Product Description

'The Butcher of Belle Vue' has struck again. Like the first two victims, the third has been partially skinned and dumped on waste ground, her muscles, tendons and ligaments exposed to view. Only this time, her face has also been removed. Jon Spicer and his new partner, Rick Saville, are on the investigating team. The case is waiting for its first breakthrough when a woman approaches Jon insisting that she heard 'The Butcher' claiming his third victim in the next-door room of a run-down hotel in Belle Vue. But all she has to back up her story is a business card that she recovered from the empty room the following morning - it's from a local escort agency and the name 'Alexia' has been scrawled on the back. Jon's investigation takes him into the twilight world of Manchester's escort agencies and the unscrupulous cosmetic surgery industry, ultimately forcing him to confront the propensity for violence that is inherent within each of us - even within himself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #326428 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

COVENTRY EVENING TELEGRAPH
'A highly entertaining read. I wouldn't be surprised to see it made into a TV series.'

Review
'Hmmm. Nice....It's a grim, dark and seedy picture painted here of the North, but it's probably one you could view anywhere. ****' (LADSMAG )

'Shifting Skin has all the ingredients- blood, excitement, speed, mystery and realistis, likeable characters - for another bestseller from a writer who is fast making his mark as a top talent in the genre.' (PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH )

'A highly entertaining read. I wouldn't be surprised to see it made into a TV series.' (COVENTRY EVENING TELEGRAPH )

PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH
'Shifting Skin has all the ingredients- blood, excitement, speed, mystery and realistis, likeable characters - for another bestseller from a writer who is fast making his mark as a top talent in the genre.'

Customer Reviews

A Skin Crawling Delight
In his fourth novel, Shifting Skin, Manchester Crime author, Chris Simms, has taken the cosmetic surgery industry and used it as a backdrop for what is, to date, his most gripping and adventurous storyline.

The "Butcher of Belle Vue" has struck again. Like the first two victims, the third has been partially skinned and dumped on waste ground - her muscles, tendons and ligaments exposed to full view, though this time the face has also been removed.
Jon Spicer, together with new partner, Rick Saville, are on the investigating team when a woman approaches Jon, insisting that she has heard "The Butcher" claiming his third victim in a next-door room of a run down hotel in Belle Vue. Her only proof, however, is a business card with the name "Alexia" scrawled across the back. Trawling through the twilight world of Manchester, Spicer's investigation unearths secrets that force him to examine his own faults and to confront the violence and prejudices that lurk within each of us.

From first page to last, this is as compelling a read as anyone has a right to wish for. The tension is palpable, with the snappy interaction between Spicer, Saville and those they come across, both natural and comfortable enough to allow the reader to breathe in the atmosphere of the places they visit.

Never over elaborate in its description, relentless in its pace and laced with intelligent metaphors for the modern world, Chris Simms has again created a monster-sized value pack of twists and turns, that will keep the reader enthralled until its final, dramatic pages.

www.chrishigh.com

Brilliant
'Shifting Skin' is the second novel featuring DI Jon Spicer, but I hadn't read the first and it really didn't seem to matter.

We join the action as the third victim of the 'Butcher of Belle Vue' is discovered, dead and partially skinned. This time it seems that there could be a witness who heard the killing from the next room in a local motel. There is also a clue, a card from an escort agency with the name Alexia written on the back...

This is a really well written and fast paced novel which moves through the world of Manchester's prostitutes, dodgy cosmetic surgery and gay communities. It is a little graphic in terms of describing the bodies although I didn't feel that it was overdone.

I really enjoyed it and can't wait to get my hands on another!

It shifted alright!
This was the second book by Simms to involve Jon Spicer who has moved on from the First book entitled Killing the Beasts. It's nearly a year later and Spicer has been partnered with a graduate from the South who is traveling around doing stints in different nicks and departments. Jon feels a little trepidation at first as Rick is a bit 'wussy' and not bred 'up North' Some of Spicer's way of getting things done are too harsh for Rick but they end up friends as well as colleagues.

I have said before in other reviews that the prostitute angle to form a plot basis has been done to death, and was genuinely surprised to find that an author who's previous work (Killing the Beasts) had me riveted, would use such a well worn and cliched avenue. Add a touch of 'Silence of the Lambs' - in Manchester, stir in some domestic violence and that's your story!

Still well written with a couple of twists and a couple of suspects but not worthy of full marks from me - sorry Chris try harder next time.