ksmarsden's review
5.0
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.
thequietgeordie's review
4.0
Yes, this is another series I just keep coming back for! The plots are always compelling, and this one especially had so many shocking twists. As always, strong characters who you care about.
bethkemp's review
5.0
The Marnie Rome series really is fab! I loved this - like I loved the first two - primarily for the strong characterisation, the great tension and plotting. I admire Hilary's style in being able to effectively show us the criminal's/victim's angles in quite some depth and STILL mislead me as to who the culprit is (although I was confident I knew for a while...)! Usually you either get the kind of thriller where you know whodunnit but you get the 'thrill of the chase' tension, or you don't know so there's that tension - here it's the best of both as you see into all scenes, but don't have all the answers. Very clever and highly effective. Bit more info on Marnie's and Noah's private lives too - brilliant stuff. Keep it coming, please.
leahmichelle_13's review
5.0
Sarah Hilary has quickly become one of my most favourite crime authors. I loved her first two Marnie Rome novels, Someone Else's Skin & No Other Darkness, and Tastes Like Fear is just as fantastic - and just as creepy, and heart-pounding. The D.I. Marnie Rome series has quickly become one of my favourites, and I hope Sarah Hilary plans to keep her around for so many more books, because I will never tire of a book featuring Marnie or Noah (it might be "The D.I. Marnie Rome series" but Noah is just as important, although all this Sol-related stuff kind of had me worried there for a second.
Tastes Like Fear sees girls going missing, and winding up dead, which is only discovered after a car accident, and once again it's up to Marnie and her team to find the killer before it's too late, and they get the chance to strike again. For the second Marnie Rome book in a row, I did not guess the killer before I had finished the book, and it left me absolutely stunned. Which I LOVE. I love being surprised, I love not knowing who the evil person is, especially since there's the juxtaposition of how well the unsub takes care of his victims, prior to their deaths, obviously.
I feel like I could read about Marnie Rome forever. She's such a tough cop, willing to go to the end of the Earth to solve these crimes, and it's intriguing to see her personal life move along, too. Her relationship with Ed is amazing, in that it's so quiet, they're just there for each other, all the time, and I'm sure the whole Stephen thing is going to run a while, because I feel like there's so much more to his story. And Noah! I love Noah Jakes. He's a great cop, he's lovely, he's just the best man, ever and his partnership with Marnie is so amazing. There's no hassle or arguments, they just instinctively know each other, inside out.
I actually finished Tastes Like Fear in a day. I didn't mean to, the same way I didn't mean to devour No Other Darkness, it just happened. Once you start one of Sarah Hilary's books you HAVE to finish it, and I should have known that before I started. But I happily settled myself in for the ride and boy, was it another good one. I now have to sit and wait patiently for D.I. Marnie Rome book four. Now THAT makes me sad, because I want to read it RIGHT THIS MINUTE. To see what Marnie gets up to next, with Noah by her side, and where the Stephen thing is going to go, because IT'S GOING SOMEWHERE (and I'm not sure that "somewhere" is going to be a good thing).
Tastes Like Fear sees girls going missing, and winding up dead, which is only discovered after a car accident, and once again it's up to Marnie and her team to find the killer before it's too late, and they get the chance to strike again. For the second Marnie Rome book in a row, I did not guess the killer before I had finished the book, and it left me absolutely stunned. Which I LOVE. I love being surprised, I love not knowing who the evil person is, especially since there's the juxtaposition of how well the unsub takes care of his victims, prior to their deaths, obviously.
I feel like I could read about Marnie Rome forever. She's such a tough cop, willing to go to the end of the Earth to solve these crimes, and it's intriguing to see her personal life move along, too. Her relationship with Ed is amazing, in that it's so quiet, they're just there for each other, all the time, and I'm sure the whole Stephen thing is going to run a while, because I feel like there's so much more to his story. And Noah! I love Noah Jakes. He's a great cop, he's lovely, he's just the best man, ever and his partnership with Marnie is so amazing. There's no hassle or arguments, they just instinctively know each other, inside out.
I actually finished Tastes Like Fear in a day. I didn't mean to, the same way I didn't mean to devour No Other Darkness, it just happened. Once you start one of Sarah Hilary's books you HAVE to finish it, and I should have known that before I started. But I happily settled myself in for the ride and boy, was it another good one. I now have to sit and wait patiently for D.I. Marnie Rome book four. Now THAT makes me sad, because I want to read it RIGHT THIS MINUTE. To see what Marnie gets up to next, with Noah by her side, and where the Stephen thing is going to go, because IT'S GOING SOMEWHERE (and I'm not sure that "somewhere" is going to be a good thing).
jackielaw's review
5.0
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.
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