BKMT READING GUIDES

Skin and Bone
by Kathryn Fox

Published: 2008-07-01
Mass Market Paperback : 304 pages
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1 club reading this now
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Detective Kate Farrer returns to duty after three months of leave following her traumatic abduction. Fearing that she has lost her edge, she reluctantly partners homicide newcomer Oliver Parke, and they are thrown into the investigation of a woman burnt beyond recognition in a house-fire. The ...
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Introduction

Detective Kate Farrer returns to duty after three months of leave following her traumatic abduction. Fearing that she has lost her edge, she reluctantly partners homicide newcomer Oliver Parke, and they are thrown into the investigation of a woman burnt beyond recognition in a house-fire. The post-mortem reveals she had recently given birth, but there is no sign of the baby. With homicide short-staffed, Kate and Oliver are also ordered to look into the disappearance of a teenage girl. Suspicion falls on Mark Dobbie, a steroid user who is obsessed with the missing girl’s sister. When the detectives find explicit photos of unconscious women in his home, they wonder if they have found their prime suspect. While the pressure to identify the charred body and find the teenage girl escalates, a quadriplegic is burnt to death in his bed. Shocking links to all three crimes emerge and Kate Farrer’s past demons come back to haunt her. But she must fight them – her partner’s life depends on it.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Kate Farrer struggled to open the car door. The muscles in her chest had tightened like a vice. If only she could get more air. Her cramped fingers clawed at the contents of the glove-box, spilling a map and interstate guidebook onto the floor. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

When Kate and Oliver discuss the family photos in the office, does Kate have a valid reason to suspect the father of 'unnatural love', or does her point of view restrict fathers' ability to demonstrate true affection? Do her views go far enough?

Robert Penfold's behaviour at the end is legal. Is it moral? If not, why not. If so, why isn't it illegal? Discuss.

Is Toby Penfold a lucky survivor or is he the most damaged victim of all?

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

Charred bodies...Murder...Corruption...

As a doctor, I have treated victims and perpetrators of heinous crimes. In so many of today's crime television and books, the victim is seen as incidental, a mere catalyst for the story. My passion for forensic medicine and experience enable me to bring authenticity and at times, chilling accuracy to my stories, but the focus remains on the victim. The effect of the crime ripples through the community - from family, friends and acquaintances to the police, lawyers and forensic teams involved in the case. It also affects the families of the perpetrators. I love to write about moral and ethical challenges faced by everyone in the wake of a violent crime - no one is immune. And the victims may neither be as innocent as they seem, nor the perpetrators as guilty. Nothing is ever what it appears!

I read a story about a woman burning her quadruplegic husband to death in his bed. "The face of evil", the media decried. Delving into the real story, this man victimised and brutalised his wife for many years, even when incapacitated. That sparked an idea for SKIN AND BONE. How relative are innocence and guilt?

MALICIOUS INTENT and WITHOUT CONSENT feature forensic physician, Dr Anya Crichton. Reviewers around the world have favourably compared these novels to works by Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. However, SKIN AND BONE sees Anya's closest friend, detective Kate Farrer, in the lead.

Suffering post-traumatic stress, Kate is paired with an inexperienced homicide detective.  They are and immediately thrown into a crime scene involving a woman who was bludgeoned and burnt beyond recognition. The body smoulders on a bed near a bag of baby items. Yet there is no sign of a child. Austopsy confirms the dead woman has recently given birth but her identity remains a mystery. Kate's desperate search for the unknown missing infant begins...

I hope you enjoy reading SKIN AND BONE as much as I did writing it. And if you take anything from the book, make sure you install effective smoke alarms in your homes, please!

Book Club Recommendations

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
  "Entertaining read from the Mystery/Crime Genre"by Donna D. (see profile) 10/27/08

The book features plenty of suspense and plot twists to keep the reader hooked. I'll read another by this author.

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