AN ARMY OF SKIN by Morgan K Tanner

After losing his mother to a brain tumour, Trevor King feels totally alone in the world. Someone needs to pay for her death and Dr Mellick, Trevor's work colleague and family GP, is the man he holds responsible. Trevor's yearning for vengeance leads him to concoct a vicious plot to frame the doctor for multiple murders. Trevor skins the corpses, turning them into elaborate art pieces after being inspired by a mysterious textbook. But as the skins of the flayed victims come to life and continue the killings for him, Trevor wonders whether he is in too deep.When Dr Mellick goes missing Trevor becomes convinced the doctor is planning a similar scheme to bring him down.But as Trevor discovers the truth of his mother's death and his own life, this murderous path becomes more of a calling.

I received an eARC of this novella from the author, and really didn't know much about the story. But the cover was cool and the blurb sounded interesting, so I gave it a go. 

Trevor King works in a doctor's surgery. It's where the man he hates the most also works. Actually, Dr. Mellick is the one who gave him the job. But Trevor doesn't feel an ounce of gratitude towards this man because Trevor blames his GP for his mother's painful death.

So he hatches a macabre plan to get revenge on Dr. Mellick. A sick plan that'll involve getting his hands dirty and very, very bloody. It might even force him to lose his mind along the way. Or find himself...

I really enjoyed this well-crafted novella. It's well written, visceral in its descriptions, full of surprises, and has a surreal, nightmarish feel that kept me wondering about what was real and what was delusion all the way through.

Add a narrator, who at first appears to be a misunderstood guy pushed into violence by circumstance and grief, but might be slowly deteriorating into a monster. Or he could be a delusional man who imagines some pretty wicked stuff. Maybe he's just a psycho killer?

Either way, he's obsessed. With the helpful doctor, with his dead mother, with the awful textbook full of gross artwork pieces made out of corpses. With pretty much everything.

Hell, he even becomes consumed with the skin bodies of his victims. Yeah, Trevor has a few issues and a bunch of problems, but his tale was so addictive I followed him all the way to the shocking end. 😲

An Army of Skin is brutal, bloody and totally twisted. Plus, it's a lot of gross fun! It didn't take long for this gory tale to quickly sink its claws into my skin (pardon the pun). I couldn't put it down. I really liked how everything escalated, the story pace and how it all turned out. Twisty turns are some of my favourite endings. Even if I really should've seen this one coming.

I was totally in the mood for a story like this. The violence is balanced out with the character's motivations. And his motivations definitely lead him down a one-way lane into madness.

Lastly, I'd like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book!