Review: Noir P.I. Mystery Short Par Excellence
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 9, 2012
"Skin" was a delightful introduction for me, both to the late author Mickey Spillane, and to Max Allan Collins, an accomplished mystery author in his own right and designated creative heir to Mr. Spillane's output. Although "Skin" had quite its share of gory moments, at no point did I get the impression that the gore was there for purposes of sensationalism; rather, the authors took care to expose the deeper psychological and sociological layers of the crimes and of the criminal. At the time of this story, P.I. Mike Hammer is, if not retired, at least not in active pursuit. He and his long-time fiancée work together in Hammer's P.I. practice. He and his friend, a police captain, attend a conference in upstate New York, and Hammer synchronistically discovers human remains.I quite enjoyed this story and plan to read further of the collaboration of these two authors. Fast-paced, multi-layered, and with intriguing revelations both in the surface events and in the psychological framework, "Skin" is a seamless tapestry and well worth any mystery reader's enjoyment (and a good lesson for writers wishing to learn to write mysteries well).I reviewed "Skin" for Great Minds Literary Community, and received an e-book copy in return for my fair and impartial review.