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Learn moreWith the breakneck pacing and intricate plotting of his most recent novel, The Rosary Girls, Richard Montanari established himself as one of the most exciting suspense writers working today. Now he proves himself a virtuoso with The Skin Gods, an explosive new thriller featuring Philadelphia homicide detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano.
It is the steaming heart of summer in the City of Brotherly Love. Back on the force after taking a bullet during the arrest of a sadistic murderer, Detective Kevin Byrne warily returns to police headquarters. He cannot shake the memory of the Rosary Killerâs innocent victimsâor his growing sense that the evil has not been vanquished. And when he and his partner, Detective Jessica Balzano, are called in on a bizarre case, Byrneâs gravest suspicions are confirmed.
A madman, dubbed The Actor by the homicide unit, is meticulously re-creating Hollywoodâs most famousâand most gruesomeâdeath scenes. The first murder is caught on film, spliced into a rented VHS edition of the Hitchcock black-and-white masterpiece Psycho. But in place of Janet Leigh is a real-life woman, and this time, the blood is red and the knife is real. Soon, more thrilling classics are turned into terrifying snuff films and placed on video store shelves for an unsuspecting public to find.
The key to this horrific puzzle could lie with any of The Skin Godsâ supporting cast: the A-list Hollywood director, the ruthless executive assistant, the convicted mass murdererâor perhaps someone else who has made a sinister art of gruesome violence.
Hot on the psychopathâs trail, Balzano and Byrne descend into the mouth of madness and beyond, deep into the depraved underworld of S&M clubs and the porn industry, where the worship of flesh leads to malevolent evil. Before the final credits roll, the investigators will discover that none of The Actorâs victims are as innocent as they appear to be, and that the clue the police need to prevent future murders might be found in Detective Byrneâs own dark past.
Richard Montanari is a novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and scores of other national and regional publications. He is the OLMA-winning author of the internationally acclaimed thrillers The Echo Man, Badlands, Merciless, The Skins Gods, The Rosary Girls, Kiss of Evil, Deviant Way, and The Violet Hour.
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. His stage appearances throughout the US include Cyrano, Hamlet, and MacBeth. In the audio industry, Scott has won over 20 Earphones Awards, as well as the 2003 Audie Award in the Best Science Fiction category for Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. After recording nearly 250 books in five years, AudioFile Magazine named Scott âone of the fastest-rising stars in the audiobook galaxyâ and proclaimed him one of their Golden Voices. Brickâs range is unparalleled as he reads thrillers to narrative nonfiction, from biographies to science fiction with aplomb.
Richard Montanari is a novelist, screenwriter, and essayist. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and scores of other national and regional publications. He is the OLMA-winning author of the internationally acclaimed thrillers The Echo Man, Badlands, Merciless, The Skins Gods, The Rosary Girls, Kiss of Evil, Deviant Way, and The Violet Hour.
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. His stage appearances throughout the US include Cyrano, Hamlet, and MacBeth. In the audio industry, Scott has won over 20 Earphones Awards, as well as the 2003 Audie Award in the Best Science Fiction category for Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. After recording nearly 250 books in five years, AudioFile Magazine named Scott âone of the fastest-rising stars in the audiobook galaxyâ and proclaimed him one of their Golden Voices. Brickâs range is unparalleled as he reads thrillers to narrative nonfiction, from biographies to science fiction with aplomb.
Reviews
Praise for Richard Montanari’s The Rosary Girls“Readers of this terrifying page-turner are in the hands of a master storyteller. Be prepared to stay up all night.”
–James Ellroy
“Thoroughly creepy . . . [an] effective blend of the angelic and the demonic . . . Montanari gets it right.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A relentlessly suspenseful, soul-chilling thriller that hooks you instantly.”
–Tess Gerritsen
“Gripping . . . You begin The Rosary Girls out of curiosity but finish it out of compulsion.”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Nonstop action and nail-biting suspense . . . a page-turning heart-stopping winner.”
–Kingston Observer
“A no-holds-barred thriller . . . Those with a taste for Thomas Harris will look forward to the sure-to-follow sequel.”
–Library Journal Expand reviews