*2.5

Die Tätowiererin Marni Mullins findet in einer Mülltonne in Brighton den übel zugerichteten Leichnam eines Mannes. Sie informiert die Polizei, will aber mit dem Fall nichts zu tun haben. Das sieht der DI Francis Sullivan etwas anders. Er bittet sie um Hilfe, denn dem Toten wurde großflächig ein Tattoo entfernt. Der Mörder scheint es auf die Körperkunst seiner Opfer abgesehen zu haben und nur Marni kann der Polizei helfen, das nächste Opfer zu verhindern.
"Der Tattoosammler" ist mein erster Thriller von Alison Belsham und hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Die Story ist spannend und ausnehmend gut recherchiert. Die Darstellung der Tattooszene kommt weitestgehend ohne Klischees aus und vermittelt ein realistisches Bild der Community.
Die Figuren haben alle ihre Ecken und Kanten. Und damit sind keineswegs kleine Makel gemeint. Marni entpuppt sich als unstet und teilweise unglaublich zickig, der DI ist starrsinnig und irgendwie verschroben. Und vom Ex-Mann von Marni habe ich im Laufe des Thrillers immer weniger gehalten. Dennoch ist diese Mischung genau die richtige für die Geschichte und machte sie erst realistisch und lebensnah. Keine der Figuren war durchweg sympathisch oder unsympathisch. Das fand ich klasse.
Die Story ist konstant spannend und bietet einen Einblick in die Tattooszene von Brighton. Der Täter gerät zwar fast klassisch, aber dies stört bei dem Gesamtwerk nicht.
Insgesamt ein klasse Thriller, der mir tolle Lesestunden bereitet hat. Eine klare Empfehlung.

DNF. Stopped at about 20% because it was just becoming ridiculous.

This book sat on my shelf for about 2 years, and now I'm sad about that because I actually really liked it.

The premise of the book is definitely unusual, which is refreshing since it seems there aren't many original ideas anymore. I've been to Brighton, and I have a tattoo, so these were also areas that interested me in the story. Brighton itself is almost one of the characters, and I enjoyed picturing some of the locations mentioned in the story. The insight into the world of tattooing was also compelling, in terms of the professionalism of the artists, the bond shared among fellow artists, and prejudices they face from others 'outside' their world.

The author does a good job setting up the grisly crimes (and beware, some of the details may be a bit gory for some readers), and the idea that a serial killer would 'collect tattoos' is for sure unusual. The story is told from a few different POVs, notably tattooist Marni Mullins and DI Sullivan. I thought adding italicized chapters from the perspective of the killer was brilliant, and getting insight into their view that the murders were a form of artwork was intriguing. I didn't care for the chapters from Rory's perspective, as he was a whiny undermining twat and didn't serve any purpose other than to make Sullivan's life/job harder. There were a few red herrings and plot twists, and in the end I admit I didn't see it coming when I learned who was actually responsible.

There were a couple negative points -- namely that the ending was rushed, as I really wanted to know more about WHY the killer/s did what they did, more about the conversation Sullivan had in the interrogation of the accomplice, and more about Marni's past crime in terms of why it made her dislike/mistrust the police so much.

Despite those factors, though, I really enjoyed this book and was happy to learn there are others in this same 'series', which I'll be reading next.

I really enjoyed The Tattoo Thief. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it, but I found myself getting pulled into the story really quickly. I liked the tattoo angle, not least because I have a few myself, so it was interesting to read about.

Marni Mullins is a tattoo artist, and she stumbles upon a body in a dumpster when taking a break at a tattoo show. Conflicted, she calls it in but then goes back to work at the tattoo show, not expecting anything to come of it. Until the police find her.

What follows is a twisty-turny read with lots of things going on. DI Sullivan is investigating the discovery, but he has a lot more going on than what he’s letting on. I enjoyed reading about him and his thinking processes.

I loved the interactions between Francis and Marni too, especially as the book progresses. Their back and forth banter is good fun to read. There is definitely a connection there, and I liked them both as characters.

The Tattoo Thief is a really interesting crime thriller, told from multiple viewpoints, including the killer. It is graphic, and more than a little tense at times. Hard to believe its a debut!

Recommended for sure!

Escrita espetacular! Todos os atos são descritos ao pormenor e uma consegue mesmo entrar na cena através da escrita.

Recomendo a leitura!

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.