The Skin Code (Raine and Hume #1) by Stephen Williams

The Skin Code (Raine and Hume #1) Reviews

• 
  Andrea

  Detective Hume on a case of a serial killer who leaves codes on bodies, wanted more from this book wasnt thrilling or gruesome it was an average read.
• 
  Louise Wilson

  Detective Mary Hume is on the trail of a vicious serial killer. A killer who leaves a baffling code into the skin of his victims. The first victim, a young man, lies spread eagled in his stylish Soho flat. Carved deep into his hairless chest - while he was still alive - are the numbers 1-4-3. The second victim: a vicar, murdered and mutilated in his own church, his body posed kneeling in the front pew. Etched into his torso are more cryptic numbers. Detective Mary Hume knows that to crack the case, she must crack the code.
  
  A serial killer leaves his victims with a code carved into their bodies. Once you pick this book up, you won't want to put it back down again. Detective Mary Hume and her partner Echo are investigating a serial killer. Ex-Detective Raine has just saved a girl from being mugged, she was working on a missing person case. The murder victims are a mixed bunch, there doesn't seem to be any connection to them, This well written and gruesome read held my attention throughout.
  
  I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #StephenWilliams for my ARC of #TheSkinCode in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Peggy

  Now this is what i call a crime thriller. I literally devoured this book in one sitting. A man has been found dead with some letters carved into their chest. What do these letters mean? An original and very clever story with fantastic characters. Detective Mary Hume is still reeling from a family tragedy, DC Echo a Maori is a tech wizard and Raine a female PI a very complex and broken woman are this unusual team. I love the banter and one liners between Hume and Echo and as for Raine just outstanding. This book deserves more than five stars just for pure entertainment. I really hope that this is the start of a new series. A new author for me and I can't wait to read more. A very happy reader.
• 
  Amanda

  If there’s one thing that I like doing it’s discovering new authors and Stephen Williams is certainly a new author for me. I read the synopsis of ‘The Skin Code’ and it certainly sounded like just my cup of tea. So without further ado I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for what proved to be one hell of a read and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Skin Code’ but more about that in a bit.
  It took me no time at all to get into ‘The Skin Code’. In fact I was drawn to the story by the synopsis alone and as soon as I started reading, I knew that I was reading something special and that I would find it nigh on impossible to put the book to one side for any length of time. I must be psychic (or should that be psychopathic?) because that’s exactly what happened. I started reading and found that I just couldn’t stop. The crimes, as described in this book, are so shocking in nature that I had to keep reading to see if the police managed to apprehend the murderer before any further lives were lost and what the murderer’s motivation was. The more of the story I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story. All too quickly I reached the end. I found ‘The Skin Code’ to be a gripping, gritty, dramatic and tense read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
  ‘The Skin Code’ is extremely well written. The author has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. He certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. Reading ‘The Skin Code’ felt like being on one hell of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twist sand turns along the way. On more than one occasion I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
  In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Skin Code’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Stephen’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
  
• 
  Julie Lacey

  This is a new author for me and I’ll definitely read more if his books.
  This is a gripping crime thriller about a twisted killer determined to get rid of certain people.
  The killer carves symbols into the bodies of his victims and it takes Hume and Echo a while to work out what they mean.
  Raine is on hand to provide insight into the crimes but also has her hands full with a case of her own.
  I loved the dynamic between all the main characters and I’m hoping this is a start of a new series.
  Thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
• 
  Misfits farm

  When a murder victim is found with numbers carved into his chest Detective Inspector Hume and her team are rather perplexed as to what this means. Ex- detective Raine has just saved a young girl who was getting mugged and perhaps worse, little does the girl know it was her Raine was following rather than the yobs who attacked her. Raine is working on missing persons cases as a PI. The second muder victim is a vicar so what on earth is the connection to the gay man who lived rather on the edge of safety dating wise and what do the letters and numbers carved into the skin mean? Can they work it out before someone else falls prey to someone they have little to go on to find?
  I quickly got into this and liked both Hume and Raine. Raine has rather a maverick quality about her, both characters coming across very well and an intriguing plot which keeps the pages turning and turning. This is a book written to a very high calibre and clearly shows the skill of a seasoned, organised author. A stunning read and a new author to me, one that kept me within the pages to the very end. I loved Raine and certainly hope that there is more to come.
• 
  Stacy

  Defective inspector Mary Hume & her partner Echo have caught a new case. An apparent serial killer is targeting people in London. He’s carving messages into the flesh of the victims that the detectives will need to decipher before more people die.
  Hume contacts a private investigator named Raine, who happens to be an ex-police officer, for her assistance in the case. Raine is investigating her own case of a missing woman. She finds the woman who ends up murdered soon afterward.
  
  As more bodies are found and connections made, we learn why these people have been targeted. With a surprise ending, the author leaves us wanting to know what’s next.
  
  This is my first book by this author and I loved it. Raine was my favorite character. I look forward to future installments in the series to learn more about the characters.
  
  Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Julie

  Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the copy of The Skin Code. Wow what a great read! The characters were the star attraction for me and overshadowed the story of the killings, even though the story was great and really kept me guessing. I hope we see Hume, Echo, and Raine in another book because they were amazingly well-defined. I loved how they all had their own strengths and weaknesses but together they made a powerhouse trio of crime solvers and how the relationships between them grew throughout the book.
  Echo’s tech knowhow was a huge part of the story and I enjoyed remembering some of the things from the past he brought up (no spoilers here). I also loved how current tech was used and explained in the story. If you‘re looking for a well-written book with great characters and a story that will keep you guessing, run out and buy this book. You won’t be sorry!
• 
  Anne

  Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.
  
  This is my first read by this author and gosh what a thrilling read it was. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this - it was chilling, quite creepy and a real page turner of a read. It began with the assault of a young woman which is witnessed and stopped by a Private Investigator. I really liked the three main characters here. Hume and Echo investigate a murder of a young man with strange markings on his chest. When more murders follow with similar markings they struggle with understanding what they mean and Raine is on the periphery of their investigation helping them while also investigating a missing person case. I loved the rapport between Hume and Echo, especially Humes put downs when Echo tries to explain computer terms to her. Raine is a very interesting character, with a don’t care attitude and is tenacious and very determined. I found myself really liking and rooting for her throughout the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it was well written and flowed really well, and I liked that the story was told through the three main characters. There is a lot of computer jargon which I got the basic gist of and this is integral to the plot and storyline. The book raced to a final and fitting conclusion with all the story threads coming together nicely and I found the last part of the book to be a real edgy, thrilling read which definitely had the wow factor. I can’t wait for the next book to see what Stephen Williams has in store for his readers, if this one is anything to go by it will be very good. I’d recommend this book if you like a good, solid police procedural with great characters.
• 
  Kristin

  Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC of this book.
  
  There’s a serial killer in town and Detective Mary Hume needs to figure out who it is and fast, before there is another victim. The serial killer is etching codes into his victims’ skin – but what do they mean, and how are they all connected? But in order to crack the code, she needs the help of an ex-police officer, Raine, who can figure things out and get the people that Detective Hume cannot. In this race against time thriller, will they be able to figure it all out before the next victim falls?
  
  I love a good serial killer book, and this one seemed uber interesting based on the premise. However, for me (and based on other reviews, I seem to be in the minority), this one fell a little flat. The subplots in this book, while mostly connected to the main plot, were a little boring for me. Personally, I’m not a big fan of reading about drugs, and that was a big part of this book. So it just didn’t work for me – but I’m sure it would be good for others. Due to that, I found those parts a little boring. However, I REALLY enjoyed the psychological analysis behind the killer, the figuring out the code, and the ending left on a cliff hanger that left me wanting more.
• 
  Books 'n' All Promotions

  Stephen Williams is a new author to me so I was unsure what to expect from THE SKIN CODE. However, I do like to try new authors so I settled down to see what he had to offer.
  
  I was very impressed, for a first in series the characters were introduced seamlessly and grew over the course of the book into well rounded individuals that gave the impression they have a lot more to give.
  
  The story is intriguing, codes and torture join hands as the detectives try to work out the mysterious codes and link together the clues that will lead to their murderer. But with the body count increasing the team are in a race against time to work out the who, what, where and how before anyone else dies. Will they be too late to stop this sadistic murderer before he completes his mission?
  
  As mentioned I do like the characters The lead detective is happily married which makes a change and throughout the books there are teasers that suggest there is an intriguing back story to the relationship between Mary and the uniquely mystifying Raine. Echo I suspect also has a history and I would like to find out more about him.
  
  All in all a very intriguing book that had me gripped all the way to the shocking ending.
  
  Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance copy in return for my unbiased review.
  
• 
  janine

  Yes, yes, yes.... this book gives you EVERYTHING you expect from this genre and more!
  
  The synopsis alone had me excited more than any book I'd read in a while and the fact this was a new author for me just added to the intrigue.
  
  Detective Mary Hume is on the trail of one sick individual, a serial killer who leaves a code with each victim.
  
  The body of a young man is found dead in his Soho flat. On his bare chest are the numbers 1 4 3, carved into his skin whilst he was still alive.
  The next victim is a vicar posed kneeling in the front pew with more numbers etched into his raw skin. What do these numbers mean?
  
  Still reeling from a family tragedy Detective Hume now has to crack this case but to crack the case she will first have to crack this mysterious code left on the victims with the help of her small but amazing team.
  
  DC Echo is one hell of a tech whizz and Raine is a Private Investigator after leaving the police force. Both of these characters bring just as much to the story as the lead character and as a team they work brilliantly together. I loved the jokey banter between the chara years which gave an element of entertainment to the whole story.
  
  This is an amazingly gripping, gritty, creepy, tense and dramatic, exactly what you want and expect but are more often than not left disappointed with! Not this time.... I could not put this down for a second, it had me gripped vice like from start to finish.
  
  This will most definitely not be the last book I read by this author and I cannot wait to see what next lies in store for DI Hume and her team!
  
  Massive thanks to netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.
• 
  Carole Gourlay

  This book is absolutely fabulous, and whilst it’s a crime novel, these crimes are quite different. The characters are hilarious, (well I thought so) just loved Raine with an “e”, she stood no nonsense, was absolutely fearless and comical to boot. Hume obviously has to watch her step as she’s still a serving police officer, but she’s a wonderful character too. Then we have Echo, the Māori who is excellent with computers. A really good trio who made me laugh on more than one occasion.
  
  The crimes were horrendous and it took the team a while to work out what exactly was going on and why. Being of the older generation, I have to confess that I didn’t really have a clue with regards to what the thinking of the murderer was all about. I’m sure the youngster understood all the “computer speak” more than me!
  
  Saying that, the book really kept me entertained and the ending was exquisite without saying too much, and leaves the door open for the author to continue. I, for one, can’t wait.
  
  My thanks to the author and Joffe publishers for the arc.
• 
  Bill Kupersmith

  Tuesday Falling was a peak exercise in over-the-top non-stop mayhem featuring a kick-arse avenger. Only You was also a revenge story but too tepid. Now Skin Game returns to the ultra-violence but with contrasting women as principal characters. DI Mary Hume married and settled in middle age, whilst private detective Raine is living in a boat on an canal and grieving a former lover. There is a serial killer on the loose, who renders the victims immobile with ketamine and then performs amateur dentistry with pliers, inserting a tooth from another previous victim. That gives this book a high yuck-factor though I was struck by the too-common treatment of PMs: ‘The number of times Raine had been sick after seeing some poor body being prised apart, and the organs weighed and measured, was something she chose to forget.’ During my chaplaincy training I feared I’d be grossed out when I had privilege of watching an autopsy but found it utterly fascinating, and I faint easily. These days dysmorphia is very much a subject of controversy, but here the villain suffers not simply gender or body dysmorphia, but self-hatred right down to the level of DNA. When we reach genetic and computer codes, I couldn’t really tell whether the story was making sense or not, but I enjoyed the vigorous action scenes when Raine makes short work of drug dealers. I look forward to encountering her again.
• 
  Grace J Reviewerlady

  A smart thriller which kept me on my toes right to the very end!
  
  Detective Mary Hume’s latest case has her completely bamboozled; a body with numbers carved really deeply into the chest. Then a second body turns up, again with more strange carvings. In order to crack this case, she obviously needs to understand what the numbers mean. Desperate to get some leads before another body turns up, Hume brings in her friend Raine – ex-cop without the restrictions of the force – to assist. But the killer already has his next victim in his sights . . .
  
  I’m always excited to come across an author new to me and Stephen Williams has created a very cleverly thought out crime thriller which held me in it’s thrall from the very beginning – oh, I really hope this is going to turn into a series! The reasoning behind the code is so smart! While the main focus is, of course, on the crime there are tantalising glimpses of the private lives of both Hume and Raine and I would love to find out more about both of them. Suspenseful, exciting and so very hard to put down once you’ve picked it up, this is a definite five star read and one I happily recommend to all lovers of a great, gripping crime thriller.
• 
  Gordon Johnston

  An excellent novel set in London - gruesome in places but with a good plot and some very interesting characters.
  
  DI Mary Hume leads the hunt for a killer who carves a code onto the bodies of the victims. But what does it mean? With no apparent links between the victims, Hume hasn't much to go on. She is assisted by young Maori DC Echo, a computer whizz. The interplay between the two is well written.
  
  On the edges of the investigation is the mysterious Raine. Just one name: "like the weather with an e on the end". The former Met detective went on leave and never returned, becoming a private investigator instead. There are hints of her back story but it seems there is much more to be revealed.
  
  The Skin Code has a fast pace and starts a new series with a real bang.
• 
  yvette aldridge

  Punch of an ending
  
  I nearly gave up as it seemed a bit slow to start with, as it often can be when starting a new author's work, but I am so happy I kept going.
  Once the book gets past the 1st chapter, the characters build up, and I especially liked Raine and Echo. But every character is so cleverly written that they are so good and like "reverse onions" as layers build up bit by bit.
  The plot, storyline, pace, characters (including the person/s responsible) are all great. But the ending! POW! Really unexpected.
  Can't wait to read the next book.
• 
  Aileen (Ailz) Grist

  This is a book with some serious creepiness. Why are disparate people being killed? How can there be a link when they're different ages and, as far as can be told, never had any contact with one another. It's been well thought out, well written and, for all the creepiness has some laughs along the way.
  
  A fantastic read.
  
  Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.
• 
  Elaine Davey

  unlike other readers, I found this book gruesome. I like thrillers but this,I thought was over the top and wondered what type of mind one must have to write something so horrific. The fact that letters,are carved into the skin while the victim is,still alive and teeth extracted and implanted into another body . Gave me the creeps. I admit, I could not finish reading the book as it gave me nightmares.
• 
  Cliff Dalton

  Strange mystery
  
  Former London Police Detective, Raine, is an idiosyncratic private detective who still maintains connections to the police and to her former partner, Mary Humes. Together and separate they struggle to solve the serial killer murders through messages carved on the vicious.
  It's A long twisted case that puts Raine at risk and doesn't completely satisfy when they solve the case.
  Pretty good book.