can't cope.
I thought it was all portrayed in a perfect balance; Hilary doesn't try to glamorise, or dramatise the lives of these down-and-outs. They're just people, just communities, getting on with their daily life, doing what they have to do.
As the arguments and conflicts continue, and the facts all roll out, I was surprised how naturally my pity shifted from one person to another, when you learn of their perspective.
Everything worked together so well, and built on the surrounding plots.
D.I. Marnie Rome and D.S. Noah Jake are great characters, when it comes to the case they are professional and insightful; at home they are human. They are still strong, but they have families and problems that shadow them.
The supporting cast are all good, well-rounded characters, even the ones that you only meet briefly.
Loz was one of my favourites; a thirteen-year-old girl ready to take on the world; aware of all its evils and still not daunted. She was a hero, as far as I'm concerned.
The plot itself is very clever. From the beginning, you know the girls involved; where they're being kept and why. But it keeps you guessing at to who the murderer is; who Harm is; where the safehouse is. Just as you start to think that you've pieced it all together, something comes along to change everything.
The first half of the book is pleasant to read, with a few teasers along the way. I felt that it got a little bit repetitive in places, with some circular thinking, mulling over the same facts and thoughts; but I suppose it helped make everything a very natural progression.
So yeah, up until that point I was thinking it was a solid 4 stars.
From around page 300, I could not put this book down. The rest of the story flew by, filled with nail-biting confrontations; and more than a few revelations that made me pause!
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not going to say any more. I would definitely recommend picking up this book.
March 27, 2016
Tastes Like Fear, out on 7 April, is the third novel in Sarah Hilary's DI Marnie Rome series.
Tastes Like Fear, Hardback Like its predecessors, Tastes Like Fear is a dark, London-set police procedural in which Marnie Rome and her team are pitted against a deeply disturbed, sinister antagonist (this isn't a spoiler; we see Rome's quarry in action right from the start, although we're obviously unaware of their identity or motive).
The story begins with a car accident caused by a half-dressed teenage girl staggering out into the road - and apparently wandering off immediately afterwards. Could she be May Beswick, a 16-year-old recently missing from her apparently stable home? Or could she be one of any number of other errant teens who drift to the capital when there's nowhere else to go? Either way, we soon learn that someone, known only as Harm, is offering street kids somewhere 'safe' to stay - but at what price?
Tastes Like Fear is perhaps the grittiest of the three Marnie Rome novels in terms of setting - this is a perfectly portrayed world of decaying tower blocks, hostels and underpasses where rough sleepers congregate, a world populated by homeless ex-soldiers, troubled teenagers and feral children. And yet somehow, the quiet, ordered environment provided by Harm is infinitely more terrifying - Hilary is adept at evoking the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere of a closed world that constantly teeters on the knife-edge of one person's terrifyingly fragile sanity. There isn't a great deal of overt violence in this novel, and yet the horror is absolutely genuine.
As before, Marnie is still tortured by the presence of Stephen Keele, the foster brother who murdered her parents some years previously, and continues, from his young offenders' institute, to take a keen interest in her career. Although we learnt a little about Stephen's background in the previous book, I do think more will have to be revealed about him soon: although he and his unsettling obsession with Marnie remain fascinating, I don't think Stephen can remain a mystery forever if this element of the books is to continue to hold my interest.
It does feel as if there's less of Marnie herself in this instalment in the series, although this isn't a criticism at all. She's still a strong and perceptive presence and, aided by her team, is the driving force for the ultimate resolution of the plot; plus, a lot of her back-story is now already known to us and doesn't need to be heavily reiterated.
There really is very little to find fault with in Tastes Like Fear; if you enjoy horror-tinged crime novels full of surprising twists, in which killers' motives are primarily psychological, the Marnie Rome novels are probably something you'd enjoy, and like Sarah Hilary's previous books, this one is a masterclass in pace and plot.
Thank you to Sarah Hilary's publisher for providing me with a copy of Tastes Like Fear to review via NetGalley.
Tastes Like Fear, Hardback Like its predecessors, Tastes Like Fear is a dark, London-set police procedural in which Marnie Rome and her team are pitted against a deeply disturbed, sinister antagonist (this isn't a spoiler; we see Rome's quarry in action right from the start, although we're obviously unaware of their identity or motive).
The story begins with a car accident caused by a half-dressed teenage girl staggering out into the road - and apparently wandering off immediately afterwards. Could she be May Beswick, a 16-year-old recently missing from her apparently stable home? Or could she be one of any number of other errant teens who drift to the capital when there's nowhere else to go? Either way, we soon learn that someone, known only as Harm, is offering street kids somewhere 'safe' to stay - but at what price?
Tastes Like Fear is perhaps the grittiest of the three Marnie Rome novels in terms of setting - this is a perfectly portrayed world of decaying tower blocks, hostels and underpasses where rough sleepers congregate, a world populated by homeless ex-soldiers, troubled teenagers and feral children. And yet somehow, the quiet, ordered environment provided by Harm is infinitely more terrifying - Hilary is adept at evoking the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere of a closed world that constantly teeters on the knife-edge of one person's terrifyingly fragile sanity. There isn't a great deal of overt violence in this novel, and yet the horror is absolutely genuine.
As before, Marnie is still tortured by the presence of Stephen Keele, the foster brother who murdered her parents some years previously, and continues, from his young offenders' institute, to take a keen interest in her career. Although we learnt a little about Stephen's background in the previous book, I do think more will have to be revealed about him soon: although he and his unsettling obsession with Marnie remain fascinating, I don't think Stephen can remain a mystery forever if this element of the books is to continue to hold my interest.
It does feel as if there's less of Marnie herself in this instalment in the series, although this isn't a criticism at all. She's still a strong and perceptive presence and, aided by her team, is the driving force for the ultimate resolution of the plot; plus, a lot of her back-story is now already known to us and doesn't need to be heavily reiterated.
There really is very little to find fault with in Tastes Like Fear; if you enjoy horror-tinged crime novels full of surprising twists, in which killers' motives are primarily psychological, the Marnie Rome novels are probably something you'd enjoy, and like Sarah Hilary's previous books, this one is a masterclass in pace and plot.
Thank you to Sarah Hilary's publisher for providing me with a copy of Tastes Like Fear to review via NetGalley.
March 27, 2016
Tastes Like Fear by Sarah Hilary is published by Headline, in hardback on 7 April 2016, and is the third in the DI Marnie Rome series. The first; Someone Else's Skin was published in August 2014, followed by No Other Darkness in April 2015.
DI Marnie Rome and her partner DS Noah Jake find themselves in the midst of one of the most intriguing and frightening cases of their careers. A road traffic accident, caused by a mystery girl who stepped out in front of a car. The girl has vanished, but in her wake there is a trail of destruction, and horror and mystery.
Sarah Hilary takes the reader down two paths; we accompany Marnie and Noah as they try to unravel the increasingly complicated case. We are also privy to the dark and sordid events that are unfolding nearby. Young girls are disappearing, and it's not too long before the link between them, and the accident are made, but how are they linked, and where are they?
Tastes Like Fear is elaborately plotted, it is full of twists and turns, nothing is quite as it seems. Every time you think that you know where the story is leading, you find that you've actually been cleverly taken up the wrong path, and Sarah Hilary throws a curve ball once again. My mind was racing, my brain felt quite fried, I was absolutely hooked by every unexpected direction that I was led in.
Marnie Rome is a multi-layered character. She's strong, intelligent and capable, but she is also consumed by her own personal demons. Her life sometimes mirrors those of both the victims and the perpetrators in the cases that she works on, and the themes running through Tastes Like Fear are remorse and redemption, and how each individual deals with events from the past. Sarah Hilary cleverly aligns Marnie's history with the unfolding story, which allows our heroine to have a deeper understanding of why things happen, yet also make her think deeply about her past and how she is going to start to deal with it.
Tastes Like Fear buzzes with tension, it is the sort of book that makes your jaw ache as you grind your teeth with nervous anticipation. Sarah Hilary's writing is astute and detailed, there are horrific events and abhorrent characters within this story, yet there is absolutely nothing gratuitous within it. The author leads the reader to the events and characters and allows us to to take over from there, it is the imagined horror of the situation that she paves the way for, and we do the rest.
It sounds strange to describe a novel that has such dark and disturbing subject matters as beautifully written, but it really really is. There are metaphors and descriptions of place, person and events that are quite breathtaking. The pace is perfect, the characters are developed so very well, it is unflinching and engrossing.
I am a huge huge fan, Tastes Like Fear is a triumph; brutal, honest and quite brilliant.
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