Bob Skinner
1 primary work • 35 total works
Book 19
A complex tale of deception and revenge leads Skinner and his people to a bloody encounter and a dramatic confrontation...
The horrific suicide of a successful Lithuanian entrepreneur rouses suspicion amongst the newly appointed Chief Constable Bob Skinner and his colleagues. They've crossed swords with the businessman before; why would a man with everything to live for take his own life? As enquiries begin, a mystery girl, drugged and incoherent, is dumped in a health centre by a mysterious Galahad, who promptly disappears. Who is she, who is he, and where has he gone? Is it coincidence that most of the massage parlours in the city have suddenly closed overnight?
Quintin Jardine's twenty-sixth Bob Skinner mystery sees the Edinburgh sleuth plunged into a gruelling new case in which no score will go unsettled.
Former Chief Constable Bob Skinner has uncovered his fair share of crime scenes over his thirty-year career. But few have affected him quite as much as the horrifying sight he finds stowed in the back of a stolen car that collides with his on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
As his former colleagues investigate, Skinner takes on an unusual commission of his own.
The body count rises, motives appear, the hunt goes global, and potential conflicts surface. In his new guise, is Skinner is on the side of the angels...or working against them?
Justice takes a lethal turn...
Bob Skinner faces a complex case of murder and organised crime in Murmuring the Judges, an absorbing crime thriller from acclaimed author Quintin Jardine. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and James Oswald.
'Gritty cop drama that makes Taggart look tame' - Northern Echo Darlington
In Edinburgh's old Parliament House, an armed robbery trial is about to take a macabre turn. While the lawyers tussle over the evidence, the judge suddenly collapses in agony - the victim of an apparent heart attack. For Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner, with his life finally back on track after the near-collapse of his marriage, the last thing he needs is to be faced with the most baffling case of his career. But as the wave of brutal robberies continues, it emerges that Lord Archergait's death may have been murder - and he's not the only judge whose life is in danger. With a gang of ruthless killers still at large, it's down to Skinner to piece together a puzzle of sinister complexity.
What readers are saying about Murmuring the Judges:
'Jardine has written a tightly paced, yet fully characterised book, filled with action, pathos and fulfilment'
'The Skinner series of books are tremendous... once I start reading one I struggle to put the book down'
'Fast paced and intriguing with an ending that will make you pick up the next novel in the series straight away'
In the dark of night, death casts a shadow...
Edinburgh's toughest cop, Bob Skinner, looks into his past to assuage his demons in Quintin Jardine's thrilling mystery Grievous Angel. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter James.
Skinner revisits his nightmares: old but not forgotten. Fifteen years in the past, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Bob Skinner is called to investigate a most brutal death. A man lies at the deep end of an empty swimming pool, his neck broken and almost every other bone in his body shattered. Soon, an organised crime connection looms, and bloody retribution spreads to a second city. Then violence erupts on a new front, as a vicious knifeman seems to be targeting Edinburgh's gay population. As if this double dose of homicide isn't enough for a single man with a teenage daughter to raise and protect, Skinner's personal life takes a similar, perilous twist. Can he stay on the side of the angels, or will he fall...?
What readers are saying about Grievous Angel:
'Fantastic! This is one of the best Skinners yet'
'The plots are intriguing and intricate and always suck me right in'
'Fast moving and very difficult to put down'
A shallow grave hides the deepest secrets...
An exhumed body reveals long-buried secrets in Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner mystery, Funeral Note. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
After a tip-off, a man's body is exhumed from a shallow grave in Edinburgh. Murder surely, yet he died from natural causes, so, case closed? Indeed was there ever a case? But Chief Constable Skinner and his people keep on digging. Who was the man, why was he buried so reverentially, and by whom?
Meanwhile corruption is discovered within the force, and an investigation is launched. Immersed in crises, his marriage heading for the rocks, Skinner finds his very career hanging in the balance, its fate beyond his control. In a tale seen through the eyes of each of its leading players, mystery upon mystery is laid down until the greatest threat of all those facing the Chief is revealed, and a deadly race begins. Can he win out, or will his life implode?
What readers are saying about Funeral Note:
'The big problem with reading Quintin Jardine's books is that you never want them to end'
'[Bob Skinner is] a larger than life character, whose personal life is as complicated as the murders he solves'
'A masterful adventure'
Countdown to disaster for Edinburgh's hardest cop...
Terrorists strike at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival in Skinner's Festival, Quintin Jardine's second novel in the ever popular Bob Skinner series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
'Robustly entertaining' - Irish Times
An explosion rocks Princes Street in the midst of the Edinburgh Festival. Responsibility is claimed by a group supposedly demanding political separation from Britain, but as atrocities escalate Skinner realises this is no gang of fanatics, but a highly professional team. The Fighters for an Independent Scotland want the English out of Scotland too and they're ready to back up their demands with bombings, murders and blackmail threats aimed at wreaking havoc at the Edinburgh Festival of the Arts.
But the Fighters haven't reckoned with Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner, head of the Edinburgh CID and security adviser to Secretary of State Alan Ballantyne. Even as craven Ballantyne vows empty defiance of the Fighters, defending his principles with the blood of innocent coppers and bystanders, Skinner assembles a crack task force, carries the ball when the Secretary fumbles on the air, and wrestles with the beast within, who emerges with periodic ferocity to foil a clever, greedy scheme involving the crown jewels and Skinner's own daughter.
What readers are saying about Skinner's Festival:
'Gripping, plot twisting brilliance, a true thriller'
'Suspense from beginning to end'
'Totally absorbing'
'Couldn't put it down'
Can you fight evil with evil...?
As international terrorism stalks the City of Edinburgh, DCC Bob Skinner confronts his darkest demons in Quintin Jardine's gripping crime thriller Stay of Execution. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter May.
Evil stalks the city of Edinburgh. This time the threat is bigger than the crooks, scam-artists or drug dealers who find their prey in the shadows of the streets. Some people are looking for a big-time hit. The body of a respectable businessman is found hanging from a tree; a veteran from a Belgian marching band is killed in a hit-and-run incident and another dies of an apparent heart attack. Excitement on the streets of Edinburgh is feverish as the city prepares for a huge rally to celebrate the return of Pope John the 25th to his home town. The security has to be bulletproof. But there is a chink in the armour. Does DCC Bob Skinner have the inner strength to find the answer to the biggest question of all?
What readers are saying about Stay of Execution:
'A great read; riveting until the final denouement'
'Quintin Jardine's Skinner stories captivate you'
'Five stars'
The mighty can fall...
Bob Skinner travels to New York to hunt out a serial killer in Quintin Jardine's gripping crime thriller, Head Shot. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
'This is Jardine doing what he does best... page-turning stuff' - Edinburgh Evening News
DCC Bob Skinner has witnessed the aftermath of murder countless times. Yet nothing could have prepared him for identifying the strangled bodies of his wife's beloved parents, killed at their lakeside cabin in New York State. Driven by cold rage, Skinner quickly muscles in on the investigation, and soon he's found links with three other cases where the killing is too professional to be the result of a burglary gone wrong. But can he penetrate the multiple layers of intrigue to unearth the killer?
What readers are saying about Head Shot:
'Both story threads are compelling and the author is clearly enjoying the conspiracy theory he brews up with the US story; meanwhile the Edinburgh story is chilling to the core'
'Very fast paced and extremely exciting'
'Five stars'
Edinburgh's hardest cop faces private crisis and public disaster...
Skinner faces both the biggest case of his career and crippling personal crisis in Skinner's Ordeal, the thrilling fifth novel in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Edinburgh crime series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.
'Quintin Jardine has created the toughest Scottish cop since Taggart' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph
A mid-air explosion; a plane plunges to disaster from the Scottish skies, the British and American Defence Secretaries among the victims. Out of the blue, Edinburgh's Deputy Chief Constable finds himself leading the biggest investigation of his career. The means of destruction is apparent from the start, but the investigation quickly grows more puzzling - for once they have an embarrassment of suspects with motive and opportunity. Then sudden random violence wrenches Skinner himself out of the picture. While his colleagues struggle with the mass of clues, he lies on the brink of death, trapped with the horrors from his own hidden past. As Skinner's ordeal reaches its crescendo, the police pursue their suspects one by one, until at last they are brought to a dramatic, thrilling, but tragic conclusion.
Read more in State Secrets - also featuring Bob Skinner.
What readers are saying about Skinner's Ordeal:
'An excellent read, and one of the best thrillers in ages'
'What a book, what a story. Magnificent'
'A really gripping thriller, with many twists and turns'
A gangland killing sets Edinburgh's police chief on a deadly quest...
Skinner is on the trail of organised crime and a cold-blooded killer in Skinner's Trail, the gripping third novel in Quintin Jardine's bestselling crime series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and James Oswald.
'Engrossing, believable characters... captures Edinburgh beautifully... It all adds up to a very good read' - Edinburgh Evening News
First the joyous birth of Skinner's son... then the grim reality of murder in one of Edinburgh's prosperous suburbs. A man has been found knifed in a luxury villa. The victim had run a chain of laundrettes, saunas and pubs throughout the city, but for some time the police suspected these to be the front for a drug distribution network. As the murder investigation continues without result, it seems the killer was particularly cunning in covering his tracks - leaving no clues or leads to pursue. But then another seemingly minor crime - involving property fraud - takes Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner in a new direction. Moving from Scotland to northern Spain, then back to a chilling climax in Edinburgh, this complex and suspenseful thriller follows a tortuous and bloodsoaked trail involving vice, corruption and the merchants of death...
What readers are saying about Skinner's Trail:
'All Quintin Jardine's books are a must read, you are hooked from the very first page. I can't get enough of them!'
'I rate Quintin Jardine among the finest crime writers ever'
'Five stars'
When the hunter becomes the prey...
Skinner faces the greatest, most personal tests of his career in Skinner's Ghosts, a gripping crime thriller and the seventh book in Quintin Jardine's highly praised DCC Bob Skinner series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.
Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner could be forgiven for thinking not only that someone up there doesn't like him, but that someone down here is out to get him. Suffering the strain of a marriage on the rocks, the last thing he needs is for his private life to be plastered across the front pages of a sleazy tabloid. To make matters worse, two brutal murders and new allegations about Skinner himself make simultaneous headlines. As time ticks away, Skinner faces the greatest, and most personal, tests of his career. Unless he can clear his name and uncover the secret behind the series of brutal crimes, he stands to lose everything: his family, his career and even his life and liberty.
What readers are saying about Skinner's Ghosts:
'The storyline is a real treat... my jaw dropped when the end game finally unveiled itself'
'A fast paced, shocking novel with a heart-stopping ending'
'Quintin Jardine has the ability to weave a marvellously good story that keeps you page turning long after you should have put the book down'
Edinburgh's hardest cop hunts a serial killer...
The book that launched a legend: Skinner's Rules is the first novel in the bestselling Bob Skinner series by acclaimed author Quintin Jardine. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter James.
'Remarkably assured novel... a tour de force' - New York Times
As head of Edinburgh's CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Skinner has seen it all... but even he is shocked by the savagely mutilated corpse discovered in a dark alleyway. The victim is identified as a successful young lawyer, and the motive for the brutal death remains a mystery. Then further seemingly random killings in the city begin to suggest a vicious serial killer is on the rampage. But when the lawyer's fiancée is also murdered, Skinner realises that someone is in deadly earnest...
What readers are saying about Skinner's Rules:
'Quintin Jardine is by far the best author of crime fiction I have ever read'
'Brilliant book, with strong characters who are likeable and believable. Well worth reading if you like crime thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat'
'Quintin Jardin starts to build the rich character of Bob Skinner from the start, capturing the quintessence of both Edinburgh and a crime investigation... You'll pick it up and not put it down'
Old scores are settled in blood...
A brutal and apparently motiveless murder leads Skinner to suspect his own friends of treachery in Thursday Legends, the gripping crime novel of retribution and ultimate justice from acclaimed writer Quintin Jardine. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.
'This gritty, fast-paced mystery will pin even the most squeamish readers to the page' - Publishers Weekly
For Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner, the Thursday night football game at the local gym has long been an unbroken ritual. With each match the players are a little older, a little slower, but as fiercely competitive as a gang of teenagers. Until the savagely mutilated body of a former player is found, and suddenly the Thursday Legends have more to worry about than aching backs and dodgy knees. Former Head of Special Branch Alec Smith made plenty of enemies during his long career - and there is no shortage of suspects. But as Skinner's investigation gathers pace, everything keeps pointing to the Legends themselves. Is someone targeting this disparate group of colleagues and friends in some bizarre scheme of retribution? Or is the murderer one of them? Either way, the hunt for the killer is going to come uncomfortably close to home...
What readers are saying about Thursday Legends:
'Superb plotting, excellent, believable three-dimensional characterisation and a detective who's just tougher, scarier and more ingenious than the rest - and a flawed family man to boot'
'From the first page till the last it is a very hard book to put down'
'Five stars'
Can Edinburgh's hardest cop stay the course?
Bob Skinner must challenge local beliefs and legends to solve a gruesome murder in Skinner's Round, the fourth instalment in Quintin Jardine's crime series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter May.
'An intriguing look at golf as big business, combined with Jardine's deft plotting and skilful writing, makes this another winning entry in an outstanding police procedural series' - Booklist
A four-day tournament involving the world's leading golfers is being staged to mark the opening of a new country club created on the Marquis of Kinture's East Lothian estate. But on the previous Sunday afternoon, one of Kinture's business partners is found dead in his private jacuzzi in the clubhouse - with his throat cut. The next day an anonymous letter is received by the local newspaper, containing a fragment of a legendary witches' curse upon anyone who desecrates their place of worship. When a second murder occurs, this time by water, ACC Bob Skinner finds himself facing the most challenging case of his career...
What readers are saying about Skinner's Round:
'Absolutely gripping'
'Best Bob Skinner story so far. I was kept gripped to the very end'
'What an ending'