Skin Deep

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Jerome Preisler
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Rating: 6 out of 10

Summary (Thank goodness for Goodreads): A retired judge has been found brutally murdered on the outskirts of Las Vegas, complete with a macabre yet masterfully intricate tattoo on his face . . . the third seemingly random victim of the mysterious kidnapper dubbed by law enforcement as the "Tattoo Man." The judge wasn't the first person to have been abducted, drugged, and permanently altered with tattoos and body modification . . . but he was the first to wind up dead. At the same time, several other deceased are turning up all over Sin City with their body art mercilessly removed--and the timing would seem to suggest to those in authority that all of these crimes are somehow related. But Las Vegas's top crime scene investigators--Catherine Willows, Ray Langston, Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, and Greg Sanders--aren't jumping to any conclusions, as they attempt to connect the dots by entering the secretive and tight-knit body art community--one that is intensely wary of outsiders. 

My Thoughts: This is, clearly, a CSI novel so if you don't enjoy that show then you may not like this novel either. This novel, not unlike the other CSI novels, involve a very interesting killer. These characters, always with depth, remind me of the serial killers from Criminal Minds. It might as well be a Criminal Minds novel, other than the characters. This novel doesn't involve a crime of passion with a quick cover up. It has a very elaborate back-story. This novel requires a great deal of thinking and keeping up. You must be able to follow the story and keep up with the csi's as they solve the crime lest you get left behind which if a very big possibility with this novel. You must keep track of the regular characters as well as the ones related only to this particular novel. It was a lot of work. It required focus and time that, in the beginning, I wasn't willing to give it. I had to restart the novel (I started reading this novel once before but gave up. Finishing it the second time was also a struggle but not because it was boring. I just don't enjoy thinking too much.). 

Obviously, this book involves science and big words which allows you to learn something while you read. I like that. I like knowing random fun facts about how things work and random big words that I can throw into my sentences to make me seem smarter than I actually am; it's a fault, I know. It also gave me a new view of tattoo artists and people with tattoos, not that I judged them before, you simply got an inside look.


One thing I must warn is that it is, though not the most graphic novel I've ever read, disturbing. The reader gets to see the world through the eyes of the criminal multiple times, as well as, through the eyes of the victim. This puts the reader in a position to understand motives and to, sometimes and not necessarily in this case, understand why the killer is doing what they are doing. It can help or hurt the book. In this case, it did neither really. It just spooked me out. It's worse seeing through the victim's eyes because I don't enjoy thinking about death never mind my own. 

In Conclusion: Having read other CSI novels in the past, I can say that this is not my favourite. I finished it and enjoyed trying to figure out who the killer was but I find I'd rather watch my CSI on TV because it's easier to figure out the "whodunnit?" I like that aspect which is lost on me in the books. I won't be reading this novel again. I would recommend the CSI: Miami novels over regular CSI novels. If you are upset by crime novels or the description of dead bodies or crimes then this isn't for you. At times I did find it gross and upsetting and I watch all the crime shows on TV and have a strong stomach. You know what you like. 

Thanks for reading!