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Skin by Dekker, Ted (2008) Paperback
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About the author
Ted Dekker
193 books10.1k followersTed Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 10, 2024
Probably my favorite Dekker novel so far!!! Start to finish couldn’t put it down!
April 15, 2025
A page turner from the beginning. Nothing is as it seems. Ted Dekker incorporates several elements to keep the reader engaged and guessing... I found it captivating!
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March 7, 2026For personal reference:
Like most of Dekker's books, Skin shows the battle of good and evil. This one has a little twist to it though because everyone is portrayed as being evil, though the good is still shown in a lesser light.
The key philosophical issue in Skin seems to be about beauty, and what is truly beautiful. Throughout the whole first portion of the book physical beauty is shown as the key issue of the book. The rule of the killer is that the “ugliest must die.” Every character comes to the consensus that outward beauty is something that is accepted by everyone and determines your status in society. Nicole, the most beautiful of them all, is made out to be set as more important then other because of her beauty.
This is a fact that good looking people put in higher regard then others. They are more popular, self confident, and generally are more successful in life. There is no doubt that a person's appearance plays a large role in the life they live.
The whole purpose of the name Skin is to show that that is in fact all beauty is, only a layer. The point made by the end of the book is that what really matters is what is beneath the skin, and what a person can not judge a book by its cover. This is shown when Nicole, who seems to not only have great looks, but all be cunning, suddenly turns evil as her true beauty is shown. In the end the killer is not looking for actual beauty in appearance, but that is inside. Though, even he seems to be focused primarily at external beauty throughout the book.
There is one line that was very striking to me. When on of the characters begins to figure out what the killer wants from them, to kill the most ugly on the inside, he brings up the topic of religion, to which another character responds “no that is just the skin, I'm talking about the stuff on the inside.” Dekker also takes another whack that the church when Red is talking about all the people he can fool “politicians, educates....and pastors, the fake ones”
This seems to be true, that it is not about the actions that count, it is about the stuff on the inside.
I also found it interesting that none of the characters in this book turned toward faith, they only recognized their sin. This was another one of the main themes as always, that we are all sinners, and no one is better then another. This is shown in an exchange between colt and red.
Dekker also showed some interesting concepts about relationships. He stated the people need physical touch, and even more so need relationship with one another. It was also interesting that while one characters finger that was cut off did not transfer realities, the relationship between Colt and Wendy did. He states the perceptions of people can change when it comes to romance. So while most of the book Colt is obsessed over his relationship with Nicole, in an instant he shifts his focus to Wendy because he perception of her changes.
Also Dekker makes it clear that perception is all in the mind, and the mind can easily be altered to believe what someone wants it to believe. This is shown by the fact that the characters believe that the town disappeared, when in fact it was all in there mind.
Another reoccurring theme in all of Dekker's books it the existence of multiple realities. This this book Dekker introduced another reality, to make it three total, and by the end of the book made is view evident that he believes it is clear we can never be sure which reality is actually true. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was a twist the through my view off.
Overall I thought the two key point that Dekker made, and that I thought were intriguing, was that we are all sinners. We are all dirty and ugly on the inside. To bad the fact was not mentioned how we can be made clean in the book. Also the point that beauty is only skin deep. This is so true, and even if society holds beauty in a high standard, it will have its down fall.
This book is a mix of not only deep philosophical issues, but also physiological issues. The back ground of the characters, coming from broken homes and having epilepsy is very interesting. The detail about how the brain can be altered was confusing, but it is evident that Dekker knows his stuff well.
Key issues
-Beauty, and reality are only skin deep
-All of us are sinners and ugly inside
Like most of Dekker's books, Skin shows the battle of good and evil. This one has a little twist to it though because everyone is portrayed as being evil, though the good is still shown in a lesser light.
The key philosophical issue in Skin seems to be about beauty, and what is truly beautiful. Throughout the whole first portion of the book physical beauty is shown as the key issue of the book. The rule of the killer is that the “ugliest must die.” Every character comes to the consensus that outward beauty is something that is accepted by everyone and determines your status in society. Nicole, the most beautiful of them all, is made out to be set as more important then other because of her beauty.
This is a fact that good looking people put in higher regard then others. They are more popular, self confident, and generally are more successful in life. There is no doubt that a person's appearance plays a large role in the life they live.
The whole purpose of the name Skin is to show that that is in fact all beauty is, only a layer. The point made by the end of the book is that what really matters is what is beneath the skin, and what a person can not judge a book by its cover. This is shown when Nicole, who seems to not only have great looks, but all be cunning, suddenly turns evil as her true beauty is shown. In the end the killer is not looking for actual beauty in appearance, but that is inside. Though, even he seems to be focused primarily at external beauty throughout the book.
There is one line that was very striking to me. When on of the characters begins to figure out what the killer wants from them, to kill the most ugly on the inside, he brings up the topic of religion, to which another character responds “no that is just the skin, I'm talking about the stuff on the inside.” Dekker also takes another whack that the church when Red is talking about all the people he can fool “politicians, educates....and pastors, the fake ones”
This seems to be true, that it is not about the actions that count, it is about the stuff on the inside.
I also found it interesting that none of the characters in this book turned toward faith, they only recognized their sin. This was another one of the main themes as always, that we are all sinners, and no one is better then another. This is shown in an exchange between colt and red.
Dekker also showed some interesting concepts about relationships. He stated the people need physical touch, and even more so need relationship with one another. It was also interesting that while one characters finger that was cut off did not transfer realities, the relationship between Colt and Wendy did. He states the perceptions of people can change when it comes to romance. So while most of the book Colt is obsessed over his relationship with Nicole, in an instant he shifts his focus to Wendy because he perception of her changes.
Also Dekker makes it clear that perception is all in the mind, and the mind can easily be altered to believe what someone wants it to believe. This is shown by the fact that the characters believe that the town disappeared, when in fact it was all in there mind.
Another reoccurring theme in all of Dekker's books it the existence of multiple realities. This this book Dekker introduced another reality, to make it three total, and by the end of the book made is view evident that he believes it is clear we can never be sure which reality is actually true. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was a twist the through my view off.
Overall I thought the two key point that Dekker made, and that I thought were intriguing, was that we are all sinners. We are all dirty and ugly on the inside. To bad the fact was not mentioned how we can be made clean in the book. Also the point that beauty is only skin deep. This is so true, and even if society holds beauty in a high standard, it will have its down fall.
This book is a mix of not only deep philosophical issues, but also physiological issues. The back ground of the characters, coming from broken homes and having epilepsy is very interesting. The detail about how the brain can be altered was confusing, but it is evident that Dekker knows his stuff well.
Key issues
-Beauty, and reality are only skin deep
-All of us are sinners and ugly inside
July 9, 2025
Yet again a delightful and thrilling books by Dekker with a great twist at the end that I definitely hadn't seen coming. No spoilers. Surprisingly, it ties in vaguely with his Circle Series if you know the clues. An old book but very much still worth a read.
February 16, 2026
I really liked the premise of this book--the high stakes game of survival against a killer. The characters were interesting, especially Wendy and her struggle with physical contact and her mysterious childhood in a cult.
March 25, 2026
Fast-paced and never really had a slow moment. Author’s story-telling is great, but sometimes the writing is pretty cringey. If you can look past that, this is a fun little read with lots of twists and turns to keep you interested.
August 1, 2025
I knew I should have not finished this book, but I like to finish what I start and I was thoroughly disappointed.
September 6, 2025
No good, Ted. I’m so sorry. This was painful and truly a struggle to finish. Love you, but…
November 3, 2025
Great Book. It's full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing till the very last page . This author is amazing I love all of his books.
November 29, 2025
Dnf half way through. Started so strong and had my full attention. Then the storyline became too unrealistic and lost interest
December 31, 2025
Amazing!!! This author never fails to keep you on the edge of your seat!
Read
February 25, 2026lots of violence but an interesting story line.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews