Full disclosure, I was not a fan of Liz Nugent's last two books. I thought they were poorly written and although they were very twisted tales I found them totally unbelievable and very few of the interactions felt authentic. I am so glad to report that this book is NONE of those things. To borrow the words from another reviewer this is a very atmospheric, very dark, macabre and twisted and totally believable psychological drama which is very well written and well plotted, it is a totally engaging page turner and everything feels authentic and the peppering of Irish myth and mythology through just adds to the atmosphere so Liz Nugent has really outdone herself here and if she continues writing books like this I will be pre-ordering! Thanks to Penguin UK and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This book had me hooked from the first chapter. Very well written and thought out book. Great storyline. Very strong characters which all gelled together very well. Well worth a read. I will definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Cordelia Russell, once Delia O’Flaherty, is the narrator and undoubted anti-heroine of Skin Deep, which opens when she is in her early fifties, dealing – or rather not dealing – with an unnamed man’s body in her flat on the French Riviera. It’s clear that Delia is, at this point in her life, a complete mess. The story then moves back to follow Delia’s life leading up to that moment and finally discover the identity of the dead man.

Delia is a monstrous, despicable character (Liz Nugent seems to specialise in creating such characters). She was raised by her father to believe herself the destined queen of Inishcrann, the remote, poverty-stricken island of her childhood. Desperate to keep her father to herself, the young Delia tells a lie which will have devastating consequences, not least for herself.

As she moves through life – from Ireland to London to the South of France - Delia is responsible for some truly terrible events but never seems to experience a moment’s remorse and is entirely incapable of empathising with others, even those supposedly closest to her. She takes selfishness to exceptional levels but her beauty as a young woman inclines people in her favour. She’s quite probably a narcissist and a sociopath (certainly there’s some sort of personality disorder there), though not entirely without insight – as she says herself, “I knew that I wasn’t normal. I have never needed people, just the comforts they could offer me.”

The story is incredibly compelling and often very disturbing – you’re basically watching open-mouthed in horror as Delia causes more and more damage to the people around her, not out of malice but out of an unshakeable conviction that her own needs and wishes must come first. Along with Delia’s narrative are stories from the island of Inishcrann, told to her by her father, and personal accounts from the people whose lives Delia has affected.

An engrossing, often horrifying read with a fittingly horrible end.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This is a difficult book to review as it is unlike any that I would usually read. It shows wonderfully that beauty is only skin deep and what’s underneath can be dark and full of malice and dangerous.
Delia O’Flaherty is odd, there’s something just not quite right about her but you struggle to put your finger on it. It’s not just that there’s a body in her flat there’s something else.
Set in the French Riverian and with flashbacks to her childhood on the Island of Iniscrann the book paints beautiful pictures of both places so that you can nearly feel the sun on your face and harsh winds on your back. The story follows Delia as she breaks the people around her and leaves a trail of destruction wherever she goes.
Fantastically written and one of those books that makes you feel uncomfortable while you’re reading it but you just can’t stop. Brilliant.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for a copy of this book to read and review

In a word, this book left me feeling... unsettled. Partly due to the sinister ending, but also the lead character, Delia Russell, (one of her names, she has a few aliases) is a hard woman to like. Saying that, we are not meant to like her. A mixture of an unusual childhood on a small, isolated island off the west coast of Ireland, her father's strange obsession with her and a tragic event that sees her end up in an orphanage means that she has distinct sociopathic tendencies and a ruthless survival instinct. She is focused on moving up in the world; she marries a rich man, trades her Irish accent in for (what she deems to be a more desirable) cut-glass English one and takes a liking to luxurious living in the South of France. This is where she ends up settling and where she ends up in possession of a dead body. Who this body is and what happened is revealed much later in the book, after we discover Delia's past. There's a line that neatly sums up both Delia's story and the sub-plots: 'Layer upon layer of mistrust was rising to the surface' - what Skin Deep does well is develop tension at an intriguing pace and hit perfectly on the small-town mentality that everyone has a secret they'd maybe rather remained hidden.

This book is told in the first person by Delia, but every so often we get the point of view of another character - her husband, her nanny - however, I found these segues a bit pointless, as they didn't add anything to story, just went over what we already knew. What I did like though, was how each major plot-shift was prefixed with an Irish myth relating back to Inishcrann (the small island Delia is originally from) and takes the form of a parable for the next chapter in Delia's life. This added an extra element to the read and works to set it apart from other thrillers.

So, yes, Skin Deep certainly had me turning the pages to find out what happens next, but I just couldn't get on board with Delia and in a character-led read like this, that was an issue for me. Rather than finding her fascinating, I just didn't like her. She was far too selfish and self-obsessed without having the spark of charm that lets characters get away with this kind of behaviour. Ultimately, I felt a bit sorry for her, she ended up with a vacuous existence, never investing emotionally in anybody or anything, so in return, I couldn't invest in her.

Thank you for granting me permission to read this book. I struggled with it, and at times it horrified me. Didn't enjoy this I am afraid

Delia is like no other anti heroine I've ever read. Growing up her father's favourite on a remote island, fed epic stories of his creation and told that she was to be queen of it all, she became more selfish and devious as she grew up. Finally, in a bid to have her father all to herself, she tells a lie that will have devastating consequences for the rest of her life.

Skin Deep is Liz Nugent's third novel. I still enjoyed the story, but its twists and unlikable characters didn't shock me the way her first two novels did and the comparison disappointed me. However, taken on its own it is still a strong story.

I have enjoyed each of Liz Nugent's previous novels especially Unravelling Oliver. SkinDeep does not disappoint and her fans will love it.

Cordelia's life story is unravelled after she leaves a dead body behind in her apartment in Nice. Ever since she was a child, (named Delia) and the apple of her father's eye, trouble has followed her, destroying people as a result. There is a particularly horrific moment in the book which had me gasping out loud (something rare for me). The ending, unlike many noir novels, does not disappoint when the reader finally finds out who the body in Cordelia's flat belongs to.

A remarkable and original story of a sociopath. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review Skin Deep. I highly recommend it.

This book draws you in from the outset. The lead character is intriguing, if unlikeable and the book keeos you guessing until the very end.

Liz Nugent serves up an atmospherically chilling, macabre and twisted psychological thriller that illustrates with perfection that beauty really is only skin deep with her creation and character study of the appalling, monstrously repellent Delia. Nugent has few peers when it comes to writing about obsession and the nastiest of characters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, whilst having the reader hypnotically mesmerised, fascinated and horrorstruck, gripped by the need to know how the trajectory of their lives unfolds. This is set on the desolate and disturbing Irish Island of Iniscran with its myths and legends and the French Riviera. The story kick starts with a bang with a death, and we follow the compulsive history, life, and events in the beautiful, manipulative and deceitful Delia's life. She lacks any sense of self awareness and empathy for any other human being. We soon learn that you are most unfortunate if your life crosses the path of the sociopathic Delia.

Nugent excels in well structured and complicated plotting and her writing is visceral, vibrant and arresting. Her detailed descriptions evoke a great sense of location, making them come alive with ease. This novel is for those who wallow in the deliciously sinister, hugely enjoy reading about the worst of human beings, and are fervently attracted to well written psychological thrillers with unexpected twists. I urge you let Delia into your life, she will burn brightly in all her glorious horror and evil, destined to be indelibly imprinted in your imagination. A brilliant read that will make your skin crawl. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.

I love all of Liz Nugent's book and this one was no exception.
I always enjoy reading what she writes and will once again recommend this to my friends

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book prior to publication. This is the first title i have read by this author and i will be certainly reading her others. The book kept me hooked from start to finish, living the life of Delia, which was very eventful. I certainly wasnt expecting the ending. Highly recommend this book 📚

Unusually for me, I am going to compare this book with Liz Nugent's Lying in Wait. Not least because Lying in Wait was in my top 3 books of 2016 (and I read almost 80 books that year!) but because once again this book started with an outstanding first sentence, had me sat firmly at the edge of my seat throughout, had a flawed, damaged and heartless sociopath as its protagonist and narrator and had a superb but completely unexpected ending. Expertly crafted storyline and characterisation, this book really packs a punch. An utterly exceptional read and straight into my top books so far of this year once again.

Thank you Ms. Nugent, you have written another corker.

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

One word, gripping! From the very first page I was hooked, just couldn't put it down, disturbing and unsettling with twists and turns, a cleverly written book whose main character is basically a psychopath and how her choice's negatively affect the lives of those close to her, absolutely brilliant book

Another absolutely amazing read from Liz. Couldn’t put it down. Why, was the question then kept running through my head as I read, from the first to last pages. Why would someone do that? Why are you like that? Why couldn’t you be happy, satisfied, loving, forgiving....
Recommend. And recommend that you read the rest of Liz Nugents books.

Liz Nugent has done it again! After reading Liz' previous two novels I was excited to read her newest book and I wasn't disappointed.
The book starts with a murder Delia, the central character, has committed in Nice and draws you in from the very first line "I wondered when rigor mortis would set in, or if it already had." What makes the story even more absorbing is that Delia is a sociopath, who basically has no redeeming qualities. She is completely self obsessed and uses the people around her, and then casts them aside when they are no longer of benefit to her without any feelings of remorse. Yet, Liz has written her character so well that you become completely absorbed in finding out who and what has made her the way she is. As a fan of psychological thrillers I can usually spot the twist in the tale before it happens, but I must admit Liz got me on this occasion. I thought I had it all figured out, but the final twist was definitely a surprise!
A well written and rivetting read....I will be recommending this at my next bookclub as I am dying to talk about it with others!!

This book had a really dark, disturbing, sinister plot. I have read all of Liz Nugents books and in my opinion this is the best one yet. The characters in the book were very well described and very believable. The twists the book took we’re unforeseen. The ending was a shock but a suitable ending for such a storyline. Highly recommended. Five stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and Liz Nugent for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I’ve never read any books by Liz Nugent so when I started this one I was not sure what to expect.
However after a few pages I realised I was in for a real treat as this was such an unusual and provocative read.
Usually I need to empathise with the main character in a novel in order to enjoy it but Delia was so awful I couldn’t feel anything for her other than dislike. She was completely self obsessed, had no feeling for other people and merely used them in order to survive. She was obviously damaged, whether it was her unusual childhood or whether it was her natural state it was difficult to say.
The novel opens with Delia murdering a man in her flat in Southern France and the rest of the book is her first person account of her life and how she ended up in this situation. This is interspersed by scary folk tales that had been told to her by her father and accounts about Delia herself from people whose lives she has affected.
Delia grows up on a small island of the coast of Ireland with a violent father who worships her and treats her like a princess. He has no feeling for his wife or three sons and when Delia plays him off against his best friend Tom, claiming Tom kissed her mother, he takes Delia to the mainland and she never sees him again.
There are so many twists and turns in this story that I could not put this book down. Delia’s flawed personality and strange logic were incredibly compelling. Although I liked nothing about her I was driven to keep reading to find out more and eventually discover whom she had killed.
Liz Nugent is a great writer; she really described Delia so well. Delia’s ability to transform herself into someone else in order to extricate herself from a difficult situation was so cleverly written. She is amoral, unpleasant, self obsessed and lacks any empathy but she is so interesting to read about.
She reminded me of Sebastian Faulk’s character Engelby who has the same narcissistic
personality.
This is a great read and so different from other psychological thrillers that I have recently read. The author’s skill is that she hooks the reader into Delia’s story even though Delia herself is not a character that arouses any sympathy in those reading her story.
I also loved the descriptions of Delia’s island home, the village where she lives on the mainland and the South Of France. I could have been in any of those places so well were they described.
Definitely worth buying when it is published in April and now I will be looking out for Liz’s other books.Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me this review copy. I'm a huge fan of Liz Nugent and love her ability to write such excellent thrillers. This book hooked me in right from the first page and I couldn't put it down. It's not often I find myself so attached to a character that I dislike, and Delia had very few redeeming features, but I couldn't get enough of her and her harrowing story. Well done Liz! Another cracker.

Skin Deep starts with a death (no spoilers here, it’s literally the first page), and the reader soon becomes aware that there is something slightly off about Delia O’Flaherty, the female character narrating the story. And it’s not just the fact that she is leaving a body behind in her flat in Nice as she goes out trying to clear her head and come up with a plan of how to best dispose of it. It was all very, very intriguing, and I soon felt myself getting sucked into the story. Who can resist a mysterious character embroiled in a violent death at the start of a mystery? Well, lovers of crime fiction will surely know what I mean!

After the first chapter, the story jumps back in time to Delia’s childhood on a remote island off the West coast of Ireland renowned for inbreeding and madness. And Delia’s upbringing certainly isn’t normal. As her father’s favourite, she has learned at an early age to use her beauty to scheme and plot in order to get her way, without caring about the consequences of her behaviour on others. Every life she touches, however briefly, will be irrevocably altered – unfortunately never for the better!

Liz Nugent certainly knows how to create a sociopathic character that burns through the pages like a fireball of destruction (an apt comparison, which you will find out if you read the book). I initially found myself intrigued, then disturbed, and at one point in the book so disgusted by her actions that any empathy I may have felt for this character vanished in a puff of smoke. There was a definite turning point in the story for me, from a kind of morbid fascination to one of outright horror. To say that it disturbed and depressed me is an understatement – some of its images haunted me in my worst nightmares. Perhaps the graphic images in my mind come from a background of seeing such tragedy in real life in my job, which created visuals I did not want to follow me into my sleep. Or perhaps it is parenthood that altered me to the point where I could not get over this one particular event in the book without feeling sickened to the very pit of my stomach. Whatever the reason, I admit that I would have gladly abandoned the book at this point if I had not invested so much time in it already. Delia was not the only dislikeable character in this somewhat bleak tale, but certainly the one who created the most destruction in her wake. All in all, the images created in my mind were bleak, depressing and disturbing. Kudos to the author for evoking such a visceral reaction, but sadly it marred any pleasure I may have gained from reading the rest of the story.

Skin Deep is a powerful, sinister and disturbing character study of a narcissistic, sociopathic protagonist that will appeal to readers who don’t mind their characters dark and unlikeable. Nugent’s writing is engaging and soon manages to draw you into the action. There is an unexpected twist at the end that should please mystery lovers, even though its circumstances just add to the overall tragedy of the story. Personally, I found some of the themes too disturbing for my liking and concede that I am obviously not the right audience for this book.