I've read Mo Hayder's books with great excitement and thrill so far- but I must say "Skin" kind of disappointed me; especially since I made the mistake (?) to await the psychologically thrilling and haunting, gruesom brillancy that she had shown in "Birdman" and "The Tratment"- some of the best psycho-thrillers I've ever read, judging by the degree of horror especially. After "Ritual", I wondered already, but only just slightly then, why Hayder had obviously left the peak of horror and thriller she'd come to with those previous 2 novels- haunting still, but somehow I had hoped for MORE.
"Skin", now, reads like a sequel to "Ritual" since the story takes place about 1 weeks after what happened in "Ritual", with some (at first) promising threads leading from the one book to the other, starring Jack Caffery and Flea Marley again. Good sign, I thought- but while I kept reading, I realized I was waiting and waiting for the book to reach the peaks of horror I've been used to from Hayder. Unfortunately, I have to say she kept me waiting and waiting, always wishing for a climax, a highlight, but then- I had arrived at the end of the book. Loose ends still pending (but without any indication of a decent cliffhanger!), somewhat far-fetched subplot and solutions, I almost want to say shallow plot...Still all in all exciting, of course, and a decent crime novel- but by far not what I'd expected of Mo Hayder! Would like to give 2.5 stars if possible.