A great action thriller of a romance novel. Recommended to those looking to get their hearts pumping in a number of ways.

This was a really good read. It was fast moving and full of twists and turns. I was gripped throughout. Lena Evans is a detective. She solved the case involving a serial killer and has achieved celebrity status as a result, in her locality anyway. After a traumatic experience during her last big case she now suffers from PTSD. The serial killer's name was Lathan Collins and as the first anniversary of his arrest approaches more women are being savagely killed. This time the serial killer is sending video footage directly to her. In order to help investigate the crime Michelle's ex partner, in love, is called in. This reawakening of past feelings, together with her PTSD and the conflicts she faces as she attempts to sole yet another serial killer case can at times appear to be too much for detective sergeant Lena Evans. It makes for good reading though and will be a definite hit among lovers of mystery and crime thriller.

This had so much potential but i just found quite a lot of it cheesy and not very good. The opening was exciting but it went downhill so quickly for me. I wanted to love it but it just wasn't for me.

This was well written mystery, it kept me interested all the way through. I liked the writing as well so that helped me through it as well.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This was a well-written mystery that kept me interested from the first page. I'm not a huge fan of first person books, but I thought Hanson did a solid job with the writing. I like that Hanson isn't afraid to give you the gory details and that the book stays consistently dark. It's not a perfect story, but it has a nice flow, which is really all I'm looking for when it comes to this genre of fiction.

There is a f/f romance here, but it's not really the focus of the story. The crux of the plot rests on Lena dealing with PTSD from a dark event in her past, as well as trying to capture a killer on the loose.

I would like to thank the author and the Netgalley website for this partnership.

I was immediately attracted by the cover of this book, you can see the pretty Lena holding a gun in her hands, you could say she's looking for someone in the forest in front of a house.

It includes Lena who is a detective sergeant and she is known for her stalking of serial killer Lathan Collins, nowadays the case has been solved for a year, except that four women are murdered under atrocious circumstances and the murderer sends videos of the murders to Lena's mailbox. The killer gives her an ultimatum, she has five days to expose him and she is afraid to be his fifth victim.

I immediately hooked on the story so addictive, captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns and the characters so endearing. Hurry that this author who has an addictive pen publishes another book.

I had very mixed feelings while reading this book, what started out as an interesting study in survivor's PTSD devolved pretty quickly into a drawn out and predictable procedural with shallow characters. The first couple of chapters were riveting between the set up of the main character--a police detective-- surviving (and defeating) a serial killer and then the aftermath that causes in her relationships, her work, and her inner turmoil of trying to force normal but knowing she's broken. I've always been fascinated by what happens to "the last girl" after the credits roll in any horror movie--she survives, but then what, how does she actually go on having lived through absolute horror? However, much to my dismay, that's not really the focus of this book, even though there is a near-constant running commentary in the lead's head dealing with her trauma. And I think that's my real issue with it-- while the trauma is always there, there really doesn't seem to be any progress or resolution. I also didn't care for the amount of description the author uses for literally every element in every scene. For example, the detective enters her kitchen and we get descriptions of the tiles, colors, and even the appliances--despite them having no part of the scene or action. Sure, it's a little odd to be critical of descriptions but they were so lengthy and non consequential that they proved highly distracting (and finally warranted simply skipping over) and took me away from the story. Now for the story itself--the procedural aspect is extremely gory, dark, and disturbing. And then the author throws in a poorly thought through romance, which just comes off as extremely inappropriate juxtaposed with the horror happening as well as it just being thoroughly unprofessional. Maybe I'd feel a bit differently if there was anything close to a chemistry between the two investigators but again it's a romance that's set up by telling the reader how the two characters are feeling and relying on a (described) past relationship versus anything building between them in the present.
In the weeks following this read, it's going to be the disturbing nature of these killers and the extreme gore that is going to stick with me, but not these characters or this writing.

This book was great! I loved the characters and the snappy dialogue. I would definitely recommend it.

Great read, love LGBTQ related work and this one won't dissapoint. I look forward to reading more of what Michellle Hanson puts out!

“Skin Deep” is a well-written mystery. It opens with main character, Lena, a detective, being captured by the serial killer she is hunting. Then the book skips ahead in time to show how Lena is suffering from PTSD and panic attacks. On the one year anniversary of capturing the serial killer, a new serial killer begins sending videos of kills to get her attention. In order to solve the case, Lena is paired up with her ex, Cait.

I would give this book 3.5 stars. Not because it was written poorly, but because it was not really my cup of tea. The intensity, and the very graphic descriptions of the kills sometimes made it necessary to put the book down for a bit. However, I admire the fact that the book addresses dealing with PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Lena and Cait were strong, interesting characters, although I felt they showed an attraction to one another very quickly after meeting again. As someone who generally prefers fantasy/scifi, I thought this mystery was solid and held my attention. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but that was understandable due to development, and the second half really picks up.

Lena Evans is a police detective in a small town where, one year ago, a prolific serial killer rampaged. Lena saved the day, but ended up with deep running scars that have taken over her life. Then, new victims start propping up, victims that seem to be killed by the same person. Lena has to work through her PTSD, relationship, and find the killer before he gets really good at what he does. When Lena's first love, Caitlyn, is assigned to the case, Lena must also deal with reemerging feelings for her ex.

This book is a lot. The horror/ thriller elements are really good - the stakes are high in this one, and I could feel it at times. Lena Evans is a great main character, not only because the author took the time to unpack Lena's dealing with her PTSD, but the mystery feels like Lena needed to solve it in order to heal. Both the mystery and Lena's journey are highlights of the book for me.

What really got me was there were too many times where the pacing was really slow. This was especially true for the quiet moments with Lena and Cait. Sometimes it felt too clinical - almost as if Lena (who is the narrator) was detached from everything, even in the love scene. Like she was feeling things, but the description of what was actually happening was methodical, so I couldn't really felt the same things as Lena. Which is tough to deal with in first person Point of View.


Overall, though, I think this is a decent book, with a lot of things for people to like about it. The mystery is weighty, there's a good push and pull between Lena and Cait, and Lena's emotional journey. I just wished the pacing was better, and some of the descriptions could be less clinical at times.

Skin Deep was a surprising thriller to read. It keep you guessing to as who the killer was. The dynamic between Cait and Lena was great. The race to save the victims was exciting and how Lena tended to be a target for the killers. I found it hard to put this down so that I could do the daily things I needed to do. I think it’s a great book and have no problem recommending it to others.

This book is about Lena Evans a Sergeant who reluctant become a celebrity after defeated a serial killer. She doesn't want the fame all she want is to have control over her PSTD and have her life back. She have to work a new case with the help of her old flame Special Agent Cait Porter a killer who killing women and sending videos of the killing to her as they race to found out who the killer is before there be more victims. It has some nice twist and It was a great read.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing book the writing was okay it was graphic in the violence department though. Although I figured out a lot of the book early on not everyone will it does have twists and turns. Which I think is the best part of the book. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. Lena and Cait are the MC’s of this book. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

After reading a few of the reviews of this novel I decided to give it a try but altered my expectations from lesfic to reading it as purely in the thriller genre with a lesbian lead. I think it made a huge difference to my reading experience knowing that I was, by all accounts, in for a for a fairly gruesome read with no assumptions on the ending.

Sergeant Lena Evans is struggling under her mantle of town hero combined with PTSD caused by her near-death experience in tracking a serial killer. When the police department receives a video of a murder in progress a specialist in cybercrime, Special Agent Cait Porter, is called in to assist Lena and the investigative team.

Written in first person from Lena’s point of view, what I found most powerful about this read was the descriptions. At any moment I could envision the surroundings because they were described with an accuracy that gave me an instant mental image. It wasn’t just the environment though. Lena’s physical sensations of something as simple as drinking a beer to the taste of blood in her mouth were visceral and tangible in the way they’re described. I could feel what she was going through when she had a panic attack. The downside to such explicitness is that gruesomeness of a murder scene can be difficult to get through.

I really liked Lena as a character because she wasn’t perfect. She didn’t always make the best choices, she wasn’t always in control and she certainly wasn’t particularly loveable at times. In spite of this I found I had empathy for her because her trauma and post-trauma was described with such clarity. I’m usually not a fan of excessive descriptions yet in this novel I loved how evocative they were and how much they drew me into the story.

This is a fantastic thriller with a powerful portrayal of PTSD.

Trigger warning: The violence is explicit.

Book received from Netgalley and Fearopoly for an honest review.

This book was filled with many twists and turns. It was also quite suspenseful and graphic, which was pivotal to the story. The characters were full fleshed out. The main character, Lena, is a very strong lesbian character. She has overcome a very traumatic experience and deals with that throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers and looking for strong characters. However, if graphic scenes are problematic, you might want to approach this one with caution.

Skin Deep by Michelle Hanson is a truly gripping crime novel/murder mystery/horror story that readers of those genres will love. The shocking tale grabs you from the first page of the prologue and won’t let you go until the very last page.

The novel is told in the first person through the eyes of the main character, Detective Sergeant Lena Evans, an officer with a horrific past who suffers from PTSD so badly it affects every part of her life. The crimes she must solve in this story will not make her life any easier either. She is faced with catching a soulless murderer who enjoys killing his victims with extreme gruesomeness. The story is well told with surprises throughout and holds your interest until the very end.

I had no problem with the story itself. My biggest problem came with an element that usually is a must for a story told in first person narrative. The problem I had was the excessive descriptions. The author went to great lengths to show the reader what Lena was thinking, feeling, seeing, hearing, and tasting. In places in the story, the descriptions became almost too much. They overwhelmed the plot, at least for me. I actually found myself skimming in places which I hate doing, especially in a mystery. I was afraid I would miss elements I needed to know. It became a distraction from the story for me and is the reason I gave the story three stars instead of four, which I believe the story itself deserves.

If you like gory murder mysteries and want a lot of descriptions in your tale, this is the book for you. I will mention if you suffer from PTSD or severe depression, there might be triggers in this story that could bother you.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for an honest review.

This is a disturbing, bone-chilling tale that actually made me a little leery of the dark. But it's well-written, otherwise it wouldn't be as disturbing. The man character, Lena, is a tortured soul, literally, and somewhat of a celebrity. But she is so fragmented and broken that it's impossible not to feel badly for her. The author writes descriptive passages quite well, and we're never left wondering what's around us.

I enjoyed this book and would like to read more by this author.

Not what I thought it would be, though it is well written, I give the plot and story line four out of five stars! Thank you for the opportunity to read this one, despite the fact that it's not really my favorite style of book!

Really enjoyed this read once I got used to the graphic nature of the book. Detective Sergeant Lena Evans is a complicated character and had her flaws but I found it easy to cheer her on. I love the detail in which this book is written and was so engrossed in the storyline I finished it in a weekend.