Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "mo-hayder"

The Treatment by Mo Hayder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Chilling...gripping...disturbing...compelling.

Mo Hayder has delivered another crime fiction masterpiece with 'The Treatment'. Following closely from the events of 'Birdman', this second in the series takes us deeper into Jack Caffery's haunted world, both personal and professional, as a case involving an imprisoned family and missing child proves to be too close to events of his own past.

I love the attention to detail of Hayder's books; procedural and forensic - the often graphic, visceral descriptions conjure images that stay with you, urging you to keep reading. The themes of the novel - child abuse, paedophilia, rape - are dealt with in a serious, psychologically authentic way, demonstrating that Hayder will not shy away from the realities of the subject matter.

This is a must-read police procedural and psychological thriller.



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Skin by Mo Hayder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An intense, absorbing crime thriller that stalks the dark shadows of the human psyche.

In the aftermath of his previous investigation, Operation Norway (as told in ‘Ritual’), DI Jack Caffery is convinced the case isn’t over, that another accomplice, one who may or may not be supernatural in origin, remains unapprehended. He continues to pursue it, his suspicions roused by a series of suicides – much to the frustration of his senior officer, who insists he should be focusing on the disappearance of a footballer’s wife from a rehab clinic.

Sergeant Flea Marley, who assisted Caffery with the arrests on Operation Norway, continues to battle demons of her own. In attempting to clear up the latest issue her brother has created for them, she finds herself embroiled in a crime, frantically searching for a way out.

As Caffery unofficially investigates the suicides, he realises he may have stumbled across the work of another malignant mind. As he and Flea pursue their personal agendas, they both find themselves entangled in webs from which they may be unable to extricate themselves unharmed.

‘Skin’ is the fourth in Mo Hayder’s deliciously dark series featuring Jack Caffery, which began in London with ‘Birdman’ and ‘The Treatment’; this the second in the Walking Man series, which follows Caffery’s transfer to Somerset, also featuring Flea Marley. ‘Skin’ picks up in the days following ‘Ritual’, plunging you immediately back into the world of muti with evil intent, while also picking up on an incident with Flea’s brother that took place in the previous novel. There is also a new villain to pursue, one who has an obsession with human skin.

Mo Hayder is exceptional at delving into the darkness of the human mind, her characters psychologically developed, often experiencing or haunted by trauma; the plots woven with procedural and forensic detail. Both Jack Caffery and Flea Marley are superb characters, battling demons and wrought with moral dilemmas. I loved the previous three books and thoroughly enjoyed ‘Skin’ – another gripping entry in the series.

Gritty and disturbing, ‘Skin’ is an absorbing and relentlessly-paced police procedural; a superb example of the best that the genre’s dark side has to offer.



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Gone by Mo Hayder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jack Caffery returns in another dark, intense, breathtaking thriller.

A man attacks a woman in an underground car park and steals her car. In the back seat is her young daughter. DI Jack Caffery believes – hopes – that as soon as the jacker realises he has abducted a child, he will be looking for the nearest place to drop her off and make his escape. Yet, the hours tick by and there is no sign of the child.

DS Flea Marley is haunted by her demons. Her unit is falling apart around her. She is desperate to get her life back, to make amends for her wrongs. When she hears about the car-jacking, she knows this isn’t the first time it’s happened. Approaching Caffery, she tells him about two previous cases where children were in the back seats of stolen vehicles. The previous two girls were unharmed. But there is still no sign of the third girl.

By the time another young girl is kidnapped, Caffery and the team believe they are truly hunting a child abductor, not a car jacker; one who always seems to be one step ahead of them. At every turn, Caffery discovers there is far more to this sinister case and prays they will not be too late to save the lives of the abducted children.

‘Gone’ is the fifth novel in the Jack Caffery police procedural series. Taking place six months following the events of ‘Skin’, we find Flea and Caffery continue to be haunted by events of the previous novel. This is what I love about series with serialised elements – you are plunged straight back in to the ongoing plots, picking up with the characters where you left off when you spent time with them last. The Walking Man sub-plot also continues, exploring his history in small chunks novel by novel.

The cases in each novel are, for the most part, self-contained. ‘Gone’ follows the investigation into multiple child abductions, also exploring themes of paedophilia and domestic violence. Hayder does not shy away from the dark reality of serious crime; we witness the horror of such cases as experienced by the police officers and the crippling fear and anguish inflicted on the parents.

Mo Hayder takes crime fiction to the very edge of the blurred boundaries it shares with horror and holds us there on every page, navigating multiple twists and turns through detailed exploration of police procedure and forensics, while delving deep into the psyches of the characters. I didn’t want to put the book down and I didn’t want it to end. I loved it and cannot wait to dive into the next two novels in the series.

Tragically, they will also be the last. Several months ago, we received the incredibly sad news of the author’s passing. We have lost an incredible talent. Real name Clare Dunkel, she has left behind an incredible legacy in her ten Mo Hayder novels (three standalones in addition to the Jack Caffery series), with a forthcoming dystopian fantasy, which she completed before her death, due to published next year under the pseudonym Theo Clare. Her work is truly an inspiration.

Riveting and disturbing, ‘Gone’ is a superlative, relentless thriller that refuses to relinquish its hold on you long after you've read the final page.



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