Skin Deep

Body of Evidence #6

by Christopher Golden

""A girl is dead, and one of your best friends got his head cracked with a shovel, because some white guy didn't want to see them kiss."" When Jenna and Damon first began dating, neither worried too much about the other's skin color. After all, Somerset is a pretty liberal college environment. But when a black couple is attacked by a white man on campus, race relations become cause for frenzied peace rallies, protests, and debate for the entire student body. Suddenly Jenna has her hands full investigating the attack -- and defending her interracial romance....

Then a white student turns up dead at the hands of a black assailant.

As racial tension reaches a fever pitch on campus, the crimes continue, growing increasingly brutal. Strangely, in each case no two witnesses can form the same description of the perpetrator.

The police are looking for two young men. Until one assailant, pronounced dead at the crime scene, disappears....

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller, Fiction, Teen, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Reviews

[Sasha Soleta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really do love this series. I felt the racial issue that this book dealt with were handled in an oddly simplistic way but this is YA fiction so I understand.

[Vickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is not nearly as good as the other two I've listened to of this series (1st and 5th) and I believe I am done with Jenna and the gang now. This one made me suspend belief way more than the other two more believable books in the series I've read/listened to. I can suspend belief easily when I know I am reading a paranormal book. This one is a forensic mystery so suspension of belief was difficult.
The premise of the storyline is the main character is a lot like an amped up Nancy Drew. Other problems I had: The narrative was drawn out and made the cops look really inept, the murderer caused racial tension on campus by attacking at night...the racial tension was prevalent in the beginning and then dissipated rather quickly and there was no curfew on campus even after several people had been killed. A lot of the storyline just didn't gel with me.
That's not to say I will stop reading this author. I know he' s got a ton of other books/series that pique my interest and I will gladly look for them.

[Ingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just 3.5 stars rounded to 4
Way too much coincidences and too far out biology / chemical strangeness. Probably should have expected that, but in this book it was just too much for me.

Very good integration of still existing race differences and struggles, with a character (who was also in the books of the series before this one) strongly opposing Jenna's (white female) having a coloured (black) boyfriend, Damon - with the character being female, coloured (black) and angry most of the time (forgot her name), just the opposite of Jenna.

The ending was strong and saved it somewhat.
Recommended for fans of the series, but do not expect too much. As I often read this when other books bore me, I recommend to put distance between this and other books between reading.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

*SPOILER* Narrated by Julie Dretzin. A series of race-based attacks and murders have been terrorizing Jenna's college campus. The tension permeatse the campus and affects Jenna's own interracial romance with Damon, her black boyfriend. Jenna is determined to help uncover the killer, which disturbs Damon. Turns out the killer has two physical conditions which allow him to change his skin color through mind control and flex the features of his face so no one can provide the police with an accurate description. It's assumed that because of his ambiguous coloring that he hates all races equally. Farfetched and slow-paced for me.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A killer takes advantage of racial sensitivities to set Somerset students against one another. An interesting premise, exploring how we can take sides too quickly and too vehemently, hurting our own interests in the process. Hits harder given the tensions in recent years. It's a good basis for the newest mystery for Jenna to solve, and is also quite personal, given that her relationship with Damon is interracial and therefore in the spotlight for the protesting students.

Another good edition to the series, a quick, easy read.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

this series roped me
with the setting (a faux Tufts!)
YA CSI.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story was not at all what i was expecting...i found it engaging and another quick read. will have to go back and start from the beginning.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now six books in to the series and still enjoying. It is light and probably a Young Adult read rather than an OAP (me).

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F GOL boe bk. 6

Forensics