View source for Quieter than Killing (D I Marnie Rome 4) by Sarah Hilary

{{infobox1
|title=Quieter than Killing (D I Marnie Rome 4)
|author=Sarah Hilary
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Crime
|summary=The fourth book in the D I Marnie Rome series would read perfectly well as a standalone, but why deprive yourself of the pleasure of reading one of the great police procedural series around at the moment?
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=416
|publisher=Headline
|date=March 2017
|isbn=978-1472241108
|website=http://sarah-crawl-space.blogspot.co.uk/
|cover=147224110X
|aznuk=147224110X
|aznus=147224110X
}}

The attacks all seemed to be quite random, but the nights were dark,  the weather freezing and D I Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake were spending quite a lot of time on the streets of London.  Then Marnie's family home was ransacked and every indication was that it had been done by someone (or on the order of someone) who knew her.  Normally Commander Welland would have been able to give Marnie a degree of protection - he knew her history all too well - but his cancer had returned and he was going to be away for four months.  His stand-in was nowhere near as understanding in this or other matters.  Then it was established that a child was missing - had been missing for ten weeks - but no one had reported it.

D I Rome was reluctant to make the connections but it became obvious that there was a vigilante taking revenge: all the victims in this latest series of attacks had been a perpetrator themselves and the attacks on ''them'' had subtle links back to their own crimes.  DS Jake's brother, Sol, was a distraction for the team - he was trying to escape the clutches of a gang who were unwilling to let him go and if necessary they were prepared to take revenge on Noah or his partner Dan.  The problems of a troubled upbringing reach far into adult life and whilst keeping quiet can ensure survival the long-term effects are incalculable.

You could read this book as a standalone: there's sufficient information about what's gone on before (but no spoilers) to ensure that you don't feel adrift, but this is a strong police procedural series and you really will get the best out of it by reading the books in [[Sarah Hilary's D I Marnie Rome Novels in Chronological Order|order]].  It's not going to be a trial, I promise.  Marnie Rome's a compelling character, with a childhood home she couldn't wait to leave, but which she can't bring herself to dispose of, despite the fact that her parents were murdered there by her foster brother.  She's a survivor though and she's not going to allow these - or any other circumstances to stop her doing her job.

All the characters come off the page well, but that would be for nothing if the plot didn't work - and it works well.  It's the sort of book which you'll come back to in a few years' time to read again.  You might not have quite the sense of shock when you realise who ''is'' behind the attacks, but you'll have the added pleasure of spotting that all the clues were there and you can see how it was done.  There's a little bit of a cliffhanger at the end, but - surprisingly - I didn't mind: I'm just keen to read the next book and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

For another strong woman, we can recommend [[The Chalk Pit (Dr Ruth Galloway) by Elly Griffiths]].  For another missing child, try [[Silent Cry (Gaby Darin Book 1) by Jenny O'Brien]].

[[Sarah Hilary's D I Marnie Rome Novels in Chronological Order]]

{{amazontext|amazon=147224110X}}

{{amazontextAud|amazon=B01MUC22WM}}

{{amazonUStext|amazon=147224110X}}

{{commenthead}}