This was my 8th book of 2018 and once again this copy was received from Net Galley in exchange for this honest review.
The book starts in present day in the Cote d'Azur where you have the main character Delia (Cordelia) in her flat with a dead body. The story then flips back to her childhood where you pick up Delia as a child. You then follow the her as she grows up.
Delia is a very troubled child, by the age of 18 a lot has happened to her and that influences decisions and behaviours. Delia is not a character that you can really like, but I believe that she has been written deliberately in this way. A lot of not nice things happen to her throughout her life and you can't help but feel she brings them on herself and she probably deserves everything that she gets.
In the main I enjoyed being taken along her life story and Liz Nugent yet again manages to get you turning pages when you had promised to put it down. I found the flip backs to other characters opinions a little randomly placed throughout the book. I wasn't a fan of the stories that related back to Delia's fathers mad tales of the islands folklore, however I totally understand why these were included, as her Dad I believe was responsible for a lot of Delia's misgivings.
Overall another enjoyable, addictive read from Liz Nugent, I enjoyed Lying in Wait in a similar way to this book, some of the characters didn't act or end up where the possibly should be. Happy ever afters are not something Liz Nugent believes in! I give this 4/5

Liz Nugent has a special talent for creating unusual and unsympathetic characters. This is my third book from her and I really liked the other two. When I saw that there was a new book from her, I knew that I had to read it.

In this book a narcissistic psychopath is again the main character. We meet Delia when, as a mature woman, she suddenly has a dead person in her apartment. She reacts in the most unusual way to the fact that she has committed a murder and as a reader we realize that something is not quite right with Delia.

Then the book jumps back to the beginning and we see how Delia grew up. As I said, Delia is a psychopath. There is no doubt after a few pages. From an early age she loves to get attention. At the same time, she is attracted more by negative attention than by praise. She is strikingly beautiful. Basically, that's not important to her, she's not vain, but beeing so beautiful, you draw attention and admiration. Delia instinctively knows about her inner defects, but she knows how to hide them. She is quite, peculiar and unfathomable. This makes her an enigmatic phenomenon that fascinates most people, especially men. But her desire to play people against each other and to manipulate them to her liking sooner or later poisoned every relationship. She casually ruins the lives of all who enter her live.

Delia is a repulsive character. But I also pittied her. She is incapable of deeper feelings towards others. She lacks empathy and a real need to be close to others. Therefor she misses out so much in her life. Sometimes she asks herself what is wrong with her and if what she feels is really not normal. At the same time, she is very naive, very passive. She often reminded me of Lydia, the lead character from "Lying in Wait" by the author. Just like Lydia, Delia is looking for someone to take care of her. Although Delia has to learn to get along and pretend to be normal. But her life is always empty.

Despite all the repulsive qualities, Delia has been a fascinating character to me. The book is entertaining and easy to read. I just did not expect to hear all of her life story. The murder that happens on the first page appears again not until the very end. My only criticism of the book is that it usually only tells. There is little active action and relatively few dialogues. The story is told, except for a few insertions of other characters, by Delia's eyes. And it really "tells". Later in the book, a few letters become important. They are long and also have a purely narrative character. The few short chapters that show the view of other characters from outside on Delia, are only a little enlightening and usually a bit repetitive.

"Skin Deep" is a dark character study of a very disturbed person. We dive deep into the mindset of a psychopath and her view of the world. Delia leaves chaos and pain where she goes and stands. It is truly unbelievable how much damage she has done in the lives of so many people. This is deeply fascinating and disturbing. And sad. There is much tragedy in this book .

In any case, Liz Nugent has established herself as a favorite author of mine with her three books.

Skin Deep begins in the south of France, where a woman is wondering what to do about the festering dead body lying in her flat in the heat of the summer. It then traces back forty-some years to the woman's childhood on a remote Irish island, and tells the story of how the girl grew up to become that woman, her life beyond the island, and how the relationships she begins (and abandons) direct her path to that dead body.

As I got into the first few chapters of the book I kept thinking the action was going to return to the present-day scene with the dead body, but I soon realized that the prologue was just an indicator of future events, rather than being the focus of the main text. The pacing as we move through the years of the woman's life is even, with enough time spent in each era to be satisfying and - ultimately - to paint, bit by bit, a picture for the reader that explains how and why the woman has come to be the way she is. Put bluntly, she is a very unlikeable character virtually from the very beginning, and while you can understand later on in the book why she came to be this way (largely through an unconventional upbringing that could be seen as being no fault of her own), she also, however, brings a lot of things on herself.

The story eventually comes full circle as we return to the present-day scene with the dead body and then beyond. There is a nice twist near the end that I did not see coming - that was a real page-turning chapter with a nice gasp-inducing realization scene. The ending is satisfyingly lyrical to the story, and while you may leave the book thinking that none of the characters was very nice at all, Liz Nugent has written a deeply captivating read of how the tiniest decisions and motivations can change not just a person, but a whole family.

Oh Delia, Delia, what a truely awful person you are! The book opens with a murder and then goes back in time to Delia's rural Irish upbringing on a remote island, follows her fateful life and ends with the murder and its repercussions.. I found this book compelling, I couldn’t put it down. Some reviewers say that in spite of her dreadful character, they warm to her. Not me, she is inescapably obnoxious. Even towards the end of the book I thought she may be softening - not a bit of it. She reverts true to form and suffers the consequences. The story is well written and even when she stumbles from ill deed to ill deed, she still believably manages to fall on her feet. Beautiful Delia Cordelia, she deserved everything she got!

Delia is not your usual fictional heroine, in fact, she's as far from a heroine as you can get for a central character. Pity for her condition turns to contempt as her total disregard for all that is good and right unfurls.

A work that had you thinking at every turn and questions the very nature of being human.

Super read.

Wow! What a plot! The book starts almost at the end, then goes back to the beginning of Delias story, it had me hooked immediately and I could not put it down. Although Delia is a very narcissistic and totally unlikeable character, I was totally captivated by her story. Absolutly riveting, dark and chilling. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review

This gripping book begins with a murder then goes back to tell the life story of the woman who did it. It is fascinating tale, filled with tragedy, of Delia, who is basically a psychopath. She has none of the emotions or feelings that most people have: lacking love, empathy, and sympathy. Despite that, she is a meseriaing woman. Part of the book is set on a small island off Ireland, then the setting moves to Dublin, and the South of France. Each place is described vividly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and heartily recommend it.

Well this book was certainly a journey!! After it opening at the end, then going all the way back to the beginning of Delias story, I read eagerly to get back to the end of the story to find out what had happened! And what a story it was! As flawed as Delia was, her story was engaging, entertaining and the flow of the writing made it a very easy read.

Impressive and dazzling. This book captured my attention immediately. The narrative as described by Delia aka Cordelia, the main perpetrator, was both complicated but fluid. We were taken to lots of different locations in Europe with an assortment of characters from different social classes. Delia described her life consistently, analysing the events, people and her emotions. Despite being a nefarious character, I still warmed to her and enjoyed her take on life and her persistent lack of empathy or sympathy.
Liz Nugent managed to surprise me all along with this story. I had an inkling where it would end but the journey there was quite shocking. When I got to 50% through, I just couldn't stop and my efforts were well rewarded.
I can fully recommend this book to anyone who wants a late night read.

Having read and thoroughly loved Lying in Wait when I read this a couple of years ago I was eagerly awaiting the next offering by this author. Boy it was worth waiting for as I simply devoured this book from start to finish in only a couple of sittings.
We start at the end with Cordelia Russell avoiding a corpse in her home. We then turn back the clock to the events that led up to what happened. This piqued my interest straight away and I followed avidly, starting on a remote, isolated Irish Island with a family in turmoil, watching a young girl as she grows up and finds her own way in the world, coming to terms with what life has given her and using what she has learned through these experience to her own personal gain. Boy was she a wrong 'un. But also really compelling reading. I would love to give examples along the way in this review but, to be honest, it would ruin things if I spilled the beans out of turn, as half the fun of this book is seeing what she gets up to next!
A part of me, a small one admittedly, did feel a little sorry for her. As I learned more about her young childhood, I did understand the part that was a product of her upbringing, but then the sympathy really started to wane as more of her shenanigans and manipulations came forward (nature vs nurture if you like). It was also sometimes a bit hard to have sympathy for some of her victims as, to be honest, most of them were probably deserving of what was happening to them too. None of her manipulations would have been possible unless the foundations were there for her to build on. It wasn't a book full of nice people by any means. I also, albeit begrudgingly, had to admire her a little as her constant reinventing of herself was, at times, really rather masterful.
One of the things I think about when presented with this kind of book is how exactly the author intends to close things out. And my goodness, the ending was absolutely perfect, the truth was shocking and the aftermath a bit brutal, but how else could it have gone?!
As well as some really great characterisation we also have some fantastic writing which moved the plot along perfectly. The initial island life was described so well that it really came alive for me and I totally believed in what was happening there. It also takes a skilled author to make such a repulsive character also quite likeable, especially when surrounded by other not so nice people and keep the reader interested and invested in the story being told.
It's dark, it's disturbing, but it's such compelling reading. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to indulge in this dark thriller.

I found Skin Deep utterly compelling, despite my intense dislike of the cold, calculating, narcissistic main character, Delia. The book opens with a gruesome murder scene, and then goes back to when the outwardly beautiful Delia was a young girl. I don’t usually like this device, but it really works here. It upped the suspense and had me gripped as I worked my way towards finding out exactly what that opening scene was all about. The book traces Delia’s eventful life – starting with her odd upbringing on a remote Irish island which houses only a handful of inhabitants. Her father is totally obsessed with her, treating her as a queen while he practically ignores his wife and sons. While still very young, Delia suddenly finds herself alone on the mainland one day. Liz Nugent then leads us along the twists and turns of her eventful life as fate, but mostly Delia herself, fashions its selfish, manipulative course. The author’s writing is superb and all her characters, including the loathsome Delia and the human-damage-obsessed artist Freddie, manage to be absolutely believable. The dialogue is authentic, and the story beautifully plotted. And I do love an intensely satisfying ending! 5 stars from me.

Cordelia (Delia) Russell's luck is running out. She is desperate, her flat is grotty and reality is grim. Delia spends a night at a glittering party. She stumbles home through the backstreets at dawn. Before she opens her door, she can hear the flies buzzing. It hasn'ttaken long for the corpse in her bedroom to start decomposing......

Delia Russell is an appalling, manipulative and obessive character. We learn about her childhood on an isolated Irish Island, her domineering father, through to her now virtually penniless life. This is a very well written story that has many surprises along the way.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books UK and the author Liz Nugent for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Even if I hated the main character I was not able to put down this book. it's well written, dark and compelling and once you are hooked you cannot put it down.
Darker than what I usually read it was a great discovery.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books

This book, what can I say except, expect the unexpected.

The blurb caught my attention but if I'm honest if it wasn't for the ending I would have given even less stars.

Although well written, there wasn't enough within the novel to really make me connect with the main character. We go from a dead body and then rewind right back in time to when Delia was small and the story then carries on until we get back to where we started off.

Delia isn't a likeable character and the lack of emotion and real sentiment from both her and the other people that come into her life over the years makes it difficult to enjoy any of the story.

I wish I could have liked it more.

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. Surrounded by the young, beautiful and privileged she feels her age and her poverty. As dawn breaks she stumbles home through the back streets. Even before she opens her door she can hear the flies buzzing. It hasn’t taken long for the corpse in her bedroom to commence decomposing …

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 Cordelia, the female character narrating the story. Liz Nugent’s novel is a dark, twisted and shocking story of what takes Cordelia from an island childhood in Ireland to ruin in Nice.

I can’t think of a single book where the main character is so unbelievably self centred, Malevolent, selfish, cruel, beautiful and deeply flawed. Nugent has created an excellent central character, she has absolutely no sense of morality, whatsoever. Liz Nugent certainly knows how to create a sociopathic character, having said that, the whole novel is completely and utterly brilliant but the final resolution is stunning, not just to the ending but the whole of the story. It is dark yes, but is entirely believable and utterly authentic.

Skin Deep is a sinister and disturbing character study of a narcissistic, sociopath.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“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.”
Liz Nugent really knows how to draw you in to a book. From the first few pages I was hooked and desparate to know what happened next.
It’s hard to write this review though as I don’t want to spoil it for you. Even if I comment on Cordelia, I’m afraid I’d give something away!
What I can say is this is a gripping thriller and I highly recommend it.
Thanks to Penguin Random House UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Books UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
The story starts with a murder in the first few pages and does not return to that event until almost the end of the book, it goes back to the start with Delia as a young girl who told her father an untruth which led to the destruction of her whole family.
As a young girl she is dating Harry Russel and becomes pregnant, Harry however is not the father, his brother Peter is.
She rejects her son James from his birth. Delia continues to be self absorbed, cold,manipulative individual, I did not like her character at all
She moves from one disastrous situation to another. The book does move at a fast pace and returns to where it started with a very clever twist.

I struggled with reading this book as the pace was slow and I didn't really like Cordelia, the main character that much. She was self-centered in some ways and maybe suffered postnatal depression after the birth of her son but she was flawed from a young age.

The book started with a body in Cordelia's little place, she went to a glitzy party trying to find someone to scrounge from and then the book takes us back to her childhood so we learn all about her life and come full circle to the body.

I appreciated the chance to read this book and unfortunately it wasn't for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 amazing stars!

Wow what a book. This is one of he best books I have read in the last few years. Why? Well let me tell you...

The writing style is excellent, rarely do I read a book where the main character is so unlikeable and yet the writer somehow manages to keep you engaged with the character and also rooting for them despite the fact they are truly disturbed.

The book starts and you think you know where it’s going and yet it twists and turns and there are a few moments where you have to read the line/paragraph again to check what you think happened really did happen.

The story spans four decades and yet the book doesn’t drag or feel over long, helped by the cleverly interspersed old cautionary tales that Delia’s father has told her and the occasional short chapter told by different characters.

The ending is fantastic and truly fitting.

Highly recommended and I shall now be reading all the author’s previous books.