The Embalmer by Alison Belsham

The Embalmer: A gripping new thriller from the international bestseller by Alison Belsham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 416

Publisher - Orion Trapeze

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

Has the ancient Egyptian cult of immortality resurfaced in Brighton?

When a freshly-mummified body is discovered at the Brighton Museum of Natural History, Detective Francis Sullivan is at a loss to identify the desiccated woman. But as Egyptian burial jars of body parts with cryptic messages attached start appearing, he realises he has a serial killer on his hands. Revenge, obsession and an ancient religion form a potent mix, unleashing a wave of terror throughout the city. Caught in a race against time while battling his own demons, Francis must fight to uncover the true identity of the Embalmer before it's too late...


My Review

Guys this is not for the faint hearted, from the opening chapters it is graphic, brutal, we know what embalming is and we get an insight into what the killer does to his victims. He isn't called the embalmer for nothing and soon a body, mummified, turns up and the police investigate, hello Detective Francis Sullivan. If you have read the previous books in the series you will be familiar with Francis and Marnie - it is totally complicated.

Marnie, poor Marnie cannot catch a break. Every book she ends up involved in what is happening she also has a bit of a history with our Francis so there is tons of threads to the story, if you haven't read the previous you can get away with this one but I would go back.

The bad guy is icky, brutal - in what he does to his victims and his disregard for them, Belsham doesn't hold back in describing what happens so not for the faint hearted. With mummification there is nods and links to Egyptian mythology which I found really interesting as I do like that kind of stuff yet never seem to get round to reading it. Police investigation, gruesome murders, friction between Francis, his colleagues, Marnie, his family. There is a lot going on but you can follow it easily enough, nothing distracts away from the threads and you are pulled in quite quickly. I have read the previous books and very much look forward to the next in the series, maybe not be eating noodles next time just incase, boke, 4/5 for me this time.

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Her Last Breath by Alison Belsham

Her Last Breath by Alison Belsham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 304

Publisher - Trapeze

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

He leaves his victims fighting for life,
And with the mark of death...

After old remains resurface in a heatwave, a young woman is attacked and left fighting for her life in hospital. 24 hours later she dies and a deadly tattoo is discovered on her body.

When another young woman disappears, Detective Francis Sullivan and his team fear a serial killer walks the streets of Brighton.

His team identify a suspect, Alex Mullins, son of his lover, Marni. Can Francis forget their shared past and save the next victim before it is too late?


My Review

Marni Mullins is still a bit rage from unfinished business from book one with Detective Francis Sullivan. Marni is a tattoo artist and helped out with a previous case that got a wee bit personal and dangerous, she is done with the cops. However when a young girl is horrifically attacked and then another and her son Alex becomes a person of interest Marni finds herself having to look to Francis for help. With a sadistic killer, her son looking like the prime suspect Marni has to put aside person feelings of distrust and anger with the police to try and clear her boys name.

The attacks on the young ladies are shocking and horrific but very unusual and the amount of crime fiction I read it takes a bit to find a new method. The book kicks of pretty quickly then we head into police investigation, the personal side from Marnie and Francis, the police treatment of their suspect. I haven't been so angered at fictional characters in ages! The police and their pursuit of their "suspect" was absolutely infuriating and shocking but makes for compelling reading. You want the bad guy caught, you want the police to be called to task for some of their shady behaviour/pursuit of the case.

We also see the personal side between Francis and Marnie, Marnie and her husband and the family dynamics as well as Marnie's past creeping back in throughout the book. Really good pace, racism (so expect to be angered), danger, police investigation, relationships, murder and that is just the beginning. 4/5 for me this time, very much looking forward to seeing the next in the book series!

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The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham, all stops on the tour are different so please check out the others.








The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 304

Publisher - Trapeze

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

A policeman on his first murder case
A tattoo artist with a deadly secret
And a twisted serial killer sharpening his blades to kill again...

When Brighton tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, newly-promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help. There's a serial killer at large, slicing tattoos from his victims' bodies while they're still alive. Marni knows the tattooing world like the back of her hand, but has her own reasons to distrust the police. So when she identifies the killer's next target, will she tell Sullivan or go after the Tattoo Thief alone?


My Review

A serial killer with a difference, the killer literally takes the skin from the victims, more precisely the tattoo'd area, no mean feat in itself. Marni Mullins is a tattoo artist, separated from her husband and a great distrust of the police. Marni finds herself dragged into the investigation, shoulder to shoulder with the very professionals she distrusts trying to find the how and why to the killer. Can they work together before the killer strikes again and kills another?

The book opens with the killer and a bit of a horrible scene, we are left in no doubt what his intentions are and the horror to follow. The chapters then flip between the characters, Marnie, the main police officers Rory and Francis and intermittently from the killer (always written in italics).

Some of the scenes are brutal and graphic in nature, it is a bit of a fresh take on a killer and the reasoning for the killings. The personal aspect with Marnie and her ex, the police dynamics especially Francis trying to establish his place in the team lead on their big case. It is a very mixed bag, lots to keep you turning page after page. Another thing of note, I learned a few things about tattoos along the way which was a wee added bonus and found myself googling a couple of things. This is Belsham's first crime novel and I hope it won't be the last. I would like to see where the characters go next, what is in store and the author taking her writing to the next level. 3.5/5 for me this time, I look forward to seeing what she offers next, certainly a fresh injection on the crime scene.

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