Skin of Tattoos

by Christina Hoag

*****Silver Falchion Award Finalist for Suspense*****
When Cyco Lokos gang member Magdaleno (Mags) Argueta comes home to Los Angeles after serving prison time for a robbery, he wants nothing more than to start a new life. However, there's one obstacle he has to overcome first...his old life. Mags tries to let go of his bitterness-he was framed by Rico, the new leader of the Cyco Lokos-and stay out of gang life for the sake of his Salvadoran immigrant family and his girlfriend Paloma, but trying to integrate into society after a stint in prison doesn't come easily. Faced with low job prospects and Rico's demands to help the Cyco Lokos make money, a broke and disillusioned Mags makes the only choice he can. However, Mags soon discovers that loyalties have shifted, including his, and being a part of the Cyco Lokos with Rico in charge is far more dangerous and uncertain that it used to be. With his sister pregnant by a rival gang member and his own relationship with Paloma, his best friend's sister, a violation of gang code, Mags becomes caught in a web of secrets, revenge, lies, and murder that might ultimately cost him everything.
Drawn from interviews with street gang members in Los Angeles and San Salvador, this noir crime novel explores a poor immigrant family’s struggle to survive in a gritty world where gangs appear to offer a way out but instead lead to a dead-end.

Genres: Fiction, Crime

266 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2016

About the author

Christina Hoag was a former journalist for the Miami Herald and the Associated Press who's had her laptop searched by Colombian guerrillas and phone tapped in Venezuela, suspected of drug trafficking in Guyana, hid under a car to evade Guatemalan soldiers, an d posed as a nun to get inside a Caracas jail. She's interviewed gang members, bank robbers, gunmen, thieves and thugs in prisons, shantytowns and slums, not to forget billionaires and presidents, some of whom fall into the previous categories. Now she writes about such characters in her fiction.
Her debut novel "Skin of Tattoos," a noir crime novel, was a finalist for the 2017 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Suspense. Her YA thriller "Girl on the Brink" was named Suspense Magazine’s Best of 2016 YA.
She also writes nonfiction, co-authoring Peace in the Hood: Working with Gang Members to End the Violence (Turner Publishing, 2014), a groundbreaking book on violence intervention used in several universities.
She has had numerous short stories, creative nonfiction essays and poems published in literary journals including Shooter (UK), San Antonio Review, Round Table Literary Journal, Santa Barbara Literary Journal and Lunch Ticket, and won Honorable Mentions for essay and short story in the International Human Rights Arts Festival’s Literary Justice 2020 contest and for essay and novel excerpt in the Soul-Making Keats Writing Competition 2020.
Fluent in Spanish and French, Christina grew up as an expat around the world. She lives in Los Angeles where she has taught creative writing at a maximum-security prison and to at-risk teen girls in South and East Los Angeles. She
A regular speaker at writing conferences and groups, bookstores and libraries, she volunteers as a trained domestic violence support group facilitator and is a public speaker about DV.

Reviews

[Michelle's Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

MTW Book Review #11

Book Review: Skin of Tattoos
by Christine Hoag

Synopsis

Cyco Lokos is a gang member of the Magdaleno (Mags) Argueta. He comes home to Los Angeles after serving a prison term for robbery, for which he was framed by Rico. Interestingly enough Rico is the new leader of the Cyco Lokos. Consequently, all he wants is start of new life and have people leave him alone. He just want to start a new life.

The problem with being in prison and a gang is that no one forgets, even though Mags tries to let go of his bitterness and stay out of gang life for the sake of his Salvadoran immigrant family and his girlfriend Paloma. As he tries to find a job, where no wants to hire a former ganger member or convict, Mags makes a decision that he he feels is his only choice, given his options.

Mags is caught between a rock and hard spot as a series of web of secrets, revenge, lies, and murder all come to pass, which may just cost him more that he can pay.

My opinion and rate of 4.5

I like this story and I didn’t expect too. A few years ago a young man moved into our neighborhood who was trying to leave his gang life behind him. His body was covered with tattoos. He and my husband would talk occasionally about life in general. One day he walked by and said he was moving, but we should know a local gang was trying to imitate our son. We ended up keeping our son home a few days and our friend and my husband got involved and the gang left my son alone. However, our friend had to move, he had little choice. Once you are in a gang you don’t get out, alive . I felt sorry for Cyco, it’s a tough world that he lives in and from my peripheral view of his world and brief involvement I feel for him. It’s not an easy situation no matter from what aspect you look at his world.

This book is good and I think that if you want a glimpse into this hard life, you can check out Skin of Tattoos. Nevertheless, I think you will find the book well paced and the characters well developed and interesting. Check out the book!

[Matthew Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to know what life is like in an L.A. gang? Read this book. Drawing on a wealth of professional expertise, Christina Hoag’s SKIN OF TATTOOS is probably the closest you can get to understanding what gang life is like without joining one. Given the crucial role gangs play in identity formation, it is little wonder that so many kids, particularly those from broken homes, join. What’s always been less clear to me is why it’s so hard to leave them. This book helps show why, despite a heartfelt desire to do so, many members can’t simply leave. Told from the perspective of a gang member just released from prison, this captivating, gritty, and realistic portrayal of one person’s efforts to leave his old life behind him, shows how incredibly difficult this can be. Lyrically written, with several twists and turns that left me breathless til the very end, this novel is a must read for anyone interested in the perils of gang life. I look very forward to reading more of Ms. Hoag’s work.

[Sage Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Skin of Tattoos, Hoag offers a strong statement on crime, gang violence, immigration, and social justice. The novel offers an authentic glimpse into a world that is too often oversimplified and misunderstood. As a criminal-defense attorney, I appreciate the complexity of the story, characters, and circumstances that Hoag has crafted. She eschews simple answers in favor of realism.

[Isabelle Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was unlike anything that I have ever read before. From the very first page, I was drawn into Magdaleno's tragic life. Magdaleno is an oddly compelling and charismatic protagonist. Yes, he is a criminal, and he does hurt, use, and abuse people, but he is also trying to "go straight." The issue and the fundamental problem of the story is that though Mags wants to get out of the Cyko Lokos gang, this proves almost impossible because those whom he loves are still deeply embedded in the gang life. Paroled from jail, he returns to the old neighborhood where his father, once a guerilla leader in El Salvador, is now merely a "small, brown man." Mags fears becoming one himself. He does not want to live without power and dignity, but that seems to be the fate of those who leave the gang. Staying can only result result in incarceration or death. For Mags, life on "the outside" seems to closing in on him, as one by one, he loses, in one way or another, all of the people whom he loves most. Only in the destruction of the means by which he had identified himself, his skin of tattoos, does Mags realize that there is no future for him in Los Angeles.

This is a complex and deftly woven tale. The texture of the story is rich and vivid. Ms. Hoag's language and description bring the characters vividly to life. Mags is fallen hero, but I found myself rooting for him. I didn't know how or if he would be able to escape "the life." The noose seemed to be tightening with the turn of every page. The ending was surprising and satisfying, particularly in the resolution of Mags troubled relationship with his father. This is a an authentic and worthwhile read which provides readers with insight into the life and lack of options for ex gang members. Ms. Hoag does an amazing job of immersing a reader's senses into her glimpse of gang life in LA.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well if you are wanting sugar and spice and happy ever afters then don't read any further, you need fantasy and this is more like reality. It is gritty and raw, at times with a cruelty that so shocking that you really do feel the fear. This book is of course fiction but it has been written by a lady that has been right in amongst the real life homeboys and homegirls in Los Angeles and San Salvador. So this isn't one persons story, this is a representation of all of them. All their stories melted into one and these are the characters Christina Hoag moulded them into.
Mags took the fall for one of his gang and ended up inside, he is a tough cookie that had to do his full time because someone disrespected his gang and he had to sort him out. He has no intention of ever going back in, just get it together and get out of it all, make a new life, but he knows leaving isn't going to be easy or maybe not even possible.
I really did not want to like Mags, he was a very active member of ruthless gang but God damn it I really did like him. Christina Hoag has created a character that as a mum I can relate to, a loving boy that helps out and just got in with the wrong crowd. A boyfriend who is loving and faithfully and just wants a new start, well as soon as probation is over and just a couple more jobs to get some cash together, you know how it is and  a big brother to watch over his sisters. How can you not like him?
There are some pretty scary people to read about that would put the fear of God in you even in a room full of policemen. There is no crossing the line, no forgiveness and definitely no mercy as far as punishing your own. Yes you are 'family' until something goes wrong, then God help you but even he won't come. This is a very visual read, such a very touching story for such brutal reality. A Brilliant book.

[L.C. Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mags Argueta is home from a prison sentence for something he didn’t do. A happy time, right? Not for Mags. His family doesn’t expect much from him, problems at home compound, nobody wants to hire a convict with tattoos all over him that show gang ties, and worse, he finds that he can’t escape those gang ties. To top it all, his relationships are complicated, especially when he continues to pursue his best friend’s sister, Paloma, a violation of gang code. What follows is a road Mags must travel—a road paved with lies, murder, and revenge.
This well-crafted, realistic novel with its twists and turns will leave you breathless. All you need to do is read the first chapter, and you’ll be hooked. Hoag provides such a perfect glimpse into the lives of the Los Angeles Salvador gang members that you will care what happens to these well-developed characters.
A word of warning, though. This novel contains lots of “bad” language but because of the nature of the story, it only adds realism to the gang’s world.
The superb writing and the escalating tension between gang members will hold you until the very last page. Based on this book, will I be reading her other works? You “betcha!” I highly recommend this book.

[Sherrie Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very realistic portrait of the gang life in L.A.
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I taught high school in Los Angeles so I knew young men like the protagonist. Unfortunately I was reading & watching several stories about troubled kids, so it was tough reading for a while.
But, I think this is a very good portrayal of the gang life & why kids join gangs. It's sad that many parents are fleeing violence in their home countries only to find another type of violence here in the U.S.
The ending was fairly upbeat, but I think there's a sequel here, because I believe you will find this life wherever you go unless you have a lot of self-discipline, as well as forgiveness for the people that hurt you.
I found a few typos, but not enough to be really distracting.
I recommend this book to everyone who wants to understand how people get caught up in bad situations.
Sherrie Miranda's historically based, coming of age, Adventure novel “Secrets & Lies in El Salvador” is about an American girl in war-torn El Salvador:
http://tinyurl.com/klxbt4y
Her husband made a video for her novel. He wrote the song too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11Ch...

[Pam Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens after your out? Do you go back to the life? Or do you make your own way?
These are all things our hero has to think about.

Family and Gang pressure and wanting to do the right thing, what is the right thing?
Mags wants to do what is right but its not as easy as his parole officer makes it out to be.

The father, son relationship stuck out to me the most how hard it was for Mags to want to please his father and it felt at times like the father didn't care.
The whole family is interesting the story is intriguing and made me want to keep listening the narration was perfection.

[Dorothy Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

An original story that expresses the hopes of an immigrant family as they struggle to make a better life only to find that their new life in LA is rife with challenges and pitfalls just as their old life was. The main character, Mags, symbolizes their struggle through his involvement with gangs. This is a thought-provoking, well written literary story that kept me turning the pages and at the end left me thinking a lot about poor immigrants and the hard time they have making it and achieving their dreams.

[Christopher Gamez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a real page turner that was hard to put down. The escalating tension between Mags and Rico created alot of suspense and I thought the homies were very vivid. The writing painted a very realistic image representing a sector of LA that isn't often portrayed. I Loved it.

[Janet Storar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been venturing out of my "usual genre of choice" lately and at first this novel was a step too far but I was wrong. Thrilling and thought provoking read. Not comfortable reading in parts but I recommend you do give it a go.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin of tattoos by Christina Hoag.
Los Angeles homeboy Magdaleno is paroled from prison after serving time on a gun possession.
This was a good read with good characters. Although fiction it felt real. I liked Magdaleno. He was my favourite. 4*. Thanks tbc on fb.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Christina Hoag captures the gang life perfectly telling a story of redemption, survival and learning to do the right thing. The authenticity of the books rings true from page one.

[DC Palter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christina Hoag’s Skin of Tattoos is a gritty, fast-paced novel of life within a Salvadorian gang in Los Angeles as members battle each other for leadership while fighting rival gangs.

If that sounds brutal, at times it is. The novel doesn’t hold back from an accurate portrayal of both the rough language and violence on the streets. But at the same time, it’s also heart-warming as we come to root for the main character, Magdaleno, as he does his best to do the right thing.

Mags has just been released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He took the rap on behalf of his clika, the Cyco Lokos, landing behind bars for 26 months. His rival, Rico, has set him up, and with Mags out of the way, has taken control of the crew.

Now that he’s out and on parole, he’s committed to going straight. But that turns out not to be simple. There’s no jobs for a man inked with jaguar spots and claws, a jaguar’s tail around his collarbone — the gang stripes he’s earned.

His friends are all his former crew, a surrogate family, and they welcome him back into the fold.

Within days of his release, Mags has fallen back into his old life, but faced with new problems. Rico is running the show now, but only looking out for himself. And Mags is in love with Paloma, the sister of his best friend, Blueboy, a fellow member of the Cyco Lokos, making their relationship a serious violation of gang code.

Mags has to keep his budding relationship with Paloma secret from Blueboy, while trying to outmaneuver Rico, all the while plotting a way to escape gang life. All he needs is enough cash to leave LA with Paloma. He works out a plan to raise money by chopping cars he gets his Cyco crew to jack.

But Mags’ older sister gets pregnant with the member of a rival gang, which demands retribution. When the hit goes wrong and a civilian is killed, it brings in the cops to investigate. Mags has to avoid getting pinned with Rico’s crime again.

It doesn’t take Mags long to realize, “Your best fucking homies make your worst fuckin enemies.”

Will Mags outwit Rico and save the gang? Will he get the money he needs to escape gang life and start over somewhere else with Paloma? You’ll have to read to find out.

In this novel, Hoag has shown the gritty life of Salvadorian gang members in Los Angeles. Hoag is a former journalist who not only reported from Central America, but covered street gangs in Los Angeles for the Associated Press. It’s clear she knows this world and the people in it in a way few others do.

She tells Mags’ story with honesty and authenticity, not shying away from the brutality and bad choices, but also filling it with compassion and empathy for all the characters facing few alternatives.

It’s hard not to compare Skin of Tattoos to the critically-acclaimed All Involved by Ryan Gattis. I enjoyed reading All Involved. I enjoyed Skin of Tattoos even more.

All Involved showed the worlds of LA gangs from a kaleidoscope of points of view. By focusing on Mags’ story alone, Hoag pulls us deep into the life and troubles of a single, compelling character.

Mags is far from perfect, and I probably wouldn’t want to meet him on the street, but by being deeply immersed in his perspective where he’s trying hard to do the right thing, we can fully empathize with him as he navigates life, love, and survival on the brutal streets of Los Angeles.

[Christina]

Skin of TattoosThe Backstory: I wrote this book after interviewing gang members in El Salvador while on assignment for Gatopardo magazine. For the most part, they'd emigrated from El Salvador as small children when their families had fled the brutal civil war. They formed gangs for protection while in the urban jungles of LA. Later, they'd been deported from LA and other US cities after committing gang-related crimes. With little in the way of job skills and some speaking little Spanish and living with relatives they barely knew or didn't know at all, they went on to form the gangs they'd left behind in the US. This created the huge gang problem that now afflicts El Salvador and its neighbors Guatemala and Honduras. As a reporter for the AP in LA, I covered a lot of gang issues. All this went into writing Skin of Tattoos, where I told the story underneath the "skin of tattoos" after I saw why they'd gone into gangs and how this led to dead-ends in their lives. My favorite review was from Latinon gang members at a prison where I taught creative writing. They said I'd done a "firme job" and they knew gang members just like my characters, especially Rico, the bad guy!!

[Alison McMahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The hero of the story is Magdaleno — Mags — who is just out of prison after Rico framed him for gun possession. Mags wants to go straight but Rico uses every weapon in his arsenal to suck him back in to the world he wants to escape:

“A lot of changes gone down in the barrio. We need to catch you up.” His arm hooked my neck in a chokehold. “You our firme homeboy, man, you’ll always be part of la familia. We need you, fool.” He squeezed a little too hard. “You come by the garaje. We got a jump in day after tomorrow. We’ll be waiting. We’ll hook you up again, then you can dump this shit.” He pointed his forefinger at me with a barbed wire smile. “Missed you, Mags.”

I watched him vanish into the crowd of shoppers, and spat on the ground to get rid of the bad taste that had flooded my mouth.

The book is fast-paced and Mags is a sympathetic and credible narrator. Hoag does a masterful job of putting the reader though gut-wrenching cycles of fearing for him and hoping for him, hoping for him and fearing the worst. It’s book that demands to be read in one sitting.

[Cheryl Masciarelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have all seen on TV, read about and/or heard about gangs in today's society but Ms. Hoag brings us inside the gritty world of gangs with SKIN OF TATTOOS.

Magdaleno, aka Mags, has just been released from jail, after taking the fall for one of his "homies" from the Cyko Lokos gang, which he is a part of. But this time it will be different. He is ready to leave the gang life but soon realizes it's harder to leave than it was to join. Is death the only way out?

A compelling, and at times chilling, tale of the inner workings of what it is to be entrenched in a gang lifestyle. The "codes", the rules, the crimes and even the betrayals.

Ms. Hoag has written a truly extensive and intensive story that will have you turning the pages.

[Kenneth E. Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found “Skin of Tattoos” to be an intricately plotted, Chandler-esque, very hard to put down, tale of Los Angeles gang life, Salvadoran refugee realities, and well written drama that pulled me along for the twisty ride. The ending was both unexpected and satisfying. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to see high-level plotting in action. Ms. Hoag is clearly a highly talented professional writer. I want more!

[E.R. Yatscoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immerse yourself into the gangbanger life in LA. A masterful profile of a young Salvadorian gangbanger just out of jail, who tries to get out of the life. But it's so damn hard! The author gives life to these young men who have loves and families like all of us. She shows how there is little else for them in society. I'm a big fan of this author.

[MonsRuiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while for me to get through this, but I am glad I did. It gave a really good insight to gang culture, which to me is scary.

[Melissa Simmonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw Page Turner of a Read!

I want to first thank Goodreads and the Author for giving me the opportunity to win this E-book.

This novel had me sucked in from the start, resulting in me finishing it in a few days. The Author Christina Hoag wrote this so well that you felt like you were literally in the surroundings of gang life. This is due to her background and career and boy did she do it justice, even being told the same from the people who live in this type of life.
Between the dialogue, the storyline, the characters, all interwoven with love, hope, good intentions gone wrong, edge of your seat anxiety, trust lost, deceit...the list goes on. This novel gives you an inside look at gang life through the main character Magdaleno and who he is underneath the tattoos.
Buckle up, this is a thriller of a ride.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of a man trying to escape LA gang life (audiobook version)

I was not expecting to enjoy this story as much as I did as its not a genre I typically listen to. The story of a Los Angeles gang member fresh out of prison and adjusting to life on the outside, wanting a fresh start but finding things do not go according to plan. The characters are engaging and Andre G. Chapoy brings the character of Mags to life along with his desires, fears, and problems. I liked how the story developed and avoided familiar tropes; making it feel more real. This is the second book of Christina Hoag’s books I’ve listened to and looking forward to hearing more in the future.

I was given a free copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review which has not been influenced by the party that provided it.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mags was set up and served time in prison for something he did not do by another gang member, Rico. Once released, Mags is determined to leave the gang life behind and start a new clean life. He realizes it is not going to be an easy thing to do.

There were a lot of Spanish words that I did not understand but overall, I felt the author did an an amazing job with detailing gang life and how hard it is leave a gang.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you Christina Hoag for the free Kindle copy in Goodreads giveaway.

[Sidney Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I was interested to understand a realistic portrayal of gangs in Los Angeles, but it felt odd to do this through a fictional manner. I think fiction as a methodology of teaching about this subject from a well-researched author can be helpful to relate to more people, but I feel like writing a “based on a true story” novel could have achieved this better. Overall, the story seemed fairly realistic, but the ethos of true stories could have tied it all together very well.

[Daniel Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my research into gang culture, and I am glad I did. Extremely well written with wonderfully gritty details and authentic characters.

[Carol Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ex-prisoner on parole Magdalena is desperate to turn his life around and leave the gangs behind him, but getting a job is difficult so one last job getting some quick money should do it, then out. His rival Rico who's top at the moment, but Magdalena takes over a new chop shop and he is now 2nd which will put his back up so he plays Mag, and low and behold Mags falls right in it, death and destruction follow

The author has done a lot of research on all her novels but I have to admit I'm not really a big fan of gang warfare novels and as always once in never out and in many cases the only way out of a gang is in a box or prison very dull prospects.

The narrator was very good but as this is about Mexican immigrants in L.A. the narrator used a lot of Spanish words that could be hard to understand fortunately I lived in Spain for 8yrs and picked up a few bits of Spanish.

The Author Christina Hoag has written a couple of other novels "Law of the Jungle" superb and "The Blood Room", unfortunately, this was the least one I enjoyed.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outside my usual comfort zone so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was an insight into a very different world. It was told from the point of view of a gang member who wanted to escape that world but found it very difficult. The characters were brought to life in such a way that you could understand their dilemmas and feel for them. The book hooked me early on and kept me gripped until the end. A recommended read.

[Linda Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this well written book. The story was believable and the characters interesting. I felt I could better understand how difficult it is to leave a gang environment after reading this book.