Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good Thriller/suspense that is a good weekend read.

I tried my best to pick it up a few times but had to stop after a few chapters. I can’t even say what made me dnf honestly. The story and characters just felt too plane for me to keep my interest unfortunately.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Fabulous story that I could not put down. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre. Great writing, and I will look for more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the copy. This was an okay read. And it is probably my fault. I should have checked before requesting. Having not read book 1, I kept feeling that I was missing out on something throughout. There were several mentions of instances from the first book. I did enjoy the story and it was well written.

I’m not a person who typically tries to feel emotion. I actively try not to. Emotions are complicated and in my experience they make things messy in real life.

I was not prepared for the emotional upheaval in Skin Game. It blindsided me with a state of mind both heartbreaking and haunting. Even though it is fiction, it shows an ugly truth to the world, conveyed in a story that draws you in close and the sucker punches you.

(Warning: this book depicts the horrors of human trafficking and sexual slavery, in some graphic detail. Read at your own discretion.)

I love a good detective story; the jaded private eye with a chip on their shoulder, belly full of whiskey and lungs full of cigarette smoke, rubbing elbows with the dregs of humanity while searching for the big conspiracy that will fill their bank account and pacify their wounded heart. It’s a type of story that appeals to many readers. J.D. Allen’s Skin Game is assuredly such a story.

The main character, private investigator Jim Bean, typifies the weary, hardened sleuth snooping around in the bowels of Las Vegas. He is a character with a traumatic past, lamenting a stolen future, and using his skills to scrap out a meager existence. Throughout the novel, we as the reader experience a constant recursion of ‘what if’s’ as Jim questions how he has come to that specific moment, briefly dreaming of that other world where life is different. Better. Few things could be more human and sympathetic.

This connection allowed me to almost experience the events of the story on a visceral level, and this was not always a pleasant experience. At first, the story seems formulaic; the detective’s old flame comes to town searching for a family member, the detective is roped into helping, and they track down leads together. The tone of the story shifts suddenly with a collection of dog cages, a set of handcuffs, and dried blood.

Jim and Erica Floyd—the previously mentioned connection to the past, come to Las Vegas to find her missing sister—soon find themselves embroiled in a dark shadow world, one where the lowest filth of humanity make their profit in the titular “skin game”.

The emotional responses that Allen evokes with the diction and characters are so heart wrenching, I struggled at times to remember how to breathe. In a single page I felt anger, disgust, pity, relief, fury, heartbreak and a kaleidoscopic array of other emotions that left me physically and mentally drained. I’ve haven’t felt so human in a long time.

The setting is a horrifying situation that is unfortunately an ugly truth to the world. It leaves you cheering for the main characters to prevail, perched on the edge of your seat as the climax approaches and wishing every possible punishment upon the antagonists.

Allen’s cast of characters helps the experience of this story make a bit more sense. While the story is told through Jim Bean’s point of view, the reader experiences the tragic unfolding events through three different perspectives: Erika, a person who has no real idea of the horrors of Sin City; Jim, who knows but had no real previous connection to the situation; and Jim’s bounty hunter/private eye friend Oscar, who has a very heartbreaking and personal connection to the skin game. Through these three, we see the level of pain inflicted by this shadowy, dehumanizing enterprise. Nobody leaves the skin game unchanged, and it’s never for the better.

While it may prove a shock to the system to many readers, it’s that abruptness that provides a reason to keep turning the page. The moments in the dark leave us thankful for the light in the next chapter. Skin Game may deal with a touchy subject, but it is a powerful example of betrayal, reconciliation, despair, and understanding that demonstrates what it is to be truly human.

Having not read the first of the Jim Bean series may have put me at a disadvantage, but I enjoyed this tale nonetheless. With a new identity, now a Private Investigator in Las Vegas, Jim’s ex asks him to find her sister. So, the adventure begins despite his anger with her, as the injuries and death toll mounts. With good characters, dynamic writing and illuminating description of Vegas, this is darkly haunting. A three-and-a-half-star rating. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes.

An intriguing read, particularly for fans of classic PI novels. This novel does well as a standalone, though I do believe it would've been more enjoyable had I read the first book in the Sin City series. The main character, Jim does have a tone reminiscent of James Bond. Overall an enjoyable read that will propel you from mundane PI work (a man's got to make a paycheck somehow) to unraveling a larger case uncovering a trafficking ring while also facing his past and the woman who sent him to anger management.

3.5 stars

While I did like certain aspects of this story, I probably should have read book 1 first. There were several mentions of things from the first book, and I didn't realise this was book 2, at first.

Jim is a P.I. who has had a rough few years. When his ex shows up in town looking for her missing sister, Jim can't help but get involved, despite his anger towards her. This turns into a bigger case than they originally thought, uncovering a trafficking ring, and resulting in many injuries and deaths.

I did like the writing style, and Jim as a character, and I would definitely read more from this author. I may even go back at some stage and read the first book, to get the entire picture.

What happens when you get face to face with the person that you spend years going anger mangment for, and end up helping. Fast story, interesting twists,, human trafficking, finishing with a double 0 flair.

Another book I just couldn't seem to get into, it was good I wish NetGalley showed if books were a sequel. I wouldn't have wanted to read this knowing it was a sequel since I didn't read the first book. There were parts that I didn't understand because of that. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book to read.