The Skin Code

 

THE SKIN CODE by Stephen Williams-Crime thriller   5*     

When a murder victim is found with numbers carved into his chest Detective Inspector Hume and her team are rather perplexed as to what this means. Ex- detective Raine has just saved a young girl who was getting mugged and perhaps worse, little does the girl know it was her Raine was following rather than the yobs who attacked her. Raine is working on missing persons cases as a PI.  The second muder victim is a vicar so what on earth is the connection to the gay man who lived rather on the edge of safety dating wise and what do the letters and numbers carved into the skin mean? Can they work it out before someone else falls prey to someone they have little to go on to find? 

I quickly got into this and liked both Hume and Raine. Raine has rather a maverick quality about her, both characters coming across very well and an intriguing plot which keeps the pages turning and turning. This is a book written to a very high calibre and clearly shows the skill of a seasoned, organised author. A stunning read and a new author to me, one that kept me within the pages to the very end. I loved Raine and certainly hope that there is more to come.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

--------------------------------------------------

THE SKIN CODE

AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING CRIME THRILLER WITH AN ASTONISHING TWIST.

Detective Mary Hume is on the trail of a vicious serial killer. A killer who leaves a baffling code carved into the skin of his victims.

The first victim, a young man, lies spreadeagled in his stylish Soho flat. Carved deep into his hairless chest — while he was still alive — are the numbers 1-4-3.

The second victim: a vicar, murdered and mutilated in his own church, his body posed kneeling in the front pew. Etched into his torso are more cryptic numbers.

Detective Inspector Mary Hume knows that to crack the case, she must crack the code. And to do that, she needs the help of maverick ex-police officer Raine, who can reach places — and people — that Mary can’t.

Now the killer has their next victim in sight . . .

A RACE-AGAINST-TIME THRILLER WHICH WILL HAVE YOU TOTALLY ADDICTED.

Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Robert Bryndza, Stuart MacBride, Lynda La Plante, Karin Slaughter, Jeffery Deaver, Linwood Barclay, Biba Pearce, Angela Marsons and Patricia Gibney.

MEET THE DETECTIVES

Detective Inspector Mary Hume is in her mid-fifties, a seasoned detective with the Met. She’s comfortable in her role and in control of her working environment, but finds technology a challenge. She’s happily married to Robert, practises yoga and watches what she eats. Her friendship with maverick private investigator Raine is fine on the surface – even though Raine’s deep-fried diet fills her with horror – but there are underlying tensions.

Raine is a former police officer turned private investigator. She left the Met under difficult circumstances. She uses irreverent banter and off-colour jokes to cover her quick thinking and sudden flashes of violence. In her mid-thirties, she lives on a houseboat in central London, which she shares with her cat, Melania.

 STEPHEN WILLIAMS 

Stephen lives in rural North Yorkshire with his family. He splits his time between the brutal beauty of the Dales and the frenetic energy of London.  He has written several crime novels, including the international bestseller Tuesday Falling. They also contain some good jokes.

He has also performed at the Leeds Playhouse, devised several ‘pop-up’ theatrical events and written lyrics for bands.

BOOKS BY STEPHEN WILLIAMS:

THE SKIN CODE