Barbara S. (barbsis) -
Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano catch a serial killer case that revolves around the movie industry. The many old-movie references get tedious and annoying after a while. The killings are gruesome and somehow spiced into actual VHS tapes and placed on video store shelves. The mystery is extremely complex with multiple suspicious characters and storylines. The bad guy was a complete shock to me. This revelation came completely out of left field and was very surprising.
I found the beginning of the book rather boring and slow moving. About halfway through, the action picked up and the police were actively on the chase. The author keeps you turning pages with misdirection and back handed clues. Well-written and engaging.
I found the beginning of the book rather boring and slow moving. About halfway through, the action picked up and the police were actively on the chase. The author keeps you turning pages with misdirection and back handed clues. Well-written and engaging.
Karen F. (earlsgirl) reviewed The Skin Gods (Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne, Bk 2) on + 188 more book reviews
An excellent read, but the print was the smallest print I have ever seen in a book. Good story by a great writer - I'm a big fan of Montanari's.
Emmagene D. reviewed The Skin Gods (Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne, Bk 2) on + 216 more book reviews
Awsome story about a serial killer who recreates murders from movies. Enjoyed the two detectives, one a seperated mom of a three year old, the other a divorced dad in his mid forties. I've never read anything by this author before, but I will buy anything he writes in the future.
Marianne S. (sfc95) -
For everything The Rosary Girls was, The Skin Gods is not. I read 70 pages and gave up, it was moving to SLOW and I couldn't get into the story. I loved the first book, this one was a huge dissapointment.
Sleepy26177 reviewed The Skin Gods (Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne, Bk 2) on + 218 more book reviews
Since the case of The Rosary Girls as been successfully closed, Detective Kevin Byrne has mostly recovered from the shot to his head and a six week induced coma. The decision to return to the force or not is his but when he gets news that Julian Matisse has been released from jail after having done only 2 years in jail the decision is made for him. His partner Jessica Balzano welcomes her partner and they are both assigned to a breathtaking, unbelievable case:
Someone stages killing scenes from classic movies, cuts the fictional scene from a VHS tape and puts the new and real scene in its place. The tape is then left at rental stores, waiting for an unsuspecting customer to pick it up.
While Kevin tries to figure out the reasons for Matisse's early release, Jessica's investigation into The Actor's case brigs her to the shady world of pornography, drugs and nightclubs. And more tapes are being found by customers.
Time is short, not only for Jessica to solve the case but also for Kevin who parallel searches for clues about Matisse and the kidnapping of his new love Victoria.
The Skin Gods is difficult to compare to the previous novel The Rosary Girls. There is again a subplot which is worked by Byrne and his amazingly gut instincts but it didn't get me as much as in The Rosary Girls. The investigation as a team between Jessica and Kevin comes way too short with Kevin moving around mostly by his own.
The scheme of newly discovered suspects being killed by the actual killer has been used again and I couldn't find much new ideas in this novel.
Someone stages killing scenes from classic movies, cuts the fictional scene from a VHS tape and puts the new and real scene in its place. The tape is then left at rental stores, waiting for an unsuspecting customer to pick it up.
While Kevin tries to figure out the reasons for Matisse's early release, Jessica's investigation into The Actor's case brigs her to the shady world of pornography, drugs and nightclubs. And more tapes are being found by customers.
Time is short, not only for Jessica to solve the case but also for Kevin who parallel searches for clues about Matisse and the kidnapping of his new love Victoria.
The Skin Gods is difficult to compare to the previous novel The Rosary Girls. There is again a subplot which is worked by Byrne and his amazingly gut instincts but it didn't get me as much as in The Rosary Girls. The investigation as a team between Jessica and Kevin comes way too short with Kevin moving around mostly by his own.
The scheme of newly discovered suspects being killed by the actual killer has been used again and I couldn't find much new ideas in this novel.
