Book review: Under Your Skin

Monday, January 20, 2014 Permalink

Former editor and features writer Sabine Durrant’s first foray into crime fiction, Under Your Skin had hooked me from the start.

Gaby Mortimer is a morning TV show presenter with a seemingly-perfect life. Of course that’s not really the case as she’s struggling with a difficult nanny to daughter Millie, a husband who’s equally busy and often absent and a competitive and difficult co-host.

When she comes across a body while on a morning run things become complicated and Gaby’s picture-perfect life starts to fall apart. 

under skin

The police become increasingly suspicious of Gaby’s involvement when it’s noted that the victim – a Polish-born nanny – looked surprisingly like the TV host who found her body. And then there are a range of coincidences: the victim dressing like Gaby and evidence placing her in the victim’s apartment.

With her husband bizarrely absent Gaby finds herself turning to a fellow journalist to help discover why the police are so sure she was involved.

I actually really REALLY enjoyed the first half of this book. I had to put it down midway and didn’t want to. The idea however, of having it to read the following evening gave me a sense of anticipation I appreciated.

I have to admit however I didn’t enjoy the final third of the book quite as much, though am not really sure why. I ‘sort of’ guessed the plot twist but didn’t – which won’t make sense unless you read it. It’s revealed in such a way that you don’t really see it coming although once it does you get it completely.

I haven’t read Gone Girl, but many reviews I read compared it to Gillian Flynn’s popular novel.

Despite a teensy bit of inexplicable disappointment with the book’s conclusion I still really enjoyed this novel and found myself there with poor Gaby every step of her journey to prove her innocence.

Under Your Skin, published by Simon and Schuster’s Atria/Emily Bestler Books will be available from 4 February 2014.

Buy a copy from Amazon: Under Your Skin: A Novel

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