Children are dying on London's streets. Frankie Reece, stabbed through the heart, outside a corner shop. Others recruited from care homes, picked up and exploited; passed like gifts between gangs. They are London's lost.
Then Raphaela Belsham is killed. She's thirteen years old, her father is a man of influence, from a smart part of town. And she's white. Suddenly, the establishment is taking notice.
DS Noah Jake is determined to handle Raphaela's case and Frankie's too. But he's facing his own turmoil, and it's becoming an obsession. DI Marnie Rome is worried, and she needs Noah on side. Because more children are disappearing, more are being killed by the day and the swelling tide of violence needs to be stemmed before it's too late.NEVER BE BROKEN is a stunning, intelligent and gripping novel which explores how the act of witness alters us, and reveals what lies beneath the veneer of a glittering city.
Never Be Broken by Sarah Hilary is published by Headline in hardback on 16 May 2019, and is the sixth in the DI Marnie Rome series.
My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. I am delighted to open the #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour today with my review.
Sarah Hilary has long been one of my favourite crime writers. Her Marnie Rome series is absolutely excellent and has gone from strength to strength with each instalment. I think I've said it about each book, but Never Be Broken really is the best so far.
Not only does this incredibly talented author bring a crime story with a bang up-to-date plot line to her readers, she does with with such elegance and style. There are phrases and paragraphs that are so beautifully put together that I could weep. Once more, my copy is full of turned-down corners, marking the many many passages that took my breath away.
Marnie and her DS; Noah Jake are investigating the murders of children. Children are being stabbed on the streets of London. These children are the poor and the disadvantaged; those whose lives appear to be worthless, unless they are running messages or hiding drugs for the gangs of the City. Then they are important; but only to themselves. Being part of a gang; being needed; probably for the first time in their lives. Until the day they are in the wrong place at the wrong time and they become just another face on the board in the police station incident room.
Raphaela Belsham was thirteen years old when she was killed during a drive-by shooting. However, Raffa is not just another gang kid; she's from a wealthy area of London, her Dad is a big shot in business, and she's not black. Suddenly Marnie and Noah find themselves embroiled in far more than teenage gang wars.
Noah is still grieving for his brother Sol who died in prison. Noah's guilt about his part in Sol being imprisoned overshadows everything that he does. He 'sees' Sol and talks to him; he knows it's his subconscious, but its as though he's punishing himself. Making himself suffer for what happened to his brother. He is determined that he will work on this case, but is he really ready?
I cant think of a crime novel that I've enjoyed more than this in a very very long time. Never Be Broken is captivating, ingenious and totally gripping. This author's ability to get into the mind of her characters and portray their innermost thoughts is truly spectacular. The drama of the tightly woven and highly complex murder cases along with the slow unravelling of Noah's mental state is expertly and compassionately handled.
Sarah Hilary is an extraordinarily good writer; head and shoulders above most of the competition in this genre. Never Be Broken is dark, thrilling and explosive. Nothing is predictable and every word is perfection.
Sarah Hilary's debut novel, 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 has been published worldwide. NO OTHER DARKNESS, the second in the series was shortlisted for a Barry Award in the US. Her DI Marnie Rome series continues with TASTES LIKE FEAR (2016) QUIETER THAN KILLING (2017) COME AND FIND ME (2018) and NEVER BE BROKEN (2019).Follow Sarah on Twitter at @Sarah_Hilary
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