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Original Skin is the second book in the DS McAvoy series set in Hull. The strengths of the story are the characterisation and sense of place. Mark provides vivid descriptions of his characters, whom have emotional depth and resonance. McAvoy, in particular, is a likeable character – a gentle, somewhat naïve giant who likes to believe the best about people despite all the evidence to the contrary. He has an endearing relationship to his wife and kids and a nice chalk/cheese one with his sassy boss, Trish Pharaoh. And the other characters in the story are three-dimensional. There is also a clear sense of Hull and its contemporary history and problems. Where the story is weaker, however, is with respect to the plot. While the context is interesting – a battle within the cannabis trade, swinging and sex parties, and local political scandal – the tale relies extensively on a string of coincidences rather than good detective work. McAvoy always seems to be in the right place at the right time to find a clue or intervene or accidentally nudge pieces into plot devices into place. Moreover, the cannabis plot all but disappears in the last third of the book and is weakly and incompletely resolved. The result was a tale where I cared for the characters but didn’t believe in the story, which was a shame.
1 comment:
Too bad about the plot hinging on coincidences, otherwise the setup sounds interesting.
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