#BlogTour Someone Who Isn't Me by Danuta Kot

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Someone Who isn't Me by Danuta Kot.

About the Author

Danuta Kot grew up with stories. Her Irish mother and her Polish father kept their own cultures alive with traditional tales they shared with their children. For many years, she worked with young people in Yorkshire who were growing up in the aftermath of sudden industrial decline. She uses this background in her books to explore some of the issues that confront modern, urban society: poverty, alienation and social breakdown, using the contexts of the modern crime novel. 

She now works as a senior education consultant, work that involves travel to establish education and training in other parts of the world. She is a regular academic speaker at conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television.

Follow @DanutaJR on Twitter, View danutakot.com

About the book

When the body of a twenty-four-year-old man is found on Sunk Island, a quiet stretch of land in Yorkshire, two facts immediately stand out. First: the killer wanted the body to be found. Second, the dead man was a police officer, and he had been working undercover.

Meanwhile, aimless 20-something Becca has multiple jobs to keep her head above water. At night, in the local pub, she serves punters and tries to work out what she wants to do with her life. One thing that keeps her going is Andy, a regular she always has a laugh with – and maybe something more.

And then Andy vanishes. Becca is convinced that the shady manager of her pub has something to do with his disappearance. But in order to discover the truth, she'll have to put herself in danger. All for someone she doesn't truly know...

The gripping new novel from Dagger-Award-winning author Danuta Kot, perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Tana French and Denise Mina - a story about the people we are... and the people we aren't.

Review

The story starts with a bit of a crossroad. The death of a policeman working undercover in a drug ring and then there is Becca, his girlfriend. We get the trifecta of drugs. The law, the dealer and the user. Then they have their own networks, such as the social worker who does everything she can to keep her clients clean and back on the straight and narrow.

It's a world of vicious manipulators and dubious characters, even when they are supposed to be the people helping you. It's no wonder Becca eventually feels as if she can't trust anyone.

Kot leaves readers with realism, with cold hard facts in both day and night, which is what gives the read a different kind of twist. There is no pretty ending, which leaves the door open for certain characters to appear again, however I think it is more a question of saying it the way it is. It might be a hard truth to hear about, but it is a fact that drugs and addiction are problems that have seeped into the fabric of our society.

I admire the fact the author didn't feel the need to give a packaged ending, although it does give a certain element of satisfaction sometimes. Instead I left the read feeling as if I had to wash the dirt of the read off me, the dirt of the insidious nature of the manipulative dealer, the desperation of the addict and the unreliability of those who are supposed to support.

It's a gritty crime read set in a rural area and with an emphasis on the path of support, the inadequate system and how people fall through the cracks.

Buy Someone Who isn't Me at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Uk, Publishing 1st April 2021 Paperback Original | £7.99. Buy at Amazon com. At Waterstones.