Dean Ing, author of the New York Times bestseller The Ransom of Black Stealth One, is a modern master of fast-paced suspense. His hard-edged thrillers fuse nonstop action, meticulous research, and an insider's view of the shadowy world of international intrigue. Now, Ing's latest novel, Skins of Dead Men, reveals a darker dimension of his remarkable talent with a harrowing tale of revenge and redemption.When a young child is snatched by Middle Eastern terrorists, a veteran counterintelligence operative sets out to track them down, only to be horribly scarred in a fiery confrontation with the kidnappers. At first he withdraws from life and the world, but when the skin grafts he receives from the slain terrorists begin to cause strange visions, he embarks on a quest to exact retribution and regain his humanity.An engrossing, adventure-filled story of one man's determined struggle to combat the forces of fear and chaos in the world; and in his own heart; Skins of Dead Men is a powerful, prophetic new work of suspense by a gifted storyteller.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Despite a cookie-cutter kidnapping plot, first-class characterizations save this story about a schoolteacher who comes to the aid of a young boy with a problematic royal heritage. Teresa "T.C." Contreras's Puerto Vallarta vacation is interrupted when she stumbles onto the kidnapping of seven-year-old Al Townsend and then puts her life in peril to save the boy. The man behind the kidnapping plan is Al's Kurdish father, who wants to return his son to their homeland so he can fulfill his birthright as an Islamic leader, a rite of passage that was interrupted when his American mother took off with Al in violation of their custody agreement. T.C. manages to sneak the kid out of Mexico after his mother dies in the kidnapping attempt, but when the team of terrorists continues to stalk the pair into the U.S., she turns to Ross Downing, an old friend severely burned years earlier in an unsuccessful effort to rescue T.C.'s child in a tragic accident. The climax lacks spark, but what saves the narrative is the intriguing interplay between T.C.'s optimistic resourcefulness and Ross's darker history, a balance that adds depth to the narrative when they finally become lovers. Despite the relative lack of imagination, Ing (Wild Country) fans who enjoy quality characters and solid storytelling will find merit in this title. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A feisty schoolteacher and a lively eight-year-old team up in this high-tech tale that works in spite of its techie pretensions. T.C., a.k.a. Teresa Contreras Rainey, a schoolteacher vacationing in Mexico, has a funny thing happen to her on the way to a day of scuba-diving. She bumps into a kidnappingand manages to thwart it. Soon it turns out that the intended victim, young Al Townsend, is no ordinary boy. Al, a.k.a. Talal, is heir to the throne of a Middle Eastern kingdom, a place from which his American mother has removed him. The ruler, his father, wants him back big time. The would-be kidnappers are not your garden-variety, down-and-dirty thugstheyre former CIA guys available for hirerent-a-spookswhose mission could not be simpler: grab the kid, kill whoever gets in the way. Though T.C. understands that this means her, the realization comes too late, as a ferocious maternal bonding has already taken place, the kind that forecloses all but one option: keep Al close; stand in for his dead mom against all threats to the boy, who soon comes to be a surrogate for the son lost to T.C. in an auto accident some years back. From Mexico to New Mexico, they fly in tandem, a hairsbreadth ahead of pursuit. T.C. collects some allies, among them Ross Downing, a resourceful government counter-spook. But the mercenaries descend in force, capture Al, and hie him off to their hideaway. Misnamed Saddletramp Ranch, its a hedonistic haven for diplomats with checkered pasts. Therein a flurry of technological cut and thrustall is finally and happily resolved. The obligatory high-tech seems forcedsupplied because that's what's called for in an Ing novel (Flying to Pieces, 1997, etc.). It's the no-tech that sustains interestT.C., Al, and a thoroughly likable supporting cast. (Radio satellite tour; author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting, non-stop rescue, escape and chase,
By
This review is from: The Skins of Dead Men (Hardcover)
A schoolteacher called TC (a Tough Cookie) rescues a young boy who is being being kidnapped by a Kurdish nationalist group. She gets him out of Mexico and across southwestern US to try to reunite him with his grandparents. She meets up with a good, resourceful guy who had been the victim of severe burns and who had received skin grafts (thus the reference to the skins of dead men.) Appealing characters and exciting plot turns. Several of Ing's books have female focus characters who are young, attractive, strong and with a hint of androgyny. TC is another iteration. He often pairs these women with male characters are older, technologicly adept men of good character and a strong independent nature: an interesting mix, pairing two self reliant, stubborn and strong willed people. I enjoyed the book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No skin off a reader's back with this exciting thriller,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Skins of Dead Men (Hardcover)
Tucson school teacher Teresa T.C. Conteras needs to get away from it all as the tragic death of her own son continues to haunt her mind. T.C. knows she cannot gain solace from her wastrel spouse, especially since their marriage has ended. To escape, she travels to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a needed vacation. Instead of resting in the sun, T.C. becomes involved in a kidnapping attempt of seven-year old Al Townsend. She manages to thwart the abductors. The kidnappers turn out to be facilitators hired by Al's father, who lives in Mahabad, Iran. T.C. soon flees with the child as professionals, armed with diplomatic immunity and high tech weaponry, give chase. She turns to the only person she trusts, Ross Downing. However, he is the very person scarred in a failed rescue plan when the son of T.C. died. The pair plans to unite the lad with his family, not knowing that he might just be the catalyst they need to save their own tormented souls. THE SKINS OF DEAD MEN is an action-packed, non-stop thriller that takes readers on a wild ride through Mexico and the Southwest part of this country. Though no shockers or spookers occur, the story line is crisp and well written. However, what makes Dean Ing's latest adventure so good is the depth of all of the characters. Both North Americans and Middle Easterners seem genuine in what first appears as an unreal scenario that due to Mr. Ing's talent comes across as a highly plausible situation. Harriet Klausner
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great characters, great chase,
By
This review is from: The Skins of Dead Men (Hardcover)
Dean Ing returns to the style he does so well: a young, beautiful, independent woman, almost masculine in her strength; a strong-willed man of good character who wins her affections, and a young boy in peril.The book races through Mexico and the U.S. Southwest as TC attempts to elude a gang of murderers and would-be kidnappers. The long and thrilling chase reminds me of The Pelican Brief, and I only hope this books finds as many readers.
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