As soon as I heard about this book I was intrigued and once I actually started I was completely hooked.
I read the entire thing in one sitting and let myself entirely in the story, which was refreshing with twists and turns (but not too many!) and characters that I could relate to and feel interested in.
I was sad that the story had to end! A true teller of a good story.

Reading like a cross between a James Patterson novel and Daniel Cole's RAGDOLL, I think gives you a pretty good idea of the writing and genre. I think it could be turned into a pretty good TV series. It's a very visual read and it takes you on a classic thriller journey.

A great and enjoyable thriller that I think would make a perfect beach read!

Enjoyed this book for the most part.. Just a bit unbelievable about some police procedures now and again.. I would definitely recommend this book and thank Netgalley and the publisher the chance to review it and look forward to her second novel.

What a great debut novel!

A killer is on the loose and his targets all have body art that he wants. It is up to D.I Francis Sullivan, newly promoted and young, to capture him. This a gruesome, dark and gory thriller set in Brighton. It is well written and my only criticism is I didn't like the relationship between Sullivan and his superior officer DCI Martin Bradshaw, it was too over the top for my liking.

I hope this is the first in a series as I will definitely look out for more from this writer.

I would rate this book 4.5, it is a dark gruesome crime thriller which holds your attention from start to finish. I found it very well written and the plot was easy to follow. I will certainly be looking out for more books from this author.

Removing tattooed skin with the victim still alive is definitely an original and rather gruesome method for a killer. I can only wonder at where the author got their inspiration from but it made for a good read. I didn’t care much for any of the police officers and they had a bit of a tv cop feel to them. Surely a DI should be delegating more. The bitchiness of the relationship between Rory and Francis seemed about right though. I was surprised at how much I liked Marni and she was definitely the standout character for me. I’m not convinced that the police would have shared so much information with her or allowed her to be so involved in the investigation but I suppose that’s the joy of fiction.
Heartily recommended for readers who like rather dark crime.

Reading like a cross between a James Patterson novel and an episode of NCIS, Belsham’s THE TATTOO THIEF is a pretty good book. The only criticism I have is that no one has taken it upon themselves to make it into a series similar to Kathy Reich’s BONES series, although if this does happen I can see the author attracting a lot of new fans.

The book itself reads quite slowly and there are some tedious moments when you’re itching to just skip ahead, which I did on occasion. However, there are some decent pieces of information which present themselves as you sift through some of the slow moments. How this came to be an ‘international thriller sensation’ eludes me as each book you see on local shelves practically lay claim to the same fact.

And when everything is an international sensation, nothing is.

Now, before you start looking for other options to read, I’d suggest giving this a try. You’d actually be committing quite some time into the book before realizing that as you’re engulfed by non-linear information, some progress can be noticed. All in all, THE BOOK THIEF fits quite comfortably in general fiction but I don’t see it raising claim to the likes of Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, or many mainstream authors.

Unless a TV series has been made of it, such as BONES.

Interesting idea,good cast of characters. Some nicely paced moments.
A bit too vague for too long on Marni 's history for my liking.
I'm sure there's more to follow.

The Tattoo Thief is a brilliant creepy crime thriller .Someone is killing people and taking off their tattoos ! Set in Brighton the story is about a newly promoted DI who has to prove that his theories are right against internal opposition .He becomes friendly with Marni a female tattooist who actually found a body and from then on the quest to find the killer hurtles on .The characters are very believable ,the pace fast and sometimes very dark I really enjoyed this book .

This is an infinitely dark crime thriller set in Brighton in the fascinating world of tattoo artists, with a macabre serial killer that takes pleasure in removing tattoos by flaying alive the murder victims. The youngest DI Francis Sullivan faces hostility from his second in command, the older, more experienced DS Rory Mackay, who thinks he should have been the one promoted and from his boss, DCI Martin Bradshaw, disinclined to trust Sullivan's judgement, whilst insisting on courses of action that do nothing to advance the investigation. Experienced tattooist, Marnie Mullins, is not doing well in distancing herself from her ex-husband, Thierry, and has a traumatic past history that has left her distrusting the police. She is providing clients with intricate tattoos at the Brighton Tattoo Conference, when she slips out to get a cup of coffee. To her horror, she discovers a dead body in a refuse bin, and phones the police to let them know anonymously.

So begins DI Sullivan's first murder case where leads prove to be elusive, and he faces intense pressure within the police team watching him, waiting for him to fail and the unhelpful micromanaging tendencies of his boss. Sullivan is a bright guy who tracks down Marnie, a woman ambivalent about helping the police but unwavering in her commitment to help her community, being targeted by a serial killer. The serial killer's perspective and motivation is interspersed in the narrative, along with a clearly troubled family history. We are given a picture of a killer who finds it hard to control their blood lust and sees their work as a form of art. Sullivan needs Marnie to understand the world of tattooists and the two find themselves working together informally as more murders occur. Sullivan finds that there some orders from his boss that he cannot in all conscience obey if he wants to protect the public but irrespective of all the obstacles he faces, he will not stop trying to nail the killer. This brings danger to him and Marnie, as the determined pair get closer to the killer.

Alison Belsham's debut novel is a promising beginning to her career, she writes a bleak, disturbing, gripping and gory tale of a unhinged serial killer roaming Brighton, spreading fear in the community. I particularly enjoyed the insights into the alternative world of tattooists and the prejudices that those who have tattoos can encounter. Sullivan, a committed Catholic, cannot see why anyone sane should disfigure their body by having one until he has his eyes opened by Marnie. If you like your crime thrillers dark, brutal, unsettling, with plenty of blood and gore, then this is a read for you. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.