the_lazy_review's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Lovereading & Headline for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fourth of the DI Rome series but the first that I have read. You don’t need to have read the previous books, although I do now wish I had and think I’ll start back at the beginning.
DI Marnie Rome is investigating a series of viscous attacks on people with criminal convictions and it seems someone is hitting out in the name of justice. Alongside this there’s troubled teenage gangs and a young abducted boy; although the case comes a little too close to home when Marnie’s tenants, living in her deceased parents’ house, are attacked during a break in and seems by someone who knows her. Somehow they are all not only connected to each other but also to Marnie’s past she is trying to forget. This all slowly comes to the surface following a prison visit to her foster brother who killed her parents.
I’m normally quite good at predicting where a book is going and I thought I had this one all figured out, but I was wrong! I was shocked at the twist and conclusion of the case and then the book ended on a big cliff-hanger that already has me wanting more. Overall it is a very dark story which takes you on lots of twists and turns along the way.
This is the fourth of the DI Rome series but the first that I have read. You don’t need to have read the previous books, although I do now wish I had and think I’ll start back at the beginning.
DI Marnie Rome is investigating a series of viscous attacks on people with criminal convictions and it seems someone is hitting out in the name of justice. Alongside this there’s troubled teenage gangs and a young abducted boy; although the case comes a little too close to home when Marnie’s tenants, living in her deceased parents’ house, are attacked during a break in and seems by someone who knows her. Somehow they are all not only connected to each other but also to Marnie’s past she is trying to forget. This all slowly comes to the surface following a prison visit to her foster brother who killed her parents.
I’m normally quite good at predicting where a book is going and I thought I had this one all figured out, but I was wrong! I was shocked at the twist and conclusion of the case and then the book ended on a big cliff-hanger that already has me wanting more. Overall it is a very dark story which takes you on lots of twists and turns along the way.
mpr2000's review
4.0
Marnie and Noah's cases are never easy, this time is not just a case, they will have their family involved... The victims have secrets and are afraid to tell the truth to the police, could it be possible they know the perpetrator? Will Noah and Marnie discover the truth before it's too late?
This book talks about crimes and punishment. I believe that if you commit a crime you have to go to prison, but never thought about the after. Should they have the freedom as if they'd never committed a crime or they should be marked? They had payed for the crime they made, but is it enough for the victims? This is never an easy question or an easy answer, what do you think?
Do you remember Marnie and Noah from the book Tastes Like Fear? In Quieter Than Killing, the 4th book of the DI Marnie Rome series, the things get more personal, and we will know a little bit more about Marnie's stepbrother, Stephen, and her childhood... and a little bit of Noah's brother, Sol...
As always, Sarah Hillary's cases are not easy to read, and they always make you think about what you've just read and re-think about your convictions and thought. Always a pleasure reading a book that will not leave you indifferent of what you've just read, don't you think?
If you like police procedure books, intelligent detectives, an interesting case and a few twists in a book, this is for you, you will love it! I highly recommend you to stop doing what you are doing and start reading this book!
Do you really know the truth about the people around you?
This book talks about crimes and punishment. I believe that if you commit a crime you have to go to prison, but never thought about the after. Should they have the freedom as if they'd never committed a crime or they should be marked? They had payed for the crime they made, but is it enough for the victims? This is never an easy question or an easy answer, what do you think?
Do you remember Marnie and Noah from the book Tastes Like Fear? In Quieter Than Killing, the 4th book of the DI Marnie Rome series, the things get more personal, and we will know a little bit more about Marnie's stepbrother, Stephen, and her childhood... and a little bit of Noah's brother, Sol...
As always, Sarah Hillary's cases are not easy to read, and they always make you think about what you've just read and re-think about your convictions and thought. Always a pleasure reading a book that will not leave you indifferent of what you've just read, don't you think?
If you like police procedure books, intelligent detectives, an interesting case and a few twists in a book, this is for you, you will love it! I highly recommend you to stop doing what you are doing and start reading this book!
Do you really know the truth about the people around you?
jmatkinson1's review
5.0
London is gripped in a blanket of frost and the streets aren't safe. Investigating a series of seemingly random violent attacks DI Marnie Rome and DI Noah Jakes realise that there is a connection, a vigilante is stalking. When Rome's childhood home is vandalised there is a link to her estranged foster brother, convicted of the murder of her parents and now in jail. Meanwhile Noah's brother Sol is trying to escape from his gang but it's not quite so easy and Noah's boyfriend, Dan, may be in danger.
Sarah Hilary is building up a really strong series about DI Marnie Rome and her team and this book is no exception. I have read some of the previous novels and that is an advantage when tackling this one as it does link to the back stories of Rome and the team, however it is not an insurmountable barrier as time is taken to fill in sketchy details. The plot seems to be going in one direction for most of the book but takes a couple of interesting turns. Although it is a standard police procedural in structure and characterisation this book, like Hilary's previous work, is a superior version of the genre. The character flaws are believable and the plots well constructed and make sense.
Sarah Hilary is building up a really strong series about DI Marnie Rome and her team and this book is no exception. I have read some of the previous novels and that is an advantage when tackling this one as it does link to the back stories of Rome and the team, however it is not an insurmountable barrier as time is taken to fill in sketchy details. The plot seems to be going in one direction for most of the book but takes a couple of interesting turns. Although it is a standard police procedural in structure and characterisation this book, like Hilary's previous work, is a superior version of the genre. The character flaws are believable and the plots well constructed and make sense.
noveldeelights's review
5.0
Bloody hell! Just when I thought this series couldn't get any better, Sarah Hilary comes out with this fourth one and sucker punches me. Talk about raising your game!
From the very first chapter, I couldn't help but be totally engrossed. Stephen, Marnie's foster brother returns, and it's obvious he's not done playing games. Meanwhile, Noah is faced with some difficult decisions concerning his brother.
The case is a complicated one. Enthralling, yet also quite sad, touching as it does on a host of topics on the darker side of life including child abuse and gangs.
But it's not just the case that draws you in, it's the characters. Marnie's backstory is incredibly compelling but there's also Noah and his brother Sol. There's the relationship between Noah and his partner Dan, which I adore. There's Welland and Colin. They may be supporting cast but they're equally brilliant in characterisation. You can't help but be drawn to them with all their very realistic layers and it's such a treat to watch their characters develop.
I was so sucked into the story, I didn't even realise I'd reached the end of the book. Many have said this is the best one in the series yet, which is quite a claim since the previous three were brilliant. But I'm going to agree and say yes, it is. Wholeheartedly. The writing keeps getting better, the characters keep getting deeper. And I can't wait for book 5 which is set up perfectly at the end of this one. Highly recommend!
From the very first chapter, I couldn't help but be totally engrossed. Stephen, Marnie's foster brother returns, and it's obvious he's not done playing games. Meanwhile, Noah is faced with some difficult decisions concerning his brother.
The case is a complicated one. Enthralling, yet also quite sad, touching as it does on a host of topics on the darker side of life including child abuse and gangs.
But it's not just the case that draws you in, it's the characters. Marnie's backstory is incredibly compelling but there's also Noah and his brother Sol. There's the relationship between Noah and his partner Dan, which I adore. There's Welland and Colin. They may be supporting cast but they're equally brilliant in characterisation. You can't help but be drawn to them with all their very realistic layers and it's such a treat to watch their characters develop.
I was so sucked into the story, I didn't even realise I'd reached the end of the book. Many have said this is the best one in the series yet, which is quite a claim since the previous three were brilliant. But I'm going to agree and say yes, it is. Wholeheartedly. The writing keeps getting better, the characters keep getting deeper. And I can't wait for book 5 which is set up perfectly at the end of this one. Highly recommend!
kirsty147's review
2.0
Unfortunately I got to page 300 and had to skim read to the end. I had never been particularly engaged with it - too many characters, too many odd editorial choices, pithy dialogue. In all my years of reading, amounting to 1000's of books, I have never in my life seen "this's". I was so annoyed by it I looked it up and found that, yes, it's incorrect. How on earth it got through editing/proofreading all those times I don't know ...
thebooktrail88's review
4.0
Visit the locations in the book my Booktrailtravel to London
I always look forward to the next Sarah Hilary. I know Im going to head straight to the kind of London I would never want to visit for real, but with Marnie her detective, I’m right there . I might even be a few steps ahead of her if it weren’t for the frightening and chilling situations she gets herself involved in.
What really works for me is the multilayered angle to the stories – Marnie must have one of the most interesting and compelling backstories in crime fiction. Marnie’s relationship with her foster brother, Stephen – the same brother who has been imprisoned for the brutal murder of her parents…like a car crash you know it’s going to be gory reading but I just couldn’t take my eyes of this.
This book is complex and busy but never hard to navigate – theres many key key players and secondary characters interwoven into this puzzle – deception, betrayal, vigilantism, violence and the haunting past.
There’s a lot more buried where that came from if you excuse the pun. This is a dark dark world Sarah Hilary places you in but it’s the literary equivalent of being kicked in the teeth and loving it. Even with all my teeth now gone, this book still has bite.
Quieter than Killing – a clever title and a ver clever cliff hanger…
I always look forward to the next Sarah Hilary. I know Im going to head straight to the kind of London I would never want to visit for real, but with Marnie her detective, I’m right there . I might even be a few steps ahead of her if it weren’t for the frightening and chilling situations she gets herself involved in.
What really works for me is the multilayered angle to the stories – Marnie must have one of the most interesting and compelling backstories in crime fiction. Marnie’s relationship with her foster brother, Stephen – the same brother who has been imprisoned for the brutal murder of her parents…like a car crash you know it’s going to be gory reading but I just couldn’t take my eyes of this.
This book is complex and busy but never hard to navigate – theres many key key players and secondary characters interwoven into this puzzle – deception, betrayal, vigilantism, violence and the haunting past.
There’s a lot more buried where that came from if you excuse the pun. This is a dark dark world Sarah Hilary places you in but it’s the literary equivalent of being kicked in the teeth and loving it. Even with all my teeth now gone, this book still has bite.
Quieter than Killing – a clever title and a ver clever cliff hanger…
bibliobethreads's review
5.0
If you're a crime fiction lover and haven't read any Sarah Hilary can I just ask why on earth not? With the fourth offering in the author's DI Marnie Rome series that began with Someone Else's Skin, and continued with No Other Darkness and Tastes Like Fear, Sarah Hilary has cemented herself in my eyes as the queen of British crime and with each successive novel, her writing, characters and plot just keep getting better and better. Thank you so much to Headline publishers via NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. In Marnie Rome's London, the seedy and grittier side of our capital city is brought to life in an explosion of colour but grounded so deeply within reality that you could almost imagine that you were reading about the neighbours next door rather than fictional characters.
Marnie Rome and her wonderful sidekick Noah Jake are back and have a new case to solve. Horrific assaults are happening all over London but the strange thing about these vicious attacks is that the victim in each case has a criminal record themselves or a record of having wronged someone in their past. Marnie and her team immediately hit on the idea of a vigilante attempting to dole out justice for past crimes in the strangest and most brutal way possible. There are a few very important alternative threads to this story however. A ten year old boy has been kidnapped and is being held hostage at an unknown address by an unknown perpetrator. Furthermore, Marnie's childhood home has been burgled with the tenants living there at the time subjected to a nasty beating, leading to them being hospitalised. In this convoluted plot and intricate web of secrets, violence and manipulation how are all these threads linked and why is Marnie and her personal life being dragged into the battle?
If I had to compare this book to the previous two novels in the Marnie Rome series I would say that Quieter Than Killing is slightly slower in pace but this is in no way, shape or form an insult to the writing. In fact, I loved that we got to learn so much more about our characters as individuals, with their own problematic families and personal lives. This novel exudes more of a quiet menace that is simply delicious to experience and although it could easily be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend reading the series from the beginning to get the full flavour of our character's back stories which is hugely important for the plot. Once again, I adored the relationship between Marnie and Noah (please don't ever break them up Sarah!) and just feel these characters keep getting stronger, more "real," and infinitely more intriguing where I just keep wanting more. I'm eagerly anticipating the fifth book in the series which I'm certain will be another belter and I can't wait to become immersed in Marnie's world once more.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Marnie Rome and her wonderful sidekick Noah Jake are back and have a new case to solve. Horrific assaults are happening all over London but the strange thing about these vicious attacks is that the victim in each case has a criminal record themselves or a record of having wronged someone in their past. Marnie and her team immediately hit on the idea of a vigilante attempting to dole out justice for past crimes in the strangest and most brutal way possible. There are a few very important alternative threads to this story however. A ten year old boy has been kidnapped and is being held hostage at an unknown address by an unknown perpetrator. Furthermore, Marnie's childhood home has been burgled with the tenants living there at the time subjected to a nasty beating, leading to them being hospitalised. In this convoluted plot and intricate web of secrets, violence and manipulation how are all these threads linked and why is Marnie and her personal life being dragged into the battle?
If I had to compare this book to the previous two novels in the Marnie Rome series I would say that Quieter Than Killing is slightly slower in pace but this is in no way, shape or form an insult to the writing. In fact, I loved that we got to learn so much more about our characters as individuals, with their own problematic families and personal lives. This novel exudes more of a quiet menace that is simply delicious to experience and although it could easily be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend reading the series from the beginning to get the full flavour of our character's back stories which is hugely important for the plot. Once again, I adored the relationship between Marnie and Noah (please don't ever break them up Sarah!) and just feel these characters keep getting stronger, more "real," and infinitely more intriguing where I just keep wanting more. I'm eagerly anticipating the fifth book in the series which I'm certain will be another belter and I can't wait to become immersed in Marnie's world once more.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
sean67's review
3.0
Maybe I was in the wrong headspace for this, or it just wasn't where I was at at the moment - anyway I found it just average, and difficult to sustain my interest.
steph1rothwell's review
5.0
The series featuring Marnie Rome and Noah Jake is now one of my favourite. One of those where you soak up every word and look for hints for what might happen in the future.
This latest offering focuses on a missing child, revenge attacks on perpetrators of crime, gang culture and more insight into the personal lives of Marnie and Noah. Whilst we have got to know them both quite well in the past this time it is slightly different. There seems to be a connection between their personal and professional lives.
As always it is very believable. Low income, poor housing and limited opportunity areas that recruit their gang members early. Some of the gang members here are devastatingly young, showing vulnerability and fear but also a hard side where if these emotions are not controlled there would only be one way out.
Steven, who is now serving his sentence in an adult prison has a hold over Marnie, his grip gets tighter with every novel. The scenes where he features make me cringe with the distress that she can’t escape from. But this time it is Noah who I feel more sympathy for. The situation he is in becomes increasingly difficult and he has only one option. I can see both storylines continuing into the next novel.
It’s a brilliant series that I have followed from the first novel. I have enjoyed getting to know all the characters that Sarah Hilary has created.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
This latest offering focuses on a missing child, revenge attacks on perpetrators of crime, gang culture and more insight into the personal lives of Marnie and Noah. Whilst we have got to know them both quite well in the past this time it is slightly different. There seems to be a connection between their personal and professional lives.
As always it is very believable. Low income, poor housing and limited opportunity areas that recruit their gang members early. Some of the gang members here are devastatingly young, showing vulnerability and fear but also a hard side where if these emotions are not controlled there would only be one way out.
Steven, who is now serving his sentence in an adult prison has a hold over Marnie, his grip gets tighter with every novel. The scenes where he features make me cringe with the distress that she can’t escape from. But this time it is Noah who I feel more sympathy for. The situation he is in becomes increasingly difficult and he has only one option. I can see both storylines continuing into the next novel.
It’s a brilliant series that I have followed from the first novel. I have enjoyed getting to know all the characters that Sarah Hilary has created.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
rhodamack09's review
5.0
This review was originally posted on StrupagFor the past few years, my most-anticipated release list has included Sarah Hilary's latest works. We're now onto the fourth book of the DI Marnie Rome series and Hilary never fails to impress me. Her storytelling sweeps me up, diving into her books is like meeting up with old friends - and I love it!
The case in this book is compelling. There has been a series of attacks and Marnie and Noah are tasked with finding the culprits. Are the attacks connected? One again Hilary has woven her narrative, teasing and tripping me up along the way.
For me though, what I really enjoyed most about this book was spending more time with Marnie and Noah. I feel that by now, book four, we have a good handle on their characters, we know their histories and Hilary ensures we become even more invested in our protagonists.
I feel that I say this after every Hilary book, but Sarah handles the issues involved in Quieter Than Killing with great respect. It's one of the things I love about her writing; she takes care and consideration with any issues she addresses, yet doesn't detract from the story or lose any of the impact. If anything, it adds more impact!
I could sit here and gush about Sarah Hilary's novels all day long. Her stories are realistic and believable, her characters relatable. Hilary references real-life news events to anchor her stories into our lives. I love her ongoing development of Marnie and Noah's lives, and feel we are being drawn in closer with each passing page.
All in all, Quieter Than Killing is a fantastic addition to the series. It will raise many questions, but not all of them having answers!
The case in this book is compelling. There has been a series of attacks and Marnie and Noah are tasked with finding the culprits. Are the attacks connected? One again Hilary has woven her narrative, teasing and tripping me up along the way.
For me though, what I really enjoyed most about this book was spending more time with Marnie and Noah. I feel that by now, book four, we have a good handle on their characters, we know their histories and Hilary ensures we become even more invested in our protagonists.
I feel that I say this after every Hilary book, but Sarah handles the issues involved in Quieter Than Killing with great respect. It's one of the things I love about her writing; she takes care and consideration with any issues she addresses, yet doesn't detract from the story or lose any of the impact. If anything, it adds more impact!
I could sit here and gush about Sarah Hilary's novels all day long. Her stories are realistic and believable, her characters relatable. Hilary references real-life news events to anchor her stories into our lives. I love her ongoing development of Marnie and Noah's lives, and feel we are being drawn in closer with each passing page.
All in all, Quieter Than Killing is a fantastic addition to the series. It will raise many questions, but not all of them having answers!