• The Skin Gods

  • A Novel of Suspense
  • By: Richard Montanari
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (558 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Skin Gods  By  cover art

The Skin Gods

By: Richard Montanari
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.57

Buy for $20.57

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

It is the steaming heart of summer in the City of Brotherly Love. Back on the force after taking a bullet during the arrest of a sadistic murderer, Detective Kevin Byrne warily returns to police headquarters. He cannot shake the memory of the Rosary Killer's innocent victims or his growing sense that the evil has not been vanquished. And when he and his partner, Detective Jessica Balzano, are called in on a bizarre case, Byrne's gravest suspicions are confirmed.

A madman, dubbed The Actor by the homicide unit, is meticulously recreating Hollywood's most famous, and most gruesome, death scenes. The first murder is caught on film, spliced into a rented VHS edition of the Hitchcock black-and-white masterpiece Psycho. But in place of Janet Leigh is a real-life woman, and this time, the blood is red and the knife is real. Soon, more thrilling classics are turned into terrifying snuff films and placed on video store shelves for an unsuspecting public to find.

The key to this horrific puzzle could lie with any of The Skin Gods' supporting cast: the A-list Hollywood director; the ruthless executive assistant; the convicted mass murderer; or perhaps someone else who has made a sinister art of gruesome violence.

Hot on the psychopath's trail, Balzano and Byrne descend into the mouth of madness and beyond, deep into the depraved underworld of S&M clubs and the porn industry, where the worship of flesh leads to malevolent evil. Before the final credits roll, the investigators will discover that none of The Actor's victims are as innocent as they appear to be, and that the clue the police need to prevent future murders might be found in Detective Byrne's own dark past.

©2006 Richard Montanari (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"A grisly, atmospheric thriller." (Publishers Weekly)
"The Skin Gods is perfect for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted thriller." (Booklist)

What listeners say about The Skin Gods

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    265
  • 4 Stars
    181
  • 3 Stars
    77
  • 2 Stars
    22
  • 1 Stars
    13
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    263
  • 4 Stars
    102
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    197
  • 4 Stars
    135
  • 3 Stars
    49
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Ok...he got me!

In reading the reviews, I was hesitant to buy this book as I was afraid I would be disappointed, but I decided to buy this book for three reasons.
1.) I liked the characters from the first book and I just wanted to spend some time with them again.
2.) Living in and around the Philly area for my whole life, I love this city, and I really like how the author makes the city another character in this book.
3.) Most important! It is read by Scott Brick and his interpretation (at least for me)could turn the phone book into a thriller! :)

Anyway, the point of all this, is that I did enjoy it. The outcome is somewhat predictable if you listen to a lot of thrillers, but not totally.
I hate to admit this to all my fellow audible readers, because my "Sherlock Skills" are generally accurate, but I think, because I wasn't expecting too much, I fell right into the trap he laid! I couldn't believe he got me!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Editing please?

I really liked the story and Scott Brick is a stellar storyteller, but the editing seemed a bit off. The chapters were randomly repeated and even several sentences were repeated twice in a row. I thought maybe I had accidentally tapped on something and went back a few chapters but no, I double checked, everything is scrambled. Is there such a thing as a bad download?
I had a bit of trouble keeping track of the characters, there seemed to be too many. In spite of all that, I really enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not produced right, skipping between chapters

Although a good story, it skips between chapters repeats several times. The book ends with two hours left. Starts over somewhere halfway..... Impossible to truly understand the storyline

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book!

This is the second book that I have listened to by this author and it will keep you guessing until the very end. The narrator is wonderful and the story draws you in. You will never want to turn it off.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Niks sdog

A serial killer and a disillusioned cop. This could have dropped into a predictable formula, but the author injects some complexity with a liberal sprinkling of red herrings. Perhaps the author tries a little too hard, as the storyline got a little confusing at times, and a few loose ends remained unresolved. Scott Brick does his usual first-class narrative. Not only would he turn a phone book into a thriller, but he'd make you rush out to buy the next edition!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Love Scott Brick

I agree with the reviewer that said that Scott Brick could turn a phone book into a thriller. He is an amazing narrator. I did like this book. It was a good thriller, a bit predictable at times, but still a great book.It was fast paced and kept me wanting more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Lukewarm

Having read the previous book, by this author, I was looking forward to another "can't stop listening" experience. Didn't happen. Way to many "unbelievable" events. It became tiresome and predictable which took the excitement out of the book and the ending.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This is much better

We reported this recording as needing some editing due to repeating sections of the book. We then received an email stating it had been corrected. This was mostly true. It still contains a couple of repeated sections but not entire chapters. This is great service.

As far as the story goes it is another masterpiece narrated by Scott Brick. Man can this guy perform or what?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, bad editing

This was really good, but the recording needs to be edited....severl chapters repeat and the several chapters are repeated after the epilogue.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audiobook poorly produced

While the story is compelling and enthralling the production of this audiobook has resulted in chapters that repeat and break the continuity of the story. Disappointed!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful