Customer Reviews

Skin

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mo Hayder strikes again with a new thriller, calling on familiar protagonists from Ritual, DI Jack Caffrey of Bristol's Major Crime Investigation Unit and Police underwater search unit lead Sergeant Flea Marley. Having run into one another on a prior investigation that introduced the Tokoloshe and ancient African rituals called muti, the pair cross paths once more. While Caffrey remains unconvinced in the resolution of the ritual murders in the last case and suspicious about a string of missing local women, Flea is diving Elf's Grotto, a network of flooded quarries outside the city in search of the body of a missing celebrity wife escaped from rehab, discovering instead a mutilated pet. The spark between Caffrey and Marley is rekindled, although each is off on other pursuits in this novel, a twisted skein of false starts, apparent suicides and a family problem that sets Flea spinning.

To add to the thrills, Hayder throws in a particularly dark figure, a surgeon obsessed with collecting the skin of female patients. Although his connection to recent events seems remote, eventually the focus turns to the surgeon's rural home and an ethical conundrum for Caffrey. Meanwhile, Flea has her own ethical issues, caught in an increasingly difficult situation and an uncomfortable contretemps with the brother who got her into trouble in the last novel. On parallel tracks, both cases are fascinating, bizarre and gruesome, Hayder never flinching from the details of human depravity and the methodology of serial murders. As their paths converge in a shocking ending, the author proves once again her genius when it comes to the dark side. DI Caffrey and Sergeant Marley are certain to meet again in another explosive adventure, but Hayder will surely line the trail with a series of gruesome details.

The thriller is Hayder's genre, a clever juxtaposition of regular police investigation with the realities of the autopsy room and the infinite varieties of serial murder, none for the faint of heart. In equal proportions of mystery and gore, the banal takes on a new dimension when a twisted mind is at play- and there is always one behind the scenes in Hayder's work. Like a vampire hunter, Hayder is fearless in the face of human depravity, a connoisseur of the macabre, by definition ever an outrageous experience for loyal fans. Luan Gaines/2009.

Skin is an up and down ride. Having just finished James Doss' certifiably worst novel, The Widow's Revenge, I cut Hayder a lot of slack. But ultimately, this is not a satisfying novel. Hayder has written three stellar mysteries -- Birdman, The Treatment, and The Devil of Nanking. Her latest three books have been strained -- trying too hard to gross us out and tipping moral centers a bit past acceptable.

For starters, no one will be able to follow this book if they haven't read Ritual (also not very good, though). There is simply too much you have to accept as given without the events of the previous novel. Secondly, even with the previous books to introduce you to the detectives (Caffrey in three, Markey in one), it's very hard to accept them as "the good guys." They don't draw much sympathy, and there are enough real good guys around (Markey's colleagues, Caffrey's pathologist) that we wonder why we should care about these two.

Next, one subplot is so revolting that it cannot come to a moral or ethical resolution (and, tellingly, it remains unresolved at the end). Suffice it to say that watching Markey spend most of the novel trying to decide what to do about a dead body in her car's trunk is neither amusing nor terribly interesting. Eventually, the situation develops to a point where we have some sympathy for the detective, but even so the problem remains insoluble and Markey's personal dilemma doesn't feel likely, nor do we identify with her supposedly hard choices.

Finally, there IS no serial killer. Since the other reviews have provided what I consider spoilers, I won't tread too carefully here. While it is true that the killer is collecting skin from victims, the killings themselves are not motivated by this but by the need to cover up his crimes. The killer himself, as another reviewer has mentioned, is something of a letdown, not because he isn't very interesting (I very much appreciate writers like Carol O'Connell, Val McDairmid and Elizabeth George for their insistence that serial killers are not, at bottom, very interesting people), but because finding and apprehending him is such a no-brainer.

And tellingly, the last murder makes absolutely no sense, because it doesn't protect his identity (the victim knows nothing about his crimes) and he doesn't violate the corpse. The victim is actually killed by Hayder in a bold-faced act of deus ex machina. Which she then reverses -- the cheapest of fictional ploys, in my view.

Hayder may have spent her capital in three excellent books. All three depend for their effect on a horrific and persuasive look at humankind at their worst. That's not much of an achievement; what made the books memorable was that she did this from a moral perspective that was completely free of sensationalism and titillation. Things went off the tracks with Pig Island, which kept the horror, lost the objectivity, and wallowed a bit in perversity. There was a lesson to learn from Thomas Harris' rapid degeneration into his own nastiness, and Hayder missed it. Ritual and Skin are headed in the right direction, but what appears to be left, now that the dust is settling, is neither compelling nor illuminating.

I'll probably read the next book in the Ritual/Skin trilogy, just to see what happens to Markey. But if that book leaves me hanging, I'll let go.

The jacket notes for Mo Hayder's latest novel read, "Skin is a penetrating dissection of family, friendships, and the evil that can tear them apart--or bind them together. Devious and disturbing, it introduces one of Hayder's most horrifying villains yet: A man obsessed with human skin." The part about family, friendships, and evil is pretty much on the mark. And "Skin" is indeed devious and disturbing, as we have come to expect from Ms. Hayder. But one of her most horrifying villains yet? Not by a long shot!


I'll give the author credit: "Skin" is definitely a page-turner, just like all of her previous books. But compared to "Birdman" and "The Treatment" (both excellent), this new novel is ... well, rather tepid. The abovementioned villain ultimately comes off as a bit pathetic and certainly not fleshed out very well. Along the way are a couple of subplots, one involving one of Jack Caffery's colleagues and the mess her brother has gotten himself into, and the other involving that weird little ape-man, the Tokoloshe, featured in Mo Hayder's previous book, "Ritual."


For readers who have never immersed themselves in the pungent charms of one of Ms. Hayder's novels, "Skin" is not the place to start, especially since the story begins just a few days after the conclusion of "Ritual." Instead, read "Birdman" and then "The Treatment." And if that's all you ever experience by Ms. Hayder, you can consider yourself thoroughly entertained. Compared to those first two works, "Skin" was disappointing. I'm being generous by giving it three stars.

Mo Hayder is an excellent author. I started out with Birdman, the 1st book of the Caffery series and never stopped. All the books were page turners! Hayder has a twisted imagination which she puts to excellent use. Her novels are filled with plot twists and near misses that make you want to keep reading.

There are all kinds of protagonists, but the two featured in this novel (after first appearing in "Ritual") are very different. Jack Caffery and Phoebe ("Flea") Marley carry pretty heavy baggage from their past, but they get the job done somehow in this thrilling police procedural, despite their individual quirks and iconoclastic attitudes.

DI Caffery is engaged in two separate investigations which somehow become intertwined with an escapade in which Flea is involved. As a result, he has to weigh whether or not to expose Flea's efforts or to keep silent. One case involves a series of strange deaths, initially thought to be suicides, although Caffery believes them to be murders. Another has to do with a missing person, a woman who may or may not also be such a victim, but no body has been found.

Marley is a police diver and the descriptions of her efforts, especially in the opening scene, are especially gripping, as Flea is seeking the body of the MisPer in a flooded quarry, diving deeper and deeper beyond recommended depths and apparently seeing a supernatural sight. Both she and Caffery think there is a "Tokoloshe" in the area, a creature out of African witchcraft.

This sequel is so tightly written and absorbing one can hope that the author can follow up with more such unusual efforts in the future. Recommended.

My first Mo Hayder novel and although other readers of 'Skin' have suggested reading her previous book 'Ritual' first, I didn't.
Therefore I can't comment on whether I'd have liked or 'understood' the characters and plot more if I had done, but unlike some authors, Hayder doesn't refer to her characters previous cases or pasts enough to make you feel you've missed something.
The first half of the book I really enjoyed, with two main plots which ran side by side and intertwined towards the end, but the African witchcraft and 'Walking Man' just confused things and the Walking Man especially made me wonder if someone had slipped me some drugs when I wasn't looking.
Although DI Jack Caffrey and Sergeant Flea Marley were likeable enough characters I didn't feel I got to know either of them very well. Some of their actions were certainly less than credible but I would still like to find out how they develop both professionally and privately in further books.

A continuation of Ritual the plot has moved off the wall. The tokoloshe is following all the main characters. Caffery and Flea are both losing it. Caffery is following an ex con hobbo who seems to be a mystical wise man. Flea is running around trying to cover up a crime. Not a bad thriller but the plot lost it-the plot I mean!

I love almost everything Mo Hayder has written, from Birdman to Tokyo. Folks should probably read Ritual before tackling Skin, but these are fascinating characters living in moral chaos. When this lady is on top of her game, she is as good at police proceedural as anyone writing today.

There are plenty of missing persons and dead bodies scattered throughout this book.

Some of the circumstances are linked, some are not. That keeps the reader thinking throughout.

On top of all this, the two principal police officers involved have their own personal problems, which become more complicated as soon as their paths cross. One is a female sergeant who leads a dive team, the other is a male detective inspector who works in the major crimes unit.

There is the horror left in the wake of a skin collector, and a fair amount of African ritual and suspicion.

To say any more would only spoil the read for you.

Personally, I found the ending to be a bit of an anti-climax. You may not, so I would recommend that you read the story for yourself.

Mo Hayder has a deliciously dark and devious imagination.

I've been a die hard fan of hers since I plucked Birdman, the first of the Jack Caffery books, off the shelf. Skin is the fourth in the series.

Jack is now a Detective Inspector with the Bristol Major Crimes Investigation Unit. Young women, apparent suicides, are turning up throughout the city. Jack begins to question the suicide verdict when he discovers they all have a connection to a set of quarries, known to attract the desperate. Flea Marley is the police diver charged with hunting for clues or bodies in the depths. But Flea is over her head in more ways than one. The story line involving her brother is a train wreck just waiting to happen.

That's just a very, very bare bones summary of the plot. Hayder's plotting is much more layered and complex. There's no way to predict which way the story is going to turn. I appreciate being Fans of Thomas Harris and John Sandford would enjoy this series. There's a cover blurb from another favourite author of mine - Karin Slaughter. I'll be watching for the 5th in the series - Gone - to hit the North American shelves.kept on my toes. Skin is a murder mystery but so much more. Hayder injects her trademark creepiness into the story, turning up the thriller dial yet another notch.

Caffery is a complex character. He has a strong moral compass, but it doesn't always point north. His sense of justice does not always follow what the law says. Throughout the series, I've changed my opinion about him a few times, but he is always a mesmerizing protagonist. Caffery is a tortured soul, trying to rid himself of the past. Skin lets us explore the character of Flea in more depth. She too is a damaged soul.

A definite creepy, chilling page turner. I would suggest starting with the beginning of this series, to really get to know the character. Skin opens just after the previous book Ritual ends. The case from Ritual is referenced and there is some carry over of plot.

Fans of Thomas Harris and John Sandford would enjoy this series. There's also a cover blurb from another favourite author of mine - Karin Slaughter. I'll be waiting for the 5th in this series - Gone - to hit the North American shelves.