Head Shot

Bob Skinner #12

by Quintin Jardine

Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has witnessed the aftermath of murder countless times. Yet nothing could have prepared him for identifying the strangled bodies of his wife's beloved parents, killed at their lakeside cabin in New York State. Driven by cold rage, Skinner quickly muscles in on the investigation, and soon he's found links with three other cases where the killing is too professional to be the result of a burglary gone wrong. But can he penetrate the multiple layers of intrigue to unearth the killer?

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Audiobook, Detective, Fiction, Thriller

385 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Quintin Jardine (born 1945) is a Scottish author of three series of crime novels, featuring the fictional characters Bob Skinner, Oz Blackstone, and Primavera Blackstone. He was educated in Motherwell and in Glasgow where he studied at what was then the city’s only University. After career as a journalist, government information officer and media relations consultant, he took to the creation of crime fiction.

His first wife, Irene, with whom he shared over 30 years, from their teens, died in 1997. He is married, to his second wife, Eileen. They live in both Scotland and in Spain

Reviews

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best in the series up to now. Two main stories running with no connection,one in the UK and one in the USA and in my option he has managed it brilliantly.

[Anet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Loved the many twists and turns. Well written, easy to follow the development of characters. Thoroughly enjoyed the suspense. Will need to find the many other titles in the Bob Skinner series.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A page turner but as usual so many characters to try to keep track of with several different investigations ongoing. Just too many conspiracy theories.
Bob Skinner is called from a conference in Malaysia with the tragic news that his in-laws have been garrotted in their cabin in the Adirondacks. He hot foots it over to the USA where he gets involved with the NY State Police and FBI in the convoluted investigation into their murders. Sarah’s father, his father in-law is a retired eminent lawyer, a democrat, who was friends with JFK and his family. The mystery surrounding his death involves other friends and acquaintances from his youth.
In the meantime in Scotland DCS Rose’s estranged father is back on the scene after he deserted his family years ago. He also raped his two daughters, Maggie and her sister. A complex series of events involving Mario McGuire’s Italian family business ensues and it looks like Mario’s and Maggie’s marriage is on the rocks.
I enjoy the stories but often find myself thinking “now who is this person that suddenly appears”. I think the more one reads this series, the more familiar one is with the member of the police force and Bob and Sarah’s family.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. This is the 12th book in the excellent DCC Bob Skinner series, and as always, it was a very good and interesting read with a lot going on. First, Bob gets involved in a double murder inquiry in the States as the victims were his wife Sarah's parents. He involves his FBI friend and pulls rank on local cops to try to find answers to why they were killed. He soon finds links with some other murders and they are people that his father in law knew, but it's hard to find what is the connection that led to them all being targetted for death. Also, Maggie Rose tells her husband Mario some truths about her home life as a child and he starts to hunt for her Dad. This leads him to places he didn't expect to go, with a direct connection to a situation in his own family. This was a well plotted and engrossing entry into the series and was full of interesting twists and turns and revelations. I enjoyed it.

[Jenae Gilchrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Jardine read—gritty, suspenseful, and that ending made me want the next book immediately.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Head Shot was my first Quintin Jardine book, and while it’s part of the Bob Skinner series, it read well as a stand-alone. Jardine provides enough background to follow along, though I imagine series readers would pick up on more of the character history. The plot is fast-paced and emotionally charged, though at times the shifts in setting and perspective between New York and Edinburgh were a bit confusing. Still, the story held my attention, and the very last sentence left me eager to grab the next book right away. A gripping crime novel with strong characters and a suspenseful finish.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deputy Chief Inspector Bob Skinner is in Malaysia when he is notified that his wife's parents have been murdered. Rushing to America to join the investigation and his wife, he soon uncovers a series of murders that might be connected. One thing all the victims had is common was they all worked in Washington, D.C., and played football there with President John F. Kennedy. Jardine plays the conspiracy theory game in this work of literature.

[Elizabeth Bennet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read for me. I was not aware that it was the 12th novel in a series (picked it up cheap at a used book store) and as I started it was filled with lots of characters and referrals to past events but I got into it as I continued and in the end enjoyed it a lot. There was a certain coherence and a deft, experienced hand plotting through the prose.

[Annie Weatherly-Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great 3 story whodunnit, but it's a bit of a strange one in some ways. It's punishing in parts. I'm not sure it works as well as the others in the series. Perhaps too many changed in one book? Past catching up which doesn't fit quite right. It's only this person's view. Others will love it. A lot of loose ends as well, which left me in limbo as I'd not felt before in previous books.

[Hrh Queencat · Rating 1 out of 5]

couldn't read past p.144, it was so tedious

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two stories in one

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good detective novel, enjoyable reading.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a little trouble getting into it, so I laid it aside for a while. When I picked it up again, I couldn't put it down.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all the Skinner series.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

US crime novel which I did not finish. Too many characters were introduced too quickly.

[Annette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid book. Ridiculous characters. Unbelievable plot. Waste of time.

[Priya · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were two parallel stories running in this book but you could easily keep up with both. It was a good time pass novel to read, but a little slow.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay as far as pot boilers go. Better than the clunky Robin Cook page Turner's but not as good as, say "Collusion" (Neville.) Way too much time and energy is spent on an unwieldy cast of characters getting various promotions in Scotland, and frankly, after the third or fourth, I had no idea who was working for who, in what capacity, nor did I care. The characters develop some potentially interesting relationships but they are wasted on a lazy, over the top plot on the American side and a convoluted over the top plot on the UK side.