Fragile

Sarah Hilary has always known how to chill her readers – Fragile dials the chill factor up to eleven – Val McDermidFragile is absolutely STUNNING, the dreamy atmosphere couples with Nell’s carnal love for Joe put me in mind of Barbara Vine … I was GRIPPED by Fragile, it took me into a whole other world and I was sorry to leave it – Marian KeyesPerfectly plotted, beautifully written modern Gothic. Timeless, tense and tender, Fragile will worm its way deep into your heart, just as the characters insinuate themselves into each other’s lives. I absolutely loved it – Erin KellyExtraordinary … an immersive psychological thriller that plunges us into an underworld of emotional and physical exploitation. There are shades of Highsmith … Brilliant stuff – Andrew TaylorBeautifully written modern Gothic. I took my time with this, savouring it – the tone of Sarah Hilary’s writing is unique to her: exploring society and human nature in a sensitive, engrossing way. Ingenious, original and brilliant – Will Dean, author of The Last Thing To BurnFragile is a fever dream. A nightmarish slant on the world delivered expertly and with heart. Tension like cold steel. Characters you won’t forget. Sarah Hilary is a modern-day Highsmith – Steve CavanaghA beguiling thriller of considerable ambition and ingenuity, Fragile marks Sarah Hilary as a twenty-first century du Maurier – Eva DolanSo Gothically creepy and addictive, brilliant characters and set-up, but most of all just beautifully written – Sabine DurrantA swirling, corrosive tale of death and deceit, as unsettling as it is beguiling – Luke Jennings, author of the Killing Eve seriesHighly original, beautifully written – Sharon BoltonSarah Hilary’s Fragile is a beautifully written deep dive into the kind of seductive but dangerous darkness that hides away behind closed doors and respectable facades – Rowan ColemanFragile is a dark kind of modern fairytale, Cinderella re-imagined by a writer who knows how to turn a phrase until it’s sharp enough to cut. – Jane CaseySarah Hilary has created a beautifully written modern Gothic masterpiece, so full of intrigue and mysteries layered upon mysteries that the unravelling may well shred your nerves, in the best way possible – Liz NugentI loved this. A riveting read, dark with dread. Written in vivid and sensuous prose. Evocative, perceptive and illuminating – Cath StaincliffeSarah Hilary’s first standalone is everything you’d expect from such a gifted writer. It’s beautifully crafted, smart and unsettling – a dark river of a book, with a chilling undertow – Mick HerronHaunting and so exquisitely written – Michelle DaviesFragile is as devastating as it is beautiful. Very few writers possess the skill to make a story as immersive as this … a perfectly crafted read – Lucy DawsonWonderfully twisty and atmospheric. Kept me second guessing right until the end – Sam BakerExtraordinary … affecting, unflinching, so atmospheric, and the pin-sharp characterization is as good at it gets. Sarah has produced a novel that feels contemporary and socially important, yet somehow other-worldly … executed beautifully – Caz FrearA stunningly written, deliciously dark and immersive thriller full of atmosphere and depth. I absolutely loved it – Roz WatkinsThe writing is so elegant, so restrained, that it brings to mind Patricia Highsmith. Fragile is a very fine, and very creepy psychological thriller – Lucy AtkinsTremendously atmospheric! Fragile will tangle you up in a house full of secrets and broken lives. Beautifully written, its dark secrets reveal themselves with a deft hand – Rachael BlokI have long been an admirer of Sarah Hilary’s work, and Fragile is an exceptional novel. The writing is superb, and every page glitters with dark brilliance. I loved the Gothic quality of the book, the twisted plot, and the sense of peril that pervades the story – Kate RhodesA beautifully written exploration of the damage people do to each other and the lies they tell themselves along the way – Cass GreenIn Fragile, Sarah Hilary has written a hypnotic novel – claustrophobic, gripping and, at times, poetic. She cleverly plays with and subverts many of the cliches of the modern crime novel to produce something startlingly original – Andrew WilsonHilary is my drop-everything writer; always original, always bang-on psychologically, always gripping. I am a huge fan – Alex MarwoodA gorgeously written, tense and atmospheric novel. Sarah Hilary peels back the layers of mystery so skilfully that it was impossible to look away for a moment – Gytha LodgeSarah Hilary writes beautifully and unflinchingly – Peter JamesOne of Britain’s best new crime writers * Daily Mail *Fragile is everything we’ve come to expect from Hilary: complex, believable characters, ingenious plotting, and rich storytelling full of intrigue and dark foreboding – Melanie McGrath

Exquisitely written, pitch-dark, unsettling book reveals the damage to the fragile soul caused by neglect and betrayal.

Sarah Hilary’s debut novel, Someone Else’s Skin, won the 2015 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and was a World Book Night selection. It was The Observer’s Book of the Month (‘superbly disturbing’) and a Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller, and has been published worldwide. No Other Darkness, the second in the series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award in the U.S. Her D.I. Marnie Rome series continues with Tastes Like Fear, Quieter Than Killing, Come and Find Me, and Never Be Broken. Fragile is her first standalone novel.

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