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A review by damppebbles
The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham
4.0
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.
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.