When the body of a twenty-four-year-old man is found on Sunk Island, a quiet stretch of land in Yorkshire, two facts immediately stand out. First: the killer wanted the body to be found. Second, the dead man was a police officer, and he had been working undercover.
Meanwhile, aimless 20-something Becca has multiple jobs to keep her head above water. At night, in the local pub, she serves punters and tries to work out what she wants to do with her life. One thing that keeps her going is Andy, a regular she always has a laugh with – and maybe something more.
And then Andy vanishes. Becca is convinced that the shady manager of her pub has something to do with his disappearance. But in order to discover the truth, she'll have to put herself in danger. All for someone she doesn't truly know...
The gripping new novel from Dagger-Award-winning author Danuta Kot, perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Tana French and Denise Mina - a story about the people we are... and the people we aren't.
I loved Danuta Kot's Life Ruins set in the Northern dilapidated seaside town of Bridlington so I was very eager to visit Bridlington again in Someone Who Isn't Me. As it has some of the same characters in it, Someone Who Isn't Me can be described as a sequel but it's so good in its own right that it can definitely be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
Danuta Kot's writing is stunning; she not only brings characters to life but the landscape itself almost seems to take on a life of its own. It's not just Bridlington but Sunk Island, a little village almost 40 miles down the coast, that sets the scene for this wonderful novel filled with tension and danger. Sunk Island sounds so dark and desolate that it gave me chills just reading about it. It is actually a real place in Yorkshire so no offence to the residents, but it really does give me the creeps.
Becca and her foster mum Kay are the two characters that follow through from Life Ruins. It was great to catch up with them again and see that Becca is as independent as ever. Working two jobs to make ends meet, the highlight of Becca's week is meeting up with her boyfriend Andy again. As she watches the clock and Andy still doesn't appear, it soon becomes clear that Andy isn't who she thinks he is and Becca herself might be in danger.
I absolutely raced through this outstanding novel; the plot is fast-paced, gripping and incredibly believable and the writing is sublime with a raw and gritty edge. I almost couldn't keep hold of the book in my sweaty palms during a particular scene on Sunk Island when I was on the edge of my seat - such brilliant writing. I also picked up a really useful self-defense tip using just a newspaper - I'll never forget that one.
Tense and suspenseful, Someone Who Isn't Me is a fast-paced, dark and gritty novel filled to the brim with danger. I loved Life Ruins but I think Danuta Kot has really raised the bar with Someone Who Isn't Me. A stunning novel and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
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Danuta Kot grew up with stories. Her Irish mother and her Polish father kept their own cultures alive with traditional tales they shared with their children. For many years, she worked with young people in Yorkshire who were growing up in the aftermath of sudden industrial decline. She uses this background in her books to explore some of the issues that confront modern, urban society: poverty, alienation and social breakdown, using the contexts of the modern crime novel. She now works as a senior education consultant, work that involves travel to establish education and training in other parts of the world. She is a regular academic speaker at conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television.
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Thanks so much for the blog tour support xx
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