- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Orion; New Ed edition (17 Oct 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0752881817
- ISBN-13: 978-0752881812
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 862,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Skin And Blister
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Move over Morse, PI Sam Falconer's in town. ... Gripping.' (DAILY EXPRESS )
'entertaining and enjoyable' (LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'entertaining and enjoyable' (LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Move over Morse, PI Sam Falconer's in town. ... Gripping.' DAILY EXPRESS 'entertaining and enjoyable' LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
SKIN AND BLISTER (Priv. Inv-Sam Falconer-England-Cont) - G+
Blake, Victoria - 3rd in series
Orion Books, 2006, US Hardcover - ISBN: 0752874594
First Sentence: He holds the card carefully by its edges, staring intently at the image.
PI Sam Falconer is called, by her brother, to come to Oxford. There have been disturbing notes and unpleasant gifts received. Then one of her brother, Mark's students is found dead and Mark is being questioned. When the police want to re-question him, Mark can't be found. Eventually, Sam is contacted and told Mark won't be returned unless the kidnapper can talk to Sam's father, a former SAS offer who admitted killing 50 IRA members in the past.
You know there's a problem when one of the things you like best about a book is the protagonist's relationship with her orange tiger cat, Frank, who is vet-phobic and chronically obese. But that's because I, too, have a 33.5 lb. orange tiger cat.
There were other things I liked. The dialogue excellent and I love her wry humor. She does know how to build suspense and keep it going to the end. Sam working with her therapist in dealing with physiological scars left by her father's abandonment and reappearance are emotional and well done.
Problems I had were that I identified the villain as soon as he was introduced fairly early in the story. In spite of having the background, through this and the previous books, of her problems with relationship, her reaction to one of the characters still seemed over the top.
There are horrible, graphic descriptions of the characters' dreams which contrast significantly with the style of the story; not a criticism, simply a warning for other readers. This was offset by a couple subplots that added dimension and some humor.
The book did keep me turning the pages and I am interested enough to see where the character goes but I'll probably buy the future books in paperback.
Blake, Victoria - 3rd in series
Orion Books, 2006, US Hardcover - ISBN: 0752874594
First Sentence: He holds the card carefully by its edges, staring intently at the image.
PI Sam Falconer is called, by her brother, to come to Oxford. There have been disturbing notes and unpleasant gifts received. Then one of her brother, Mark's students is found dead and Mark is being questioned. When the police want to re-question him, Mark can't be found. Eventually, Sam is contacted and told Mark won't be returned unless the kidnapper can talk to Sam's father, a former SAS offer who admitted killing 50 IRA members in the past.
You know there's a problem when one of the things you like best about a book is the protagonist's relationship with her orange tiger cat, Frank, who is vet-phobic and chronically obese. But that's because I, too, have a 33.5 lb. orange tiger cat.
There were other things I liked. The dialogue excellent and I love her wry humor. She does know how to build suspense and keep it going to the end. Sam working with her therapist in dealing with physiological scars left by her father's abandonment and reappearance are emotional and well done.
Problems I had were that I identified the villain as soon as he was introduced fairly early in the story. In spite of having the background, through this and the previous books, of her problems with relationship, her reaction to one of the characters still seemed over the top.
There are horrible, graphic descriptions of the characters' dreams which contrast significantly with the style of the story; not a criticism, simply a warning for other readers. This was offset by a couple subplots that added dimension and some humor.
The book did keep me turning the pages and I am interested enough to see where the character goes but I'll probably buy the future books in paperback.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the third book in the life and times of PI Sam Falconer. It follows on from 'Cutting Blades' virtually without a gasp for breath.
I haven't quite worked out whether these books are meant to be crime thrillers or a trip into the psychological make up of the main protagonist. In the event, they are a mix of both and because of this, the storyline falls flat on either count.
In this book, Sam's father, though mostly a background player, does feature most heavily. Because of his past activities, Sam has to deal with the residuals from the IRA conflict whilst, at the same time, attempting to solve the untimely death of a student at Oxford Uni.
Both investigations leave me rather underwhelmed and I still don't know how she makes any money from running her detective agency. But there we are. She's a pleasant enough character with her assorted friends and hangers-on but there's something lacking in the thrust of these stories. There is meant to be urgency, but the reader doesn't feel as though this is sufficiently important to develop suspense. The involvement of her brother, Mark, seems insufficiently life-threatening and the arrival of certain body parts is now very much a cliche which only lessens the threat level for the reader.
We pretty much know that Sam will surivive to fight another day, though whether this can be assumed for some of her associates is another matter. It's a book which could have been a lot more exciting but, if you like the slow meanderings through Oxford's life-style with a quick blitz on London, then this book will keep you reading.
I have book four to hand already so I'll get round to that one shortly but I'm not rushing to find it on my shelves.
I haven't quite worked out whether these books are meant to be crime thrillers or a trip into the psychological make up of the main protagonist. In the event, they are a mix of both and because of this, the storyline falls flat on either count.
In this book, Sam's father, though mostly a background player, does feature most heavily. Because of his past activities, Sam has to deal with the residuals from the IRA conflict whilst, at the same time, attempting to solve the untimely death of a student at Oxford Uni.
Both investigations leave me rather underwhelmed and I still don't know how she makes any money from running her detective agency. But there we are. She's a pleasant enough character with her assorted friends and hangers-on but there's something lacking in the thrust of these stories. There is meant to be urgency, but the reader doesn't feel as though this is sufficiently important to develop suspense. The involvement of her brother, Mark, seems insufficiently life-threatening and the arrival of certain body parts is now very much a cliche which only lessens the threat level for the reader.
We pretty much know that Sam will surivive to fight another day, though whether this can be assumed for some of her associates is another matter. It's a book which could have been a lot more exciting but, if you like the slow meanderings through Oxford's life-style with a quick blitz on London, then this book will keep you reading.
I have book four to hand already so I'll get round to that one shortly but I'm not rushing to find it on my shelves.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A friend recommended Victoria Blake to me and I have read four books in the series. I think it's best to start with 'Bloodless Shadow' as the story developes with each new volume. I'm looking forward to the next one. The characters are well drawn and I enjoyed the UK setting.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
