This was a good, and tense, police procedural. Detective Kes Morris is investigating a gruesome murder case, and the more she works, the more bodies seem to show up. She has a knack of being able to get inside a killer’s mind to help solve her cases, and with this case, she has her hands full! Very fast-moving, with no boring sections to flip through. I look forward to the rest of this series. Thanks to #NetGalley for my arc of Beneath Her Skin.

I have so many things to say about this book!

1. I am not happy with this cover!  I get why it is relevant, but I think it's really off-putting and needs to immediately receive a cover worthy of the story it contains!
2. Kes is a riveting character and I feel like this story just scratched the surface of the multiple layers that Porter can uncover for the readers with this new Detective.  I am glad to see this is a new series and excited to get more of her history and watch her develop over time.  I'm a real fan!
3. The crime scenes were....horrific!  Well, some of them were.  To be fair, I guess any crime scene can be described that way but Porter came up with a couple of new scenes that I would NEVER have thought of in my life.  They had me talking out loud to an empty room or to my husband, where he promptly replied, "WHAT are you reading?"   Ha!
4. Since this is a fair review - I will say that there were a few drawbacks, the police work, forensic evidence descriptions seemed a bit inaccurate.  I don't think a crime scene is left to the next day to be worked... maybe because this is a small town, that's how it works? I don't know but that doesn't sound accurate.  Also, some of the detective work that needed to be researched didn't seem to be focused on in a timely manner.  At least for me some of that seemed a little bit off, but I'm no expert.  I do think that some of this focus could be a little tighter and a little more accurate overall. However, this didn't even take away from the story for me.
5. The book is really short, less than 250 pages, but Porter did an amazing job with her characters. I felt like they were well described and I could easily picture them in my mind.  Really well done!
6. It's such a fast paced read, it grabbed me from page 1 and I read it within 24 hours. Once the story broke open, it's just gut-wrenching!  This one is going to stick with me for awhile! I had some tears in a couple of places during this read.
7. It appears that Porter is a relatively new author - this may be their 2nd published book per Goodreads.  I'm a fan!  I can't wait for Porter's next work!  I love when I find a new(ish) author with such a great book - what else is in store for us as readers with their upcoming work?  I wonder!

If you are a fan of Detective books, Crime Thrillers (somewhat graphic), Murder Mysteries (not cozy), I urge you to pick this one up!

Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Beneath Her Skin. For a relatively short book, I was impressed with the character development of Detective Kes and who she and her team hunted. I look forward to learning more of her story in subsequent books. The crime scenes were unique and well-plotted and the backstory interesting. The setting served as an additional character, and I could smell the sea and woods and taste the local fare woven into the storyline. I don't think I've read another book set on the east coast of Canada and found the locale interesting. Lastly, I am always intrigued by writers who are their own mystery. Just who is C S. Porter???? Maybe time and future books will tell?

A fast paced and highly entertaining book, the first in a series.
It's gripping, well developed and the plot kept me hooked. The characters are fleshed out and interesting.
I hope to read another book in this series soon.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

When a shockingly gruesome and grotesque murder occurs in a small fishing town, Kes Morris is called in from the big city to lead the investigation. She quickly puts together a team including one member who was witness to the murder. But even as the investigation gets underway, another murder is reported, one just as weird and terrible as the first.

Beneath Her Skin by C.S. Porter is the first in what I can only hope is the beginning of a new series with a storyline that drew me in right from the start so that I devoured in one setting. It is fast-paced and compelling. Kes is a strong female protagonist clearly beset with demons of her own but who never backs away from the investigation even after a severe injury, spurred on by her memories of her dead father’s words of encouragement. The rest of the characters are also well-written and mostly likeable - even the villain is sympathetic.In fact, it is clear that sometimes, when it comes to defining who is the victim and who the perpetrator, the law and morality don’t always match.

Beneath Her Skin is a real page turner and I recommend it highly with one caveat - it deals with child abuse in a school setting, a subject matter some readers may find difficult.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the opportunity to read and review the new book from C.S. Porter - "Beneath Her Skin".

"Beneath Her Skin" is the first in what should be a great new series featuring Detective Kes Morris, Detective Morris, like so many other fictional detectives, has some demons that chase her (but she keeps them in check for the most part), as well as the 'ghost' of her Detective-father whose words of support help keep her on track.

When a small fishing town is rocked by a particularly gruesome and extremely weird murder, Detective Kes Morris is called in from the big city. (Note, the locale of this novel is not really explained, but most of us figure it's on the East Coast of Canada - the author is Canadian.)

Detective Morris quickly gathers a team to her from the available police force, a team that includes one member who was eyewitness to the first of the killings, and has a personal reason for wanting to find the perpetrators.

What they are not prepared for are the next killings, and the fact that the killers manage to get in and out without leaving a trace, and the murders look to be very, very personal.

As clues begin to build up, and Det. Morris begins to build a reputation locally {"Crusher"), everything begins to centre around a defunct religious-run school that burned down some time ago - yet there are signs that someone has been around leaving memorials - are they for the previous residents or the current victims? And are they really victims?

As the detectives begin to put local lore and current events together, a picture of absolute horror begins to emerge, and this will lead to the capture of the present-day killers as well as lift the veil on what occurred all those years ago.

As I said in the beginning, I hope this is the start of a great new series. Recommended.

Special thanks to Numb us Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Oooh I really liked this book. It has a tough woman detective, who has some anger issues and problems of her own, but she comes into this town determined to solve a murder, and then the murders keep piling up.

I love a strong female character and this is a disturbing book. I just wish we had a little more knowledge of the main character, Detective Kes Morris, and the reasons she is the way she is. Hopefully we will learn more about her because this book is slated to be a series. I would absolutely recommend this book.

Special thanks to Nimbus Publishing and Netgalley for the e-arc of this novel.

If you like mystery/thriller/detective novels, this one is for you.

It's fast-paced. Grabs you on the first page. A can't put down mystery.

The writing and the character development are great. This appears to be the first in a series and I can't wait for the next novel.

There is graphic violence, its not a "cozy mystery" by any means.

A good, fast, tense police procedural with gruesome murders revolving around past child abuse. The investigation team worked well together with a strong, likeable female lead detective. A great start to a new series and I’m looking forward to reading future stories.

A tense police proceedural with a strong, almost reckless female lead detective. She gets called in to work on a series of gruesome murders and uses her ability to get inside the mind of the killer and pain killers to help her process the information. Very involving book

3.5 stars rounded to 4.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the ARC for this intriguing mystery/police procedural. I enjoyed its setting, a previously quiet east coast province. The location is not named but appears to be a small fishing town in Nova Scotia. Detective Kes Morris is assigned from the city to investigate a diabolical murder plus a life-threatening injury. Soon a total of 5 murders have piled up, leading to fear and turmoil. The bodies have been displayed in various unique and gruesome ways.

Kes is a complicated character. She is a dedicated police officer determined to bring the perpetrators to justice. Being in control of a case is of utmost importance to her and can be insubordinate. She has anger issues and takes medication to calm herself. She manages to meld the local team into a cohesive and respected unit with her take-charge manner.

It is difficult to imagine what could motivate such horrific murders. Can there ever be a justification for such grotesque killings in the minds of the perpetrators? To solve the case and prevent further murders, the team must discover some dreadful secrets and events hidden in the past.

The story was well-structured, complicated, and heart-wrenching. I hope this is the beginning of a series featuring Detective Kes Morris, where we learn more about her past and what is troubling her

This was an exciting, action packed read. It grabbed me right from the start and hangs on to you until the end

4.5 rounded up!

First of all, huge thanks to Nimbus publishing for the ARC of this book. This was the first work from this author I’ve read. I have a tendency to like mysterious and reclusive authors.

Ok, the book. It’s an extremely fast-paced read that did not disappoint. This was one I was able to finish in one sitting with minimal points of boredom, if any at all.
Kes Morris, our lead detective and MC is easily like able. Kes is investigating a gruesome murder, all the while more bodies keep piling up and suspects come out of the woodwork.

Honestly, the book read like a good criminal minds episode. The plot was polished, and the ending satisfying.

This review can be found on good reads and my bookstagram @thespookybibliophile_