3.5 stars

As a big fan of Chris Carter's Robert Hunter series, this book seemed like it would be right up my street. The first few chapters really drew me in, but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. It was very cliché in parts, and some characters and scenarios felt downright unbelievable. As a type 1 diabetic myself, I was initially excited to see the inclusion of the condition in one of the characters, only to find out very quickly that once again (as in most other forms of media entertainment) no proper research has been done and very basic facts about our condition and treatment were incorrect (e.g. the suggestion that diabetics need insulin when our blood sugar is going low). I really wanted to love it, but ended up feeling disappointed.

I was gifted this book by a friend and didn’t have any idea what I was getting into, but ooooh I enjoyed it! It’s a dark crime story, which is rather gruesome at parts, told from the point of view of four characters: DI Francis Sullivan, a young DI on his first case; Rory, his unwilling deputy; Marni Mullins, a local tattoo artist; and the killer at the centre of everything. I haven’t read a crime book in absolutely ages so this was a real treat! I was on the edge of my seat as they were closing in on the killer. The story was original and I loved the interaction between the characters. I finished this a couple of days ago and I’m still thinking about it, pretty sure I want to reread it already. Personally I felt there were a few loose ends that could have been tied up but I loved the story and thoroughly enjoyed this book!

4,5 ✩

From the time I read the description of this book I was intrigued and once I actually started I was completely hooked. I read the entire thing in one day, though saying I read it might be an understatement, I devoured the thing. The story itself was refreshing with a few twists and turns and characters that I felt myself being drawn to. I didn't want to put it down, I had to know what was happening next, and if that isn't the hallmark of a truly enjoyable book, well, I don't know what is.

the storyline is great, the writing style is great, but I feel that this author has never met a person with a tattoo in their life... a lot of cringey details, as someone within that ‘community’, but otherwise a compelling read with a good twist!

If you’re a regular visitor to damppebbles.com then you will know that I like my reads to err on the darker side of fiction. In fact, I would go as far as saying, the darker – the better, for me! So I was immediately drawn to this book following the mention of ‘flaying’ in the blurb. But there was more to it than that. Yes, it sounded a little on the gruesome side but it is also about something that I find utterly fascinating. Tattoos. Now, I don’t have any tattoos, nor am I brave enough to go out and get one. But I can’t help but be intrigued and find myself casually gazing at tattooed folk from afar, trying to work out what designs they’ve had permanently inked onto their bodies. So in other words, this book absolutely sang out to me.

The Tattoo Thief is an unexpected, somewhat surprising mix. Some parts were dripping in beautifully vivid descriptions of blood-soaked gore, the pain the victim suffers, the process the killer goes through flaying their victim and what happens next (read the book to find out what this is). And then you have DI Francis Sullivan, a young DI in his late twenties who is purer than the driven snow. A devout Catholic, a stickler for the rules and a complete goody-two-shoes who is tasked with investigating the terrifying spate of horrific murders to hit Brighton. Out of his depth, much? You bet he is. Especially as his more senior and experienced DS is nipping at his heels. Looking for the moment when he can knock DI Francis Sullivan from his wobbly perch and take his DI crown. But I kind of liked that; a bit of ying and yang, a touch of light and dark. It worked for me.

This was an enjoyable read but I found the characters hard to like (particularly DCI Bradshaw who is an @rse and unbelievably reckless!). Even the unlucky Marni Mullins was difficult to warm to, although I really wanted to like her. It’s not often that I come across a fellow diabetic in the novels I read so that did help…sort of. Maybe I read too much crime fiction but on a number of occasions I wanted to shake Marni hard and scream ‘you’re going to do WHAT??’ in her face. Crime fiction 101, lady!

Please don’t get me wrong. This is a wonderful debut and a very gratifying read. I’m also very much looking forward to Belsham’s next release which is published in 2019! I absolutely love the idea behind this book. This is the type of storyline I adore and Belsham has done a great job of bringing it to fruition. I just found the twists a little obvious (but then I was looking for them because that’s the kind of annoying thing I do, grrrr!).

Would I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely. I am so pleased I read The Tattoo Thief. It’s a wonderful debut, and I really enjoyed the light vs dark aspect (but I will always want it to be darker. It’s fine, I know I’m weird). If you’re a little squeamish or nervous about graphic crime novels then this may not be the book for you (although I dare you to give it a go!). An absolutely fascinating read. Recommended.

Four out of five stars. I chose to read and review an eARC of The Tattoo Thief. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

⭐️3.5/5

A to niespodzianka! Ta niepozorna książka okazała się jedną z lepszych thrillerowych nowości jakie w ostatnich latach dane mi było czytać. Po paru sporych czytelniczych zawodach od dłuższego czasu unikam sięgania po nowowydawane thrillery nieznanych mi autorów. W przypadku “Łowcy tatuaży” zrobiłam jednak wyjątek - od kiedy tylko zauważyłam go w zapowiedziach bardzo przyciągało mnie do tej książki. Już sama fabuła należy do tych oryginalniejszych i niewątpliwie intrygujących. Mamy bowiem seryjnego mordercę polującego jedynie na osoby wytatuowane. Dodajmy jeszcze, że ów tajemniczy zabójca ciała swoich ofiar porzuca oskórowane. Skojarzenia z “Milczeniem Owiec” jak najbardziej słuszne. Jednak uspokajam - Alison Belsham mistrzowskim dziełem Thomasa Harrisa jedynie się delikatnie się zainspirowała, nie ma tu zrzynki na całego czy nieudanej próby splagiatowania. Tak jak “Milczenie Owiec” również i “Łowca tatuaży” może poszczycić się ciężkim i ponurym klimatem, jednak nie w aż tak dużym stopniu (i nie ukrywajmy - literacko też nie jest aż na tak wysokim poziomie). Nie jest też tak brutalnie jak u Chattama czy Cartera, ani tak mrocznie jak u Hayder. Belsham udało się uchronić od wszystkich mankamentów, na które to masowo chorują ostatnie thrillery. Nie ma w ”Łowcy” płaskich i papierowych postaci, nie ma też policjanta alkoholika z traumatyczną przeszłością, która rzutuje na obecne życie prywatne i zawodowe bohatera, a w końcu i w samej historii nie uświadczy się braku logiki ani irracjonalnych zdarzeń i zachowań bohaterów - elementów tak nieodzownych w najnowszych bestsellerowych thrillerach, że możnaby się zastanowić czy nie są to nowe wyznaczniki gatunku. Mocną stroną tej powieści, i tym co ją tak wyróżnia spośród innych tytułów, są niebanalne detale - wytatuowany kot, nawiązania do Japonii, subkultura tatuażu, żeby wymienić kilka.
Alison Belsham w swoim debiucie (!!!) wciąga czytelników w dynamiczne i trzymające w napięciu śledztwo toczące się w posępnym, klimatycznym Brighton - wraz z jego charakterystycznymi angielskimi zadymionymi pubami i przyciemnionymi studiami tatuażu. Naprawdę dobry kryminał, który w pełni spełnia wymogi literatury rozrywkowej. Należą się tym większe wyrazy uznania, że to debiut Brytyjki. Po kolejne powieści autorki na pewno i z ogromną chęcią sięgnę. Liczę, że “Łowca tatuaży” nie okaże się jedynie jednorazowym przebłyskiem talentu, a i przyszła twórczość Belsham będzie na tym samym - a nawet i wyższym - poziomie.

I enjoyed this book. The premise of the book is completely unique and it was written well so as to keep me reading on to find out what happens next. I liked the main characters, Francis Sullivan and Marni Mullins and the way each chapter had a different POV was great so you could see what each person was thinking. The author even included multiple chapters from the perspective of the killer which were really grim and gory but it was fun to see their side of things and trying to guess who they and the collector were. It had a bit of a weird ending and sometimes the drama was a bit too much and fight scenes were hard to follow but overall it was a decent book with a few twists to keep you guessing.