The Bob Skinner Collection


Book Description

Available together for the very first time, these are the first three crime novels in the inimitable Bob Skinner series by Quintin Jardine. Skinner's Rules 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. Further random killings in the city suggest a vicious serial killer is on the rampage. But when the first victim's fiancee is also murdered, Skinner realises that someone is in deadly earnest... Skinner's Festival 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. And he is forced to assemble a crack task force, carry the ball when the government fumbles on the air, and wrestle with the beast within, who emerges with periodic ferocity to foil a clever, greedy scheme involving the crown jewels and Skinner's own daughter. Skinner's Trail First the joyous birth of Skinner's son... Then the grim reality of murder in one of Edinburgh's prosperous suburbs. 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 takes Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner in a new direction, along a tortuous and bloody trail.




Gallery Whispers


Book Description

Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has a lot on his plate. One of the world's most ruthless terrorists is on his way to Edinburgh with only one thing on his mind: the forthcoming conference of world Heads of Government. If Skinner doesn't pick up his trail fast, he could have a global disaster in his backyard. While all eyes are focused on the terrorist threat, a terminally ill woman is found dead - an apparent suicide. But the marks of an assisted death are discovered. Yet this seemingly random death soon proves to be the beginning of an ominous pattern. For Skinner, the desperate race to find a heartless terrorist mixes uneasily with the search for a mercy killer- a search which takes on a poignant personal significance. And it's not long before Skinner himself will be staring death straight in the eye...




The Roots of Evil


Book Description




Stay of Execution


Book Description

Detective Chief Constable Bob Skinner is involved in security for the Pope, but he must find out if there's a connection between the unusual deaths that are happening and the important visit.




Fatal Last Words


Book Description

One of Scotland's most successful crime writers is found dead in the author tent at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Bob Skinner is on the case.




Skinner's Rules


Book Description

The book that launched a legend: the first novel in the acclaimed Bob Skinner series. 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 fiancee is also murdered, Skinner realises that someone is in deadly earnest...




Skinner's Trail


Book Description

Skinner is on the trail of organised crime and a cold-blooded killer in this gripping third novel in Quintin Jardine's bestselling crime series. 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. 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...




Funeral Note


Book Description

The brilliant new Bob Skinner mystery by the master of crime fiction, his most ambitious ever.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 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, Quintin Jardine, the Crimemaster, lays mystery upon mystery 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?




Fallen Gods


Book Description

Can Skinner surmount the greatest challenge of his life... and if he does, will he ever be the same? A thrilling novel in the hugely popular Scottish crime series. When a body is found after a flood, the secrets of a tempestuous life surface with it. Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has kept the existence of his hated brother Michael hidden for years. As he relives their past conflict, other demons threaten his future. For not only are his professional enemies circling, but Sarah, his wife, seems set on a course for calamity. Meanwhile, in an Edinburgh art gallery, his team confront a shocking and very public case of arson. Was it a political protest, or something much deeper?




Skinner's Round


Book Description

Bob Skinner must challenge local beliefs and legends to solve a gruesome murder in this fourth installment in the fantastic Scottish crime series. 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...