Monday 21 July 2014

Guest Book Review: David Mark - Original Skin

Reviewed by Tracey Walsh

He squints his eyes against the glare on the glossy page. Knows, even before the image swims into focus, that the picture will be of a skinny young man with peacock feathers on his back, and a fleshy girl with blossoms and lilies upon her shoulder.

Simon Appleyard and Suzie Devlin are two pleasure seekers defined by their flamboyant tattoos. Their lust for life is matched only by their hunger for taboo pleasures - a lifestyle that has just made them the deadliest enemy imaginable.


DS Aector McAvoy has been a marked man all his life. A policeman with scars to his body and career, his fate will become linked with that of Simon and Suzie as painfully and intricately as tattooed markings on virgin skin.


Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

I'd like to thank fellow blogger Tracey from Crime Reader for offering to help me out with my backlog by doing a guest review for this book. 

Original Skin is the second book in David Mark's Aector McAvoy series, and having recently enjoyed the first book, Dark Winter, I couldn't wait to get started.

"Simon and Suzie are two pleasure seekers defined by their flamboyant tattoos.
Peter Tressider is a politician on the fast track to the top.
DS Aector McAvoy is a policeman with scars to his body and career.
Each is marked in their own way.
And soon each will be branded by the same sinister foe."

The backdrop to this story is the city of Hull's drug trade and the power struggle within it that has led to some grisly violent crimes. Simultaneously deaths linked to a community drawn together by their exotic sexual tastes are being investigated. Add in the involvement of the Traveller community and some potential political corruption and you have the recipe for a complex plot that does not disappoint.

I enjoyed how the author developed the recurring characters, McAvoy’s wife and his work colleagues, as much as I enjoyed the story. This is why I am such a big fan of book series as I tend to become involved in the characters’ lives with the book’s plot sometimes almost becoming secondary! 

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a gritty, dark crime read, but it might not be for anyone who’s easily shocked. It’s a disturbing story with lots of plot twists and a cast of characters who are believable and compelling.

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