Skin Deep

Irish Independent Crime Fiction Book of the Year Winner 2018

The deliciously sinister new novel from the No 1 bestselling author of Richard and Judy Book Club pick, Lying in Wait'

'I could probably have been an actress.
It is not difficult to pretend to be somebody else.
Isn't that what I've been doing for most of my life?'

Cordelia Russell has been living on the French Riviera for twenty-five years, passing herself off as an English socialite. But her luck, and the kindness of strangers, have run out.

The arrival of a visitor from her distant past shocks Cordelia. She reacts violently to the intrusion and flees her flat to spend a drunken night at a glittering party. As dawn breaks she stumbles home through the back streets. Even before she opens her door she can hear the flies buzzing. She did not expect the corpse inside to start decomposing quite so quickly . . .

RTÉ Radio 1's Ryan Tubridy Show Listeners' Choice Award Winner 2018

'Absorbing, beautifully written' The Times, Crime Books of the Year 2018

'A twisted thriller, reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith. A scarred woman brings chaos to those around her, but Nemesis is coming' Ian Rankin, Guardian Books of the Year

'Unspools with many an unexpected shock ... sly humour and dazzling originality' The Times & Sunday Times Crime Club

'Bloody brilliant!' Denise Mina

'An extraordinary writer - Liz Nugent maps the human mind as a cartographer charts new worlds: She's boundlessly curious and totally unflinching' A.J. Finn

'The most gripping book I read this year ... brilliantly written ... deeply disturbing' Claire Allan, Irish Independent Books of 2018

'A tour de force ... a genuinely memorable, at times terrifying central character ... will appeal to readers who enjoy an exciting, fast-paced journey of psychological extremes, which delivers a shocking final twist' Crime Club, Killer Women Book of the Month

'Utterly compelling ... a storyteller at the height of her powers' RTÉ Guide, Books of the Year

'While the likes of Paula (The Girl On The Train) Hawkins have been getting all the plaudits in the ill-named domestic suspense genre, Liz Nugent has been quietly beavering away, producing dark, mythical thrillers of Shakespearean proportions. There are unreliable heroines, and then there's Delia' The Pool

'It took me two sittings to gobble it up - a page turner. You'll just snap it up and you'll love it. A cracking read' Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ

'The finest psychological thriller writer currently at work - no one gets under the skin of monstrous characters like she does' Tammy Cohen

'A wonderful feat of imagination, totally gripping, with a fascinating character at its heart' Sabine Durrant

'Dark, brutal and brilliant' Colette McBeth

'A triumph, from first page to last!' Sarah Hilary

'Spellbinding' Declan Hughes, Irish Times, Best Crime Fiction of 2018

'Monumentally good. Liz Nugent is a beautiful writer and among the very best storytellers in the world' Donal Ryan

'I loved, loved, loved Skin Deep - the compassion of it, the beauty of the language, how glamour and horror intersect, how the tension twists tighter and tighter and is brilliantly done' Marian Keyes

'Beautifully written and completely gripping' Sunday Mirror

'Brilliant' Irish Independent, Best Books of 2018

'Dazzling ... chilling, mesmerising and, ultimately, devastating. Pure storytelling genius' Mark Edwards

'Perfect summer read for those who like their escapism on the darker side' Ian Rankin

'Spectacular' Declan Burke, Irish Times, Best Crime Fiction of 2018

'Her darkest book yet - a compelling one-sitting read' Sinéad Crowley

'Utterly gripping, fast paced, and featuring my favourite sociopathic female character since Lady Macbeth' Louise O'Neill

'Incredibly dark, twisting and utterly mesmerising - you will not be able to put this down' Sinéad Moriarty

'Pitch dark and thrillingly original' Jane Casey

'Skin Deep will keep you completely gripped' Sunday People

'As one woman's singular story unspools with many an unexpected shock, Nugent skewers her targets with skill. Sly humour and dazzling originality deliver a gutsy feminist message' The Times

'It's a blast ... Liz Nugent has done it again' Sunday Business Post