The New York Times hails David Mark's work as "in the honorable tradition of Joseph Wambaugh and Ed McBain." ORIGINAL SKIN is the second installment of the internationally acclaimed Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy series. When “swinger” Simon Appleyard is found strung-up and naked in his apartment, the authorities are only too happy to chalk it up to suicide. After all, a new gang has taken over the local drug trade, and Detective Superintendant Trish Pharaoh’s Serious and Organized Crime Unit is run ragged. A murder investigation is the last thing they need.
But more bodies begin to surface, and all are somehow connected to the underground erotic scene. Although Detective Sargeant Aector McAvoy would be perfectly content to stay home with his wife and their newborn baby, he begins to suspect that murder is just the beginning. As his investigation brings him uncomfortably close to the local political elite, McAvoy realizes he is hunting a sadistic killer with a lust that won’t be satisfied until the River Humber runs red.
David Mark’s latest Detective Sergeant McAvoy novel, CRUEL MERCY, is on-sale February 2017.
“Dark, disturbing and gripping… Graced with a complex plot and stunning imagery,
Original Skin stands as a worthy successor to Mark's debut,
The Dark Winter…. Readers who revel in thrillers marked by intelligence and originality will celebrate the continuation of a fresh and fascinating series.”
–Richmond Times-Dispatch “Compelling … Richly satisfying and told with remarkable flair, [
Original Skin] confirms Mark as one of the darkest of the new faces in British crime writing, and not one to miss.”
—Daily Mail (UK) “Sophisticated plotting, in-depth characters, and sharp dialogue elevate British author Mark’s gritty second police procedural featuring Yorkshire Det. Sgt. Aector McAvoy. Mark expertly brings together two seemingly unrelated investigations while weaving in McAvoy’s devotion to his young family and sensitivity to the Roma background of his wife, Roison, whose extended family becomes involved in his inquiries. Fans of John Harvey and Peter James will find much to like.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A dark and nasty police story with strongly drawn characters, an unsettling story, a twisty plot, and a surprising ending… Snap it up.”
–Examiner.com “McAvoy’s second is an excellent police procedural featuring sex, violence, and complex characters who are quirky but likable.”
—Kirkus “Readers will immediately be drawn to the compelling, contradictory personality of McAvoy. Grade: A.”
–Cleveland Plain-Dealer “Equally good read as a stand-alone or as the second in a series, Mark’s fast-paced police procedural featuring a likable and compelling main character is sure to keep fans of dark UK crime fiction entertained.”
–Library Journal PRAISE FOR THE DARK WINTER"David Mark’s British police procedurals are a wholesome corrective to cop novels starring prima donna detectives who single-handedly solve major murder cases. Sgt. Aector McAvoy, the 'gentle, humble, shy giant of a man'… is clearly the hero of this brawny series set in the north of England... But Mark surrounds his Scottish detective with fellow officers who make vital contributions to the case and are interesting in their own right.”
—The New York Times Sunday Book Review“British crime reporter Mark’s outstanding first novel, a suspenseful whodunit, introduces Det. Sgt. Aector McAvoy…Readers will want to see more of the complicated McAvoy, who well deserves a sophisticated and disturbing plot.”—
Publisher’s Weekly (starred)“[A]n impressive debut. John Harvey readers should take note.”—
Booklist (starred)“With a poetic intensity in its prose, an unpredictable plot and a Scottish detective, Mark’s novel gripped me from its opening pages.”—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“It will not be long until new voices in the genre are hailed as the ‘next David Mark.’”—
Bookpage.com“Fast moving and tightly plotted, with strong characterization and a likeable protagonist, this is an extremely promising debut.”—
The Guardian
“A promising debut by David Mark… certainly provides a trip to Hull and back.”—
The Telegraph
"A fantastic debut of a police procedural series that takes place in northern England. Just as Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy seems to be able to put himself in the mind of a killer, David Mark has developed his characters so completely that the reader can almost put himself in the mind of McAvoy as he is connecting dots that no one else even sees. McAvoy may be a gentle giant of a man but he is also determined to get at the truth even if his job is in jeopardy. Luckily, he finds a believer in his boss, another dedicated officer who also is fighting to keep her job."—
Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction
“An exceptional debut from an exciting new talent. David Mark is an original and captivating new voice.”—
Val McDermid
