Cleanskin

by Val McDermid

When career criminal Jack Farlowe's body is found washed up on a Suffolk shore, it looks to the police like a clear-cut case. Heartbroken at his daughter's death, he has drowned himself - good riddance and one less crime to solve, according to CID.
Then again, maybe not. For, one by one, Farlowe's enemies are being killed. And the horrific manner of their deaths makes drowning look like a day at the beach ....

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Ebooks, Novella, Short Stories

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2006

About the author

Val McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.

She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.

She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stand alone novel by author Val McDermid.
Criminal Jack Farlowe's body is found washed up on a Suffolk shore and it looks to the police like a clear-cut case. Heartbroken at his daughter's death, he has drowned himself and there the police are more than happy with one less career criminal on the streets. But like most good novels there are twists and turns and everything is not always as it appears.
When you read a Val McDermid novel you are sure to get a well written novel that generally succeeds in keeping you flicking through the pages wanting to find out more, this is no exception to that rule.
An excellent quick read.

[Annette Gisby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting novella. Despite being short, there is a full tale here and the pace is almost breakneck speed.

[Encarni Prados · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una novela policiaca muy bien escrita y concentrada en menos de cien páginas, ¿es posible? por supuesto, este libro es prueba de ello. Ya leí otra novela de esta misma autora "lugar de ejecución" y he de decir que también me gustó mucho. El género policíaco lo lleva muy bien. Una buena historia con bastante acción y que acaba con un final que sorprende por el desarrollo de la historia. Lo recomiendo!!

[Zai · Rating 3 out of 5]

La muerte de un niño siempre causa un gran impacto. Y cuando esa muerte ha sido provocada, un policía no puede dejar el caso sin resolver. La pequeña fallecida en un incendio intencionado era Katie Farrell, la hija de Jack Farrell, conocido capo de la mafia, al que el policía Andy Martin lleva tiempo siguiendo la pista.

El asunto se complica cuando un cadáver tatuado, que será indentificado como Farrell, aparece flotando en el canal de la Mancha. Los asesinatos bestiales de varios enemigos del mafioso sumergirá a Andy en las complejidades de un caso donde el crimen, la seducción, el lujo y el engaño le tocan mucho más de cerca de lo que podía imaginar.

La narrativa de esta autora me encanta, sencilla pero estremecedora ya me enamoró con su libro Lugar de ejecución. Esta es una novela sin grandes pretensiones, con un ritmo constante, sin ser trepidante pero lo consigue tenerte ahí, sin grandes giros ni nada por el estilo, pero con una trama lo suficientemente interesante como para mantenerte intrigada, es un libro de los que yo llamo lights, muy entretenido y bien escrito.

El final aunque no es nada espectacular, pero aún así, me ha gustado, sobre todo, porque deja atados todos los cabos.

[WaliD · Rating 2 out of 5]

1st / 2025

[Shey Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
Bien para una lectura rápida , aunque tiene el toque de originalidad , hay componentes descriptivos de los personajes que no están del todo claros.

[La Lectora · Rating 2 out of 5]

La historia, aunque poco original, es interesante pero la trama no me ha convencido es poco más que el relato del día a día con toques de crueles asesinatos, los personajes están casi sin describir, aunque te haces una idea de cómo son… Resumiendo, un libro para pasar una hora entretenido en el que todo va demasiado apresurado sobre todo el desenlace. 2,5

[Sally Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather disappointed but given it was a novella characters were not developed and the plot was predictable.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Figured out the twist pretty quickly.Short read can be done in a hour.

[Jose Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novela policíaca de 113 páginas, de fácil y rápida lectura recomendada solo por ser amena y sencilla. No aporta nada nuevo al género ni os impregnaréis de una pluma rica. Es simplemente una breve novela de entretenimiento que podéis leer en vuestros viajes en metro o bus a la universidad. Nada del otro mundo.

[Arantxa Rufo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un relato entretenido, sin duda, pero poco más.
Los grandes giros no es que sean predecibles, es que resultan de sentido común, y está escrita tan a la carrera, con tantos hechos en tan pocas páginas, que nada te afecta demasiado, para bien ni para mal.
El antagonista podría haber sido un personaje magnífico si le hubieran dado tiempo y espacio para desarrollarse.
Ideal para pasar un buen rato.

[Pauliina (The Bookaholic Dreamer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick read!
I don't usually read any crime so Cleanskin by Val McDermid was a nice little dip into that genre and what it can offer. The novella whizzed by, and I was captivated by the twist and turns. However, my 3-star rating reflects my strong dislike for the main character, Andy, and the somewhat abrupt ending.

Andy was a pretty frustrating character to read about. I couldn't understand his frequently repeated sentiment of how he would like to see all criminals dead, and how he blatantly decided to do some pretty bad things by the end of the novella. I think often detectives novels almost romanticise police work and the police in general - and just the thought of someone looking up to Andy made me cringe. Andy is never really called out as an unsympathetic idiot and I wish that had happened.

Without giving any spoilers, I was also dumbstruck by the ending. I didn't think the crime was really solved, and the solution seemed to be on thin ice.

Overall, a nice quick read! I don't think crime just generally is a genre for me, but I think anyone who does like detective novels will find this really enjoyable. Val McDermid's writing style flows really nicely and it made me engaged in the book too, despite of my few gripes with the plot.

[M.J. Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a bit of a Val McDermid binge these days and this little book, a novella really, is a delight.

It's one of her her few stand alone books. In it she appears to experiment with her writing style a bit and it works. The title, as usual, has multiple meansings, this time both humorous and serous. Her sentences in this book are consdierably shorter than she usually employs, reminiscent of the "Black Mask" style of writing. It creates a different kind of tension within the book. Unlike her other works it is not difficult to put this one down when it's necessary to do work however, it always draws the reader back. It's more intriguing and enticing than compelling.

The death of the child of well known organized crime boss, Jack Farlowe, is the beginnning of a series of deaths that lead the investigators through may twists and turns, and that leads one of them to examine all his relationships.

It's a fast and a good read.

[Mark Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad quick read. I do feel that the ending was weak and has a massive hole in it - if I recall correctly the police followed Farrell to Calais by Eurostar, which his lawyer should discover. Which would mean the 4 police's words vs 1 suspect's word would fall apart. Meaning that their arrest was inadmissible as it was outside of their jurisdiction.

Apart from that, a fast paced yarn and well worth a read.

[Arma · Rating 3 out of 5]

McDermid crea un tipo diferente de tensión dentro del libro, quizás por ser una historia corta. Sin embargo, siempre atrae al lector. Es más intrigante y atractivo que convincente. La muerte del hijo de un conocido jefe del crimen organizado, Jack Farlowe, es el comienzo de una serie de muertes que conducen a los investigadores a través de muchos giros y vueltas, y eso lleva a uno de ellos a examinar todas sus relaciones.

Es una lectura rápida y buena.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for my library reading challenge. They wanted us to read one of the books in the ‘quick reads’ series. This is like a crime novel with all the scene and character development stripped out. That being said, McDermid does an admirable job working within the confines of the series but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I also found the murders gratuitously violent.

[Linda Munroe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book out of curiosity because Val McDermid has written many many mysteries and won many awards for them so I wanted to give her a try. It is a straight plot driven mystery with little in the way of interesting characters, settings, dialogue or relationship. The plot is familiar to me and the murders are spectacularly gruesome.

[Tessa Wooldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleanskin, a novella told in the first-person voice of DCI Andy Martin who has long been on the case of criminal 'cleanskin' Jack Farrell, is not up to McDermid's usual, high standard, but it's still a relaxing way to fill in an hour or two.

Expect some blood and gore, and a twist in the tale.

[Suze · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was really disappointing.

The ‘twist’ was pretty much spelled out well before it happened and there was really nothing compelling about the story.

The only positive was that it was quick. It took less than an hour to read.

[Balthazar Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story about a clean skin criminal who's world is turned upside down when his daughter is burnt to death. The world of the police who have been investigating him for years is also turned upside down. It all makes for a very enjoyable and engaging story.

Well worth reading.

[William Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Val McDermids contribution to the quick reads series. It maybe short but she can still pack a punch in novella form. Recommend that the squeamish amongst you steer clear of this and she does describe some very horrible deaths.

[C3MB098 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading books by Val McDermid and I wasn't disappointed at all. Although only a short book, I enjoyed it just as much!
Great writing with twists and turns and keeps the reader sinked into the book!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this short story by Val McDermid when looking up some of her other writing, what a gem. Dark, twisted, and full of action packed details, this is a great story about a mafia boss empire.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Beth Monk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Val McDermid. Look forward to reading more of her work. In Aug a short story she managed to get just enough action in to keep me interested.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like VM’s stories, I knew this was a short one and it was well worth reading but to me suffered from being so short. Hard to say why, it just seemed rushed and it could have made a good long read.

[Slmcal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was different format than your usual murder mystery. Engaged me right from the first paragraph right to the end. Quick read. Great read.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella starting with the death of young girl in an arson attack, followed by a suicide and a series of grisly executions. Tough stuff.

[Jo Marchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great twisty turning quick novel that I really enjoyed. I will definitely read more of this author but i need to start at the beginning.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Val McDermid mystery