Someone Else's Skin
by Sarah Hilary
This book is a page-turning thriller with a sympathetic female lead (fighting her own demons as well as crime on the streets of London). It also delivers a very compelling twist on the subject of domestic violence – and what makes a victim or a perpetrator. Culture? Conditioning? Or something deep with the human psyche?
Extract
'The pain's in my head today, above my left ear. It's possible to put a knife in there, if you hit hard enough. He put a knife into my mother's head there. I don't know why.'
If she took the stand that's all she'd say: 'I don't know why. I want to know why.'
If she took the stand that's all she'd say: 'I don't know why. I want to know why.'
Parallels
The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid
A Private Business by Barbar Nadel
Coffin in Malta by Gwendoline Butler