Critical Mick

I won't give away any good bits. Suffice to say: the pace naturally slows in the aftermath of the massacre. Introductions are made to new characters: local property developer George Matheson and his terminally ill wife Vanessa, this millionaire's sinister silent partner, Kendrick, Kendrick's muscle, James Vilner, and Matheson's useless gambling playboy of a nephew, Toby Harman. Many debts bind these characters, and questions circle as to who had the most to gain by the decimation of Chilton. There are references to a massive police investigation, but the law's only real presence in Skin and Bones is hard-drinking bent copper DI Terry Sullivan. If the real truth is to be uncovered, it will be by an investigative journalist like Craig Walker or Abby Clark. Walker's father was one of the gunman's victims. Between that and the betrayal by his no-good cheatin' wife Nina, Craig Walker is pissed.

The truth gradually emerges against the Downlands of England's south-eastern coast. There must be other crime novels set around Brighton, Hastings, Battle, Lewes and Rye, but I don't believe I have read them. It was good to visit Tom Bale's corner of Britain, see its small villages, and listen to its concerns about ancient farmlands giving way to the growing sprawl of mammoth, metropolitan London. Photos on tombale.net provide a breath of the atmosphere.

YOU HAVE TO HIDE FOREVER. Great tag line on the back cover of Skin and Bones. The CD used as a bookmark is a "Best Of" compilation from a Manchester band called James. The lyrics to their song "Sound" serve as intro to this novel's Part 1.

Mammoth metropolitan London sprawling into Sussex.
(Artist's impression)

Least fave bit: this is more difficult. There are several. It is difficult to believe that the army of police investigating this national tragedy would so completely dismiss a survivor's account of what occurred. Skin and Bones also lost some weight during the segments told from the killer's point of view. Though the manner by which he communicated with his conspirator was innovative, the secret identity of the killer's master was too easy to deduce. The love interest felt obligatory rather than inspired. Worse, there is a coincidence of Training Day proportions at the novel's climax.

Though these left Skin and Bones a little lean, Bale still manages good tension and action. His characters are vivid enough, his setting interesting, and the pace builds nicely. The plot did not follow its first impressions- it's not a running/hiding/stalking mystery-thriller like Peter Clenott's Hunting the King- but there are a few decent secrets to be discovered down in Sussex.