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<\/figure>\nFragile By Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\nPaperback published by Panmacmillan 20th January 2022 <\/strong><\/h4>\nISBN 9781529029468 <\/strong><\/h4>\nPages 368 <\/strong><\/h4>\nOne crack and their lives will shatter. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to feel a place she can belong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nSo when a job comes up at Startling Villas, a home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder , she seizes the opportunity with both hands. <\/strong><\/h4>\nOnly her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees that he is hiding secrets of his own. <\/strong><\/h4>\nBut is Nell\u2019s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be and how easy they can be to break. <\/strong><\/h4>\nMY REVIEW <\/strong><\/h4>\nI have been a fan of Sarah Hilary for years reading many of her novels. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFragile is my personal top favourite, psychological thriller. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bookread2day.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_6191-1.jpg?w=229\")
<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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ISBN 9781529029468 <\/strong><\/h4>\nPages 368 <\/strong><\/h4>\nOne crack and their lives will shatter. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to feel a place she can belong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nSo when a job comes up at Startling Villas, a home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder , she seizes the opportunity with both hands. <\/strong><\/h4>\nOnly her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees that he is hiding secrets of his own. <\/strong><\/h4>\nBut is Nell\u2019s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be and how easy they can be to break. <\/strong><\/h4>\nMY REVIEW <\/strong><\/h4>\nI have been a fan of Sarah Hilary for years reading many of her novels. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFragile is my personal top favourite, psychological thriller. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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One crack and their lives will shatter. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to feel a place she can belong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nSo when a job comes up at Startling Villas, a home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder , she seizes the opportunity with both hands. <\/strong><\/h4>\nOnly her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees that he is hiding secrets of his own. <\/strong><\/h4>\nBut is Nell\u2019s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be and how easy they can be to break. <\/strong><\/h4>\nMY REVIEW <\/strong><\/h4>\nI have been a fan of Sarah Hilary for years reading many of her novels. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFragile is my personal top favourite, psychological thriller. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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So when a job comes up at Startling Villas, a home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder , she seizes the opportunity with both hands. <\/strong><\/h4>\nOnly her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees that he is hiding secrets of his own. <\/strong><\/h4>\nBut is Nell\u2019s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be and how easy they can be to break. <\/strong><\/h4>\nMY REVIEW <\/strong><\/h4>\nI have been a fan of Sarah Hilary for years reading many of her novels. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFragile is my personal top favourite, psychological thriller. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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But is Nell\u2019s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be and how easy they can be to break. <\/strong><\/h4>\nMY REVIEW <\/strong><\/h4>\nI have been a fan of Sarah Hilary for years reading many of her novels. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFragile is my personal top favourite, psychological thriller. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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I have been a fan of Sarah Hilary for years reading many of her novels. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFragile is my personal top favourite, psychological thriller. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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Nell Ballard who was fostered, has finally runaway sleeping rough. <\/strong><\/h4>\nFor a specific reason, she takes a job as a housekeeper in Startling Villas, for a man Robin Wilder and his strange wife. <\/strong><\/h4>\nNell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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Nell has her own room in the attic. She has many secrets that she doesn\u2019t share. <\/strong><\/h4>\nRobin\u2019s wife Carolyn, is quite horrible to Nell. <\/strong><\/h4>\nIt seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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It seems that Nell isn\u2019t the only person keeping secrets. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThe conclusion I originally was thinking while reading this fascinating page-turning chilling, story, I was wrong. <\/strong><\/h4>\nThis dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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This dark contemporary psychological thriller that is not in any way predictable is totally unputdownable! <\/strong><\/h4>\nAbout Sarah Hilary <\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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<\/figure>\nSarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else\u2019s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award.<\/h4>\nIn April 2026, The Drowning Place will introduce readers to DS Joseph Ashe at the start of a brand new series set in the Peak District.<\/h4>\nSarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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Sarah is Programme Director for St Hilda\u2019s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarah_hilary99<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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