Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2013
448 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Detective Aector McAvoy returns in a thrilling new case set in Yorkshire; a series of salacious murders has him on the hunt for a sadistic killer in David Mark's critically acclaimed series.
When "swinger" Simon Appleyard is found strung-up and naked in his Hull apartment, the authorities are only too happy to chalk up his death to a suicide. After all, a new gang has taken over the local drug trade, and Detective Superintendent Trish Pharaoh's Serious and Organized Crime Unit is being run ragged by this well-connected and merciless group of criminals. With violent drug-related crime on the rise, the last thing the police need is an investigation of a depressed young man's death.
But more bodies begin to turn up, and all are somehow connected to the local underground erotic scene. Although Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy would be perfectly content to stay at home with his beloved wife and newborn baby, he begins to suspect that murder is just the tip of the iceberg. As his shrewd investigation brings him uncomfortably close to the local political elite - powerful people who would kill to keep their secrets buried, and who have the power to make or break his career - McAvoy realizes he is hunting a killer who has plenty more targets in sight, and a lust that won't be satisfied until the River Humber runs red.
"Starred Review. Sophisticated plotting, in-depth characters, and sharp dialogue elevate British author Mark's gritty second police procedural featuring Yorkshire Det. Sgt. Aector ... Fans of John Harvey and Peter James will find much to like." - Publishers Weekly
"McAvoy's second (The Dark Winter, 2012) is an excellent police procedural featuring sex, violence and complex characters who are quirky but likable." - Kirkus
"Compelling … Richly satisfying and told with remarkable flair, [Original Skin] confirms Mark as one of the darkest of the new faces in British crime writing, and not one to miss." - Daily Mail (UK)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
David Mark spent seven years as crime reporter for the Yorkshire Post and now writes full-time. The first novel in his DS McAvoy series, Dark Winter, was selected for the Harrogate New Blood panel (where he was Reader in Residence) and was a Richard & Judy pick and a Sunday Times bestseller. Dead Pretty was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger in 2016. He lives in Northumberland with his family.
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