noveldeelights's review
5.0
Deep breath. It has taken me weeks to write this review. What a struggle it’s been and I’m pretty sure I haven’t managed to do this book or the author any justice whatsoever.
During a riot at the prison, dangerous convict Michael Vokey escapes. It quickly transpires Michael has been in regular contact with two women, Lara and Ruth, who are completely infatuated with him. Did they somehow help him escape? Is he hiding out in their homes? Someone is surely in danger but who?
Sarah Hilary has been one of my go-to authors since the start of this series and with every book, I’ll say “this is her best one yet”. Well, guess what? Come and Find Me is her best one yet! I don’t know how she manages to raise the bar time and time again but she does. It’s in the writing, which just keeps getting stronger, and it’s in the fantastic character development. Not only where the main characters are concerned but each and every side character gets the same treatment and it brings this series to a whole other level.
There is some incredibly fascinating psychology behind the acts and motivations of these characters. It’s intensely gripping all on its own without even getting started on the investigation into the prison riot and Michael Vokey’s escape. What makes a woman get in touch with a convict? Why would any woman choose to share her secrets with someone so dangerous or even send him pictures? And then, there are the prisoners. No stereotypes here and nothing or nobody is what it seems. I must also mention that while Marnie has always been of one my favourite characters, Noah Jake’s voice seems to be getting stronger with each book, his presence keeps growing and I feel like he is beginning to steal the spotlight from Marnie. I can’t wait to see how he develops in the future.
Come and Find Me is intensely gripping, full of suspense and has an incredibly intelligent and well-crafted plot. It had me glued to the pages and I couldn’t read fast enough to see how it would end, completely unable to guess where things were going. Utterly absorbing, addictive and a fantastic page-turner and as always, it leaves me wanting more so very desperately.
If you are not reading this series, then really, I’m incredibly sorry but I just don’t think we can be friends anymore. 😄. The Marnie Rome series is one of the best ones out there so do yourself a humongous favour and pick these up right now. I can’t recommend these books highly enough and can’t even begin to say how much I’m looking forward to the next one.
During a riot at the prison, dangerous convict Michael Vokey escapes. It quickly transpires Michael has been in regular contact with two women, Lara and Ruth, who are completely infatuated with him. Did they somehow help him escape? Is he hiding out in their homes? Someone is surely in danger but who?
Sarah Hilary has been one of my go-to authors since the start of this series and with every book, I’ll say “this is her best one yet”. Well, guess what? Come and Find Me is her best one yet! I don’t know how she manages to raise the bar time and time again but she does. It’s in the writing, which just keeps getting stronger, and it’s in the fantastic character development. Not only where the main characters are concerned but each and every side character gets the same treatment and it brings this series to a whole other level.
There is some incredibly fascinating psychology behind the acts and motivations of these characters. It’s intensely gripping all on its own without even getting started on the investigation into the prison riot and Michael Vokey’s escape. What makes a woman get in touch with a convict? Why would any woman choose to share her secrets with someone so dangerous or even send him pictures? And then, there are the prisoners. No stereotypes here and nothing or nobody is what it seems. I must also mention that while Marnie has always been of one my favourite characters, Noah Jake’s voice seems to be getting stronger with each book, his presence keeps growing and I feel like he is beginning to steal the spotlight from Marnie. I can’t wait to see how he develops in the future.
Come and Find Me is intensely gripping, full of suspense and has an incredibly intelligent and well-crafted plot. It had me glued to the pages and I couldn’t read fast enough to see how it would end, completely unable to guess where things were going. Utterly absorbing, addictive and a fantastic page-turner and as always, it leaves me wanting more so very desperately.
If you are not reading this series, then really, I’m incredibly sorry but I just don’t think we can be friends anymore. 😄. The Marnie Rome series is one of the best ones out there so do yourself a humongous favour and pick these up right now. I can’t recommend these books highly enough and can’t even begin to say how much I’m looking forward to the next one.
thebooktrail88's review
4.0
Visit the locations in the book
Whoah Marnie Rome! This is one humdinger of a case! Talk about getting close to the action and entering into your nightmare all over again!
The first scene explodes onto the page – a scene as quite frankly, this and Sarah’s other books need to be on the TV. They’ve got that frenetic punchy energy that sizzles as you read. The language here was even more brilliantly delicious than in other books and when practically the whole book is set between a prison and a hospital ward with a few visits to see victims, that’s no mean feat.
This case – looking for an escaped prisoner – is described as not looking for a needle in a haystack but “looking for a clean needle in a crackhouse”. Pure Hilary genius right there. A crime scene in a house stuffed with old things becomes the “Antiques Roadshow massacre” So much evoked in three words. Horror wrapped up in humour. And there’s a likeness of a victim to a sheep on the side of the road I’ll never forget.
Come and Find me deserves to devour the most readers possible. It grabs you and if that ending doesn’t kick you in the place the sun don’t shine, then I don’t know what will. This really gets into the terrifying psyche of being in a prison, being in a cell with a nutter or two, at the centre of a riot when things get really ugly. What happens to those on the outside looking in. The women who write to these prisoners. The whole shebang.
Horrifyingly good. This is the Queen of the crime thriller which messes with your mind and lets you in to the darkness areas of the human mine.
Come and Find Me should be not just the title but the sign outside bookshops, libraries and, heck, anywhere signs exist so you are directed to a crime writer you really need to be reading if you aren’t already.
steph1rothwell's review
5.0
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
Come and Find Me is the fifth book in the series that features Marnie and Jake and I can honestly say that it was my favourite one so far. It is slightly different to the earlier books. There has always been focus on both Marnie and Noah’s private lives, and whilst that continues, there is also a lot of focus on those who are connected to the prison.
All of the novel is fascinating, and some of it disturbing. Women who become obsessed with convicted killers baffle and worry me. I was also unsettled because I couldn’t figure out who was responsible. With the amount of crime fiction I read I sometimes ‘solve’ the crime as I read but in this novel I failed on most of it.
The end was devastating on so many counts. Not just for the regular characters but also those who were duped into believing they were vital.
This is one of my favourite detective series and as it stands the only one out of all of them I am up to date with. I can’t even begin to imagine what Marnie and Jake have to deal with next.
pehall's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sarahreads12's review
4.0
A new author to me, but I will definitely be looking for and reading her earlier books in the series. Sarah Hilary uses language skill fully ensuring that there is a rhythm to her writing without bombarding you with unnecessary description. A great story and great writing.
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
'Come and Find Me' is the fifth book in the DI Marnie Rome series, and what an astonishingly great addition it is. Present are the customary twists and turns, the ambitious detective with required personality flaws and a plot that thoroughly grips the reader. So much so that I felt as though I had been throttled by the end of it, it had been holding me so tightly and for the whole duration.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted, it is dark, demonic and disturbing - all fantastic things to have in crime fiction! This is a gory, bloody and simply monstrous read, and Sarah Hilary is adept at the misdirection smoke and mirrors she wealds here. The narrative flows beautifully and is a pleasure to read, the characters are relatable and believable and it all comes together seamlessly. I look forward to the future additions to the series. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Headline for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted, it is dark, demonic and disturbing - all fantastic things to have in crime fiction! This is a gory, bloody and simply monstrous read, and Sarah Hilary is adept at the misdirection smoke and mirrors she wealds here. The narrative flows beautifully and is a pleasure to read, the characters are relatable and believable and it all comes together seamlessly. I look forward to the future additions to the series. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Headline for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
jillheather's review
4.0
Part 2 of the very incomplete book 4, more or less closing the book on the past and letting Marnie move forward. Mostly predictable, but well written.
jackielaw's review
5.0
Come And Find Me, by Sarah Hilary, is the fifth book in the author’s Marnie Rome series of crime thrillers. It opens with a prison riot during which several inmates are viciously attacked, a fire is started and, in the ensuing mayhem, one escapes. Mickey Vokey was incarcerated after he assaulted a young mother in her home. He has been receiving impassioned fan-mail from women since his conviction, who have provided him with their addresses that he may write back to them. In attempting to locate the felon, the police are spread thin. Cutbacks and the interest of the press add to the pressures the force comes under, that and the consensus from those who knew Vokey that none of the photographs being circulated of the missing person look anything like him.
DI Marnie Rome must once again detach her professional life from her personal demons. Her foster-brother, Stephen Keele, has sustained life-threatening injuries in the riot. Marnie approaches her contacts within the prison but is unsure of the veracity of their testimony. Prisoners know that they must not upset those within the system for fear of direct retaliation. They are also aware that those on the outside maintain control by threatening family members.
Marnie and her team quickly uncover a number of valuable leads, including access to the Vokey family home. Mickey Vokey is a talented artist with a particular interest in capturing the emotions of his subjects. He collected photographs including some of his known victim. The police officers fear that there could be others unaccounted for within his collection, and that now he could strike again.
Interspersed with the details of the ongoing search and investigation are chapters narrating the thoughts of Vokey’s cellmate who is on life-support due to injuries sustained in the riot. Ted Elms was convicted of benefit fraud and is regarded as a model prisoner. He knows what happened during the riot but is now unable to speak. He is, however, more aware of what is going on around him than his carers and visitors realise.
The reader is offered glimpses of past lives that enable empathy with the varied cast of characters despite their obvious flaws. Where there is evil it has been exacerbated by the prison system. Prisons also exist on the outside due to loneliness and societal dislocation. Initial, easy judgements rarely stand up to scrutiny.
The author is a master of suspense – it is almost frightening how good she is at injecting dark, twisted suspicions and changes of direction. Although gruesome in places the prose remains emotive and sensuous. Smells and tastes permeate each tightly constructed scene.
A crime thriller that dives straight into the action and maintains a roller coaster tension through to the unanticipated denouement. It will appeal to fans of the genre but contains sufficient depth and consideration to satisfy any reader. A fiercely assured addition to an unflinching series. This is a recommended read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
DI Marnie Rome must once again detach her professional life from her personal demons. Her foster-brother, Stephen Keele, has sustained life-threatening injuries in the riot. Marnie approaches her contacts within the prison but is unsure of the veracity of their testimony. Prisoners know that they must not upset those within the system for fear of direct retaliation. They are also aware that those on the outside maintain control by threatening family members.
Marnie and her team quickly uncover a number of valuable leads, including access to the Vokey family home. Mickey Vokey is a talented artist with a particular interest in capturing the emotions of his subjects. He collected photographs including some of his known victim. The police officers fear that there could be others unaccounted for within his collection, and that now he could strike again.
Interspersed with the details of the ongoing search and investigation are chapters narrating the thoughts of Vokey’s cellmate who is on life-support due to injuries sustained in the riot. Ted Elms was convicted of benefit fraud and is regarded as a model prisoner. He knows what happened during the riot but is now unable to speak. He is, however, more aware of what is going on around him than his carers and visitors realise.
The reader is offered glimpses of past lives that enable empathy with the varied cast of characters despite their obvious flaws. Where there is evil it has been exacerbated by the prison system. Prisons also exist on the outside due to loneliness and societal dislocation. Initial, easy judgements rarely stand up to scrutiny.
The author is a master of suspense – it is almost frightening how good she is at injecting dark, twisted suspicions and changes of direction. Although gruesome in places the prose remains emotive and sensuous. Smells and tastes permeate each tightly constructed scene.
A crime thriller that dives straight into the action and maintains a roller coaster tension through to the unanticipated denouement. It will appeal to fans of the genre but contains sufficient depth and consideration to satisfy any reader. A fiercely assured addition to an unflinching series. This is a recommended read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
kaz_loves_books's review
5.0
What a brilliant book! Kept you on tenterhooks the entire way through the book, the writing was good and descriptive, it was a joy to read. Did Michael Vokey cause the riot? Kill the inmates, hurt others and set the fire? Why is no one talking? How did he escape from prison? This book makes you wonder about the prisoner Michael Vokey and what happened that night but I must admit, I loved it, so intriguing!
More...