SWEDISH REVIEW

Jag hade turen att läsa Hud direkt efter att ha läst Ritual vilket gjorde att det kändes som om jag läste bara en bok, som vart uppdelad i två böcker då handlingen i Hud tar vid i stor sett direkt efter handlingen i Ritual slutar. Då jag tyckte att Ritual slutad med några lösa trådar så var jag väldigt nöjd över detta.

Jack Caffery är inte helt övertygad om att fallet från föregående bok är helt avklarat. Han har en känsla av ett någon slapp undan, någon som förföljer honom. Frågan är varför? Och först tror han att de besynnerliga självmordet som han undersöker har med morden från föregående fall att göra. Eller rättare sagt från personen som kom undan. Men det är bara han som är misstänksam och tror att det kan rör sig om ett mord och inte ett självmord. Under tiden har Flea Marley egna problem med en överraskning som hennes bror Thom har lämnat bak i hennes bil.

Som med föregående bok så är denna bok svår att sluta läsa. Handlingen är intensiv och fängslande och både Fleas personliga problem och Jacks undersökning är intressanta att följa. Jag var så inne i handlingen att jag nästan såg rött när Thom och hans flickvän Mandy började ställa till problem för Flea. Jag hoppas innerligt att de får vad de förtjänar i någon kommande bok. Maken till vedervärdiga personer är det svårt att finna.

Hud är en mycket bra bok och slutet var både perfekt och frustrerande. Frustrerande för att jag nu bara måste ha fortsättningen!

Tack till Modernista för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

I was lucky to have read Ritual right before I read Skin because that made it feel like I was only reading one book that was split into two books since the story in Skin feels like a continuation from Ritual. And, since I felt that Ritual ended was some questions left to answer was this especially satisfying.

Jack Caffery is not convinced that the case from the previous book is completely over. He has a feeling that someone got away, and that person is stalking him. And, the question is why? He also thinks that the suicide that he is investigating has something to do with the murder cases from the previous case. Or rather the person that got away. But, he is the only one that is suspicious about it. Meanwhile, Flea Marley has to deal with her own personal problem, a surprise that her brother Thom left back in her car.

Like the previous book was this one hard to put down. The story is fascinating and intensive and both Flea's personal problem and Jack's investigation are interesting to follow. I was so caught up with the story that I almost exploded with anger when Thom and his girlfriend Mandy started to make trouble for Flea. I hope they get what they deserve in the future. I loathe them both!

Skin is a very good book, and the ending was both perfect and frustrating to read. Frustrating because I now must have the next book soon!

Thanks to Modernista for the review copy! ( )

A bit of a disappointment, but perhaps only because the others in the series have been so shocking and good. ( )

Like with Ritual, Skin has moved on from the more horroresque themes of Birdman & The Treatment into more of a police procedural genre. The events here take place several days after Ritual and once again features Phoebe 'Flea' Marley rather heavily to the point she seems to be stepping firmly into a main character role, which is interesting in and of itself as she didn't appear until the third book in the series.

Overall, it's a good read, just not quite up to the excellence that was seen in Birdman/The Treatment and the continual inability for Flea's brother to take any responsibility for his actions whatsoever, for the second book in a row, is rather grating. ( )

Skin by Mo Hayder
4.5 Stars

This is Mo Hayder's fourth novel featuring Jack Caffery following 1CRitual 1D. If you haven't read 1CRitual 1D you really shouldn't start this one. Many of the themes and characters are revisited in this story and it would be hard to understand everything without reading the prior novel.

The story picks up one week after the end of 1CRitual 1D and again we catch up with Detective Inspector Jack Caffery of Bristol's Major Crime Investigation Unit and Police underwater search diver Sergeant Phoebe 1CFlea 1D Marley. Their prior investigation introduced them to African rituals called muti. Caffery remains doubtful about the resolution of the ritual murders in the last case and suspicious about a string of missing local women. He connects again with Flea who is diving in a flooded quarry called Elf's Grotto in search of the body of a missing celebrity wife who has escaped from rehab. As she dives deeper than the recommended depths she suffers a diving accident and seemingly observes a supernatural sight. After talking to Caffery they both start to think there's a Tokoloshe in the area, a creature out of African witchcraft, and one they suspect existed in their last case.

Jack and Flea work together on the search for Misty (the missing celebrity wife) as well as a woman who has possibly committed suicide under suspicious circumstances. There is definitely chemistry between them but they are both emotionally damaged and can't deal with the thought of pursing a relationship. As the story progress new crimes and plot twists start to come together. There is a serial killer who collects pieces of skin from his victims. There is the sense that the Tokoloshe is watching both Jack and Flea. Flea becomes more and more suspicious that her brother is hiding something, especially after he asks to borrow her car.

This book was really interesting and I was anxious to see how it finally resolved. There are several plots but not so many you can't follow them to their resolution. This is a great thriller that will grab your attention (as long as you've read Ritual) and lacks a lot of the graphic horror of Hayder's first two novels. It left me anxious to read the next one.
( )

I have a bad habit of reading series out of order. This is the 4th book in the series. It is the 2nd book I have read, after book 3. I really need to go back and read books 1 & 2 someday. I found this book to be very enjoyable. I really liked the first half of the book. Women are being found dead. Suicide is the initial cause of death, but there are things that don't add up. Could this be the work of a serial killer?

There is also a subplot involving Flea Marley, police diver, and her no good brother Thom. This was really just additional filler for the book and unrelated to the main book. Flea makes lots of questionable decisions here. So many that I wanted to yell at the book and at her for being so dumb. It makes me wonder if a police would really be that stupid. Things escalate too far out of control. Flea needs to just cut her brother loose. I certainly would after everything that happens.

There is also the continuation of the Tokoloshe storyline from the previous book Ritual. This was interesting but not really related to the central mystery story.

As for the mystery of the suicides, I liked it. I found it interesting and it held my attention. I think the book would have been better served to focus more on this mystery, and less on the other problems of Jack and Flea. ( )