My expectations were low for this book. I thought it would be fast paced and plot centered, and it was, but the book also had interesting, complicated characters. The protagonist is a Tampa Bay police detective named Jacqueline Withers. She’s African -American, recently divorced, and back living with her mother.

The book opens with the burning of a synagogue and the murder of one of Jacqueline’s neighbors, basically a wrong place wrong time killing. This book is not a mystery, we know the perpetrators right from the start, Jacqueline’s partner, Rick and his best friend, Darren. The tension in the plot comes from watching Rick try to torpedo the investigation, while Darren goes on a killing spree.

A Ghost Skin is apparently a term for a white supremacist who hides his/her beliefs in order to move into positions of authority in society. I had no idea, I learned if from the book, so there are definitely topical/political aspects of the book, but all of the characters were pretty well rounded, and the plot used different points of view to build tension right up until the violent climax.

My Take: Read it.