Skin

Skin was the first Mo Hayder novel where I realized she writes in doublets. Birdman and The Treatment belong together, while Ritual and Skin feel like a second matched set. The core characters remain the same, the emotional tone carries over, and the events happen so close together that the characters never really recover before the next disaster begins. Skin takes place only a week after Ritual, and you can feel that exhaustion throughout the novel.

This is also the first book where Flea Marley becomes central enough that your enjoyment may depend on how you feel about her. She makes several bad decisions that are difficult to defend for a police officer, and if you already dislike her character, this book could become frustrating very show more quickly. But if you do like Flea, or at least find her psychologically interesting, then Skin works as a study of a woman collapsing under pressure while trying to maintain control.

The mystery itself was interesting, though not my favorite of the series so far. I tend to prefer more convoluted and layered investigations, and this one felt comparatively straightforward. Still, Hayder’s strength is less about puzzle construction than atmosphere and emotional damage. Even when the mystery is simpler, the lingering sense of stress, guilt, and instability keeps the book compelling. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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! show less

Skin by Mo Hayder is the fourth book in the Jack Caffery series. I have read the previous three but had let a number of years go by before picking up this one. Apparently this book continues immediately after the last one and it took me some time to reacquaint myself with the characters and the on-going storyline. This series is one that hasn’t shied away from extreme violence so I was pleasantly surprised that this one didn’t go that route. Instead this was an intricately plotted mystery that gives storylines to both Jack Caffery and Detective Phoebe (Flea) Marley.

Caffery and Marley are not working together this time but both are dealing with the aftermath of traumatic events. In Jack’s case he is convinced that his last case show more which involved African witchcraft shouldn’t be closed, that there’s still something or someone that has escaped the attention of the law. Meanwhile Flea Marley is making some questionable moral decisions because of family loyalty. Moving through these two storylines is the added pressure of tracking a serial killer who is leaving a trail of bodies that have been labelled as suicides.

Although there were a few areas that I found a little forced, I am glad that I finally picked up this series again and hopefully will not let years go by before getting to book number five. show less

Holy %$&*! I thought the first in the series, BIRDMAN, was great. But RITUAL and now SKIN are superb. Jack Caffery has settled into Bristol after his brother's "alleged" killer committed suicide. SKIN continues just a couple weeks after RITUAL ended. Flea is a police diver and a continuing character who was with Jack when they arrested the killers in RITUAL. Jack feels there might have been another person in the house who managed to get away. Now someone is "skinning" his victims and Jack thinks it might be part of the "ritual." Flea has her own domestic problems which are distracting her from her job. Just like in RITUAL the most curious character is "the walking man." He has an insight into the human psyche that borders on creepy. show more Jack has a "sixth sense" when it comes to zeroing in on a case and he seems to be in the right place at the right time to discover exactly what trouble Flea is in. A phenomenal series. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Skin by Mo Hayder
4.5 Stars

This is Mo Hayder's fourth novel featuring Jack Caffery following “Ritual”. If you haven't read “Ritual” 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 “Ritual” and again we catch up with Detective Inspector Jack Caffery of Bristol's Major Crime Investigation Unit and Police underwater search diver Sergeant Phoebe “Flea” 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 show more 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. show less