‘A bone-chilling debut novel with unexpected twists. Sarah Hilary has opened new possibilities and perspectives in the realm of crime fiction with her novel Someone Else’s Skin.’

As a crime and mystery aficionado I always play a guessing game with myself, while reading crime fiction. I am thrilled to say that I failed this time. Sarah Hilary’s Someone Else’s Skin is eerily unpredictable. With quite a few story lines, it is not until you are half way through, that you see light. The beginning is like a mass of untidy knitting where every tangled yarn confuses you more. However, when you see light at the end of the tunnel, you have unraveled the mystery just like DI Marnie Rome and you also realize, that the confusion in the beginning is not confusion at all, but exactly what the characters feel.

The multiple themes of crime and violence are dealt with very well and you understand how skilled Hilary is. The author did not tread softly around sensitive issues like gender, culture,race and sexual violence, instead she had a very sympathetic approach to it, which made the plot and the characters very believable and real to the readers.

Ayana Mirza and Stephen’s story was left hanging in the air and I wish there was more to it because the story starts with these two characters in a pivotal role. They are abruptly cut off as soon as DS Noah Jakes and DI Marnie find the not-quite body in the refuge.

However Sarah Hilary has shown a lot of promise and talent and I will definitely recommend the book to Crime Fiction and contemporary novel readers.

I am a Lovereading Reviewer Panel member and  I received this book in return of my honest opinion. This review can also be found on  Lovereading.co.uk

Amrita Dasgupta