by Antonia Lassa
Translated by Jacky Collins
Cover Design by Cade Roach
Published by Corylus Books
Originally published in Spanish as *Llevar en la piel*
Skin Deep is Antonia Lassa's first novel to appear in English. We are so fortunate & grateful to have this story translated by the very talented Jacky Collins.
*Paris* photo: Casey's Pages
This might be considered a novella with a page count of 114 but there is such a lot of story carefully packed in there with some superb characters & fascinating details.
*Born in Paris, Antonia Lassa is an enologist who works as a consultant for different private wineries around the world. This passion for wine has been instilled in her singular detective Albert Larten, for whom each new investigation is like a meticulous tasting. Wine is savoured through the eyes, the nose and the mouth, just like the crimes found in Skin Deep, with readers being invited to get involved with their five senses.
Antonia Lassa is the pseudonym of Luisa Etxenike*
*Dr. Jacky Collins, lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies at Stirling University, is the Festival Director for Newcastle Noir. As ‘Dr Noir’ she regularly interviews a range of internationally acclaimed and emerging crime fiction authors at national and international events. Her series of author ‘consultations’ on the Newcastle Noir YouTube channel - The Doctor Will See You Now - is where lovers of everything crime fiction can catch up on news about the latest publications*
When police arrest eccentric loner Émile Gassiat for the murder of a wealthy woman in a shabby seaside apartment in Biarritz, Inspector Canonne is certain he has put the killer behind bars.
Now he just needs to prove it.
*But he has not reckoned with the young man’s friends, who bring in lawyer-turned-investigator Larten to head for the desolate out-of-season south-west of France to dig deep into what really happened* With an opening that makes you instantly curious & maybe mildly uncomfortable, this unusual story will take you on a journey with some interesting developments & questionable behaviour. I think readers will feel the weighty grey fatigue of the setting - with the resort in a state of suspended animation until the seasonal visitor flood resumes.
The edgy feeling is amplified by the evasive nature of possible suspects as the case throws us a new possibility just when we expected something else.
The story itself is intriguing but the eclectic collection of personalities in a wide range of ages really gives the whole situation some elevated dimension. We get to see non-typical characteristics rarely visited in books & they create a fascinating mix.
The shocking elements we learn about the initial crime stay fresh in our minds as we read on but take on a whole different evolution much later in the story & lead us back through so many avenues of doubt.
The real challenge is to decipher the true puzzle & make all the pieces fit.
*Author & Translator* images: Corylus Books Thank you for inviting me to join the Blog Tour
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