Original Skin

Starred review from March 18, 2013
Sophisticated plotting, in-depth characters, and sharp dialogue elevate British author Mark’s gritty second police procedural featuring Yorkshire Det. Sgt. Aector McAvoy (after 2012’s The Dark Winter). In the port city of Hull, a former industrial center on the decline, Det. Supt. Trish Pharaoh and her detectives look into the escalating attacks on Vietnamese cannabis farmers by brutal rival gangs. Meanwhile, McAvoy is distracted by the year-old apparent suicide of Simon Appleyard, a gay man who had been frequenting sex parties with his self-loathing best friend, Suzie Devlin. McAvoy believes that Suzie may be a murderer’s next target, and her unique tattoos are a clue. Mark expertly brings together the two seemingly unrelated investigations while weaving in McAvoy’s devotion to his young family and sensitivity to the Roma background of his wife, Roison, whose extended family becomes involved in his inquiries. Fans of John Harvey and Peter James will find much to like. Agent: Oliver Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.)

John Curless does a masterful job with the accents and personalities in this rich Yorkshire stew of a thriller. Aector McAvoy, of the Serious and Organized Crime Squad, is Scottish. Most of his police colleagues are Yorkshiremen and women, but Aector's wife was born a "traveler" and still has ties to the gypsy community. Some of the "gyps" are mixed up in a heroin gang war that Aector is trying to stop, and someone has murdered a sexual adventurer during an assignation, probably some posh swinger he met on the Internet. Curless renders all the narrative material in standard UK English so that the variously accented voices sparkle when characters speak and the relentless Northern cadences don't wear you out. It's beautiful acting. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 15, 2013

Mark's (The Dark Winter) second outing featuring Det. Aector McAvoy is a gritty mystery involving drug violence, powerful politicians, and an underground sex club scene. McAvoy follows a hunch that a tattooed young man's supposed suicide was actually a murder. His investigation leads him to a friend of the victim whom McAvoy thinks may be the killer's next target. Meanwhile, McAvoy's boss, Det. Supt. Trish Pharoah, and her department have their hands full with a series of violent drug-related murders. McAvoy's home life and his relationship with his wife and two small children also come into play. VERDICT This excellent police procedural is well plotted and detailed and should appeal to UK crime fans. ["Equally good read as a stand-alone or as the second in a series (after the acclaimed The Dark Winter), Mark's fast-paced police procedural featuring a likable and compelling main character is sure to keep fans of dark UK crime fiction entertained, read the review of the Blue Rider hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 5/17/13.]--Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence

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