BLOG TOUR: Never Be Broken (D.I. Marnie Rome 6) - Sarah Hilary

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.

What did I think?

I jumped into the DI Marnie Rome series at book 5 (Come and Find Me) and although I planned to read the earlier books to fill in a bit more the backstory, my TBR pile had other ideas and I haven't managed to read them yet.  Sarah Hilary very kindly allows for readers picking up her books mid-series as she gives enough information about the characters so you don't feel disadvantaged by not having read the whole series.

Never Be Broken is so scarily realistic that it gave me goosebumps whilst reading it and again now when I'm just thinking about the story.  It seems like not a day goes by when there isn't a stabbing or shooting on the news, particularly in London.  Building a story around these horrific crimes really highlighted the effect that such devastating events have on the affected families and community.

DI Marnie Rome is such a strong established character that Sarah Hilary is confident enough to let Marnie take more of a back seat in Never Be Broken as DS Noah Jake's story comes to the fore.  Both detectives have heartbreaking backstories but putting the spotlight on Noah kept me absolutely riveted.  I mean there's a gripping, gritty and devastating story going on already so adding this extra layer of bringing the characters to life ensured that I remained glued to the page.  

I don't know whether Sarah Hilary intended it, but I did pick up a South Park reference which made me smile.  My standard answer to 'how are you?' is always 'I'm super, thanks for asking' so it did make me chuckle when Noah said the same thing.  There's also a reference to Brexit which makes it a very current and realistic story as you'd have to live under a rock to avoid hearing or seeing something about Brexit these days.  I'm not a fan of politics at all but I was rather surprised that one of the characters mentioned that there is a 'right way' to vote.  I thought putting an X in the box of your choice was the right way; I do hope I haven't been voting the wrong way all of these years!  It's always good to have different opinions, so I do love little things like this in books that become discussion points with family and friends when you inevitably turn the conversation around to books you've read.

Never Be Broken is an excellent addition to the DI Marnie Rome series; it's so true to life that it is difficult to read at times but there's no hiding behind the sofa in real life so it's nigh on impossible to remove your eyes from the pages of this disturbing but scarily realistic and compelling book.  I'm looking forward to many more books in this amazing series; if you love crime, you'll love DI Marnie Rome.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Sarah Hilary’s debut, Someone Else’s Skin, won Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection for 2016.  The Observer’s Book of the Month (‘superbly disturbing’) and a Richard & Judy Book Club bestseller, it has been published worldwide. No Other Darkness, the second in the series was shortlisted for a Barry Award in the US.  Her DI Marnie Rome series continued with Tastes Like Fear, Quieter Than Killing and Come And Find Me. 

Follow her on twitter @sarah_hilary.  

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Only Child - Rhiannon Navin

Heartstopping. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming.

Addictive and emotional, but also full of hope, Rhiannon Navin's Only Child is the most heartfelt book you'll read this year.

When the unthinkable happens, six-year-old Zach is at school. Huddled in a cloakroom with his classmates and teacher, he is too young to understand that life will never be the same again.

Afterwards, the once close-knit community is left reeling. Zach's dad retreats. His mum sets out to seek revenge. Zach, scared, lost and confused, disappears into his super-secret hideout to try to make sense of things. Nothing feels right – until he listens to his heart . . .

But can he achieve the impossible and remind the grown-ups how to love again?

Narrated by Zach, Only Child is full of heart; a real rollercoaster of a read that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

What did I think?

Oh my word, Only Child completely captured my heart; I felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest, given CPR and put back in again leaving scars that will remind me of this beautiful book for the rest of my life.

Written from the perspective of a six year old boy who experiences the devastating event itself and the heart-breaking aftermath of a primary school shooting, Zach is a voice that I will never forget.  I felt my heart squeeze as Zach talked about the sky crying and I almost felt as if I had to be strong for him, as I struggled to hold back the tears that kept threatening to fall.  I don't want to write anything about the story as it could spoil it for others but I will say that Only Child is a book that is very hard to put down and impossible to forget.

I was reminded of the stages of grief as I read about Zach's story and saw how the adults around him were behaving.  From the shock of the initial event to the anger as the parents look for someone to blame and the final acceptance as life goes on.  I compared grief for an adult against grief for a child and although we think children are resilient and quick to bounce back, I think it was good to show Zach's denial and anger coming through.  It's also a stark reminder that little ears hear a lot more than we realise.

I was so completely invested in Zach's story that I felt every single emotion with the characters in the book.  I felt that Zach had a lot to teach us about acceptance and forgiveness but also that it's ok to be upset and angry.  Zach's unique voice, so honest through his innocence, is written completely flawlessly making this a very special book indeed.

Only Child is an absolutely stunning book and I am completely astounded that this is Rhiannon Navin's debut novel.  It's exceptional, outstanding, extraordinary, astounding...in fact it's all of the adjectives I can possibly think of and more!  Only Child is definitely one of my top picks of 2018; even the coldest heart won't fail to be moved by this perfect novel of loss, hope and everything in between.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon