Rating: 
Summary: This certainly got under my skin...
Review: After I read her "Red Room" and liked it so very much, I decided to check out other books of hers on Amazon.com I was unsure about the subject matter and/or direction on most of them...and then I came across this one. I was right. It is the story of three women who are stalked by the same very mysterious stranger, and is told in each of their voices as they struggle to understand why they have been chosen. Ms. French gives each of these women a completely unique and separate voice and creates detailed characteristics that are true for each. It is a chilling and compelling book where you slowly comprehend and after initial disbelief, the hair on the back of your neck starts to rise. And she doesn't cheat - all of the clues are there for you to see, but you end up making the same mistakes as the three women. Terrific read.
Rating:
Summary: Far from superficial
Review: Based on all the positive reviews, I had to find out how much of the hype surrounding the latest husband & wife crime writer pair was true. The answer: quite a bit of it. This book contains three first person accounts of three female victims of a serial killer. Nicci & French do a great job in bringing these three very different personalities alive and to allow you a view beneath their skin while the psychological torment of the serial stalker starts to smash their lives to pieces. In addition, the book has an imaginative plot structure. While knowingly undermining the suspense about halfway through the book, the writers keep the story captivating until the very end. Spooky, smart and often very funny. For once, believe all the hype!
Rating: 
Summary: Chillingly good
Review: Before you begin reading Beneath the Skin make sure you're not about to be disturbed. After you've begun this novel, you won't leave it until the final page has been turned and it'll be a long while before the chills down the back of your spine have gone. That description probably sounds like an over-exaggeration but in all honesty this book is the sort that cannot be put down without an exceptionally good reason. Three women (Zo?, Nadia and Jenny) are systematically stalked, subjected to a sinister campaign of terror and have their homes violated by a single, unseen man. The novel is split into three sections each dealing with the plight of one woman and how the police, despite their best efforts, always seem to be one step behind. To heighten the tension, the stalker sends his victims a series of notes, telling them they are going to be killed in due course, the reader then witnesses their realisation that this is not a prank and the horrifying moment of truth when they confront their nemesis.Beneath the Skin does exactly what the title promises, leaves you looking over your shoulder and reminds us that the reality of stalkers is that they could be anyone, anywhere. It is truly unsettling and, from a personal perspective, is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read.
Rating:
Summary: Scary from Start to Finish
Review: Husband-and-wife team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French have outdone themselves in this really scary psychological thriller, which gives a whole new dimension to the crime of stalking. As we follow three seemingly disparate women, each of whom is taunted by a sexually sadistic letter-writer, we begin to almost literally crawl beneath THEIR skin. We feel their initial annoyance, their reluctant acceptance that they have some kind of problem--and eventually, their bone-melting terror. The novel works on several levels, as the authors carefully and concisely unravel the plot in the same way that the stalker psychologically unravels his victims. Our emotions are torn between disgust and anger at the inept police, to pity for the women, to almost unbearable suspense. This is the book you can't put down...the one you read until your eyes scream for mercy. The authors' previous book, "Killing Me Softly," was a superb thriller; this one is better. And one of the things that makes it so is the lack of hyperbole. They write in such a carefully controlled way that it only serves to heighten the already unbearable suspense. Only once do they indulge themselves, in what has to be a self-mocking tribute to the 40s and 50s crime genre: "The heat was like a big old fat smelly mangy greasy farty dying dog..." That sentence is on page one, and made me laugh out loud. It was the last time I laughed...and the last time I could put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Up All Night Beneath the Covers
Review: I have been a fan of Nicci French's since reading last year's "Killing Me Softly", and was wondering how the author could top herself. "Killing Me Softly" was a chilling exploration of sexual obsession, and was one of my favorite reads of 1999. Nicci French's new novel, "Beneath the Skin", is even better. The new novel deals with three individual women who are threatened by a faceless killer who sends each woman "love letters" which grow progressively more menacing. Miss French tightens the suspense with each chapter, until you find yourself bleary-eyed after staying up all night to finish this exquisite page turner. Each section of the book is devoted to one of each of the 3 women. Miss French develops each character flawlessly, until the reader feels as if he has known these troubled women all of their life. I fell in love with each of these strong, female characters, and actually cared deepy what would happen to each one. Some readers have complained that Miss French reveals the killer at the end of the second section of the book... however, there is one additional shock that Miss French saves for the last chapter. This novel is thoroughly engaging, and will definitely make my top 10 list for 2000.
Rating:
Summary: Good Characterizations
Review: I just finished this novel. I liked the fresh character viewpoints. The women being stalked seemed like they could be real people. A whole new angle to figuring out an author's plot. I think the serial killer was identified too quickly in the story. The author does keep you guessing, but to a point. I would recommend this book and probly read more by the author.
Rating:
Summary: Good Characterizations
Review: I just finished this novel. I liked the fresh character viewpoints. The women being stalked seemed like they could be real people. A whole new angle to figuring out an author's plot. I think the serial killer was identified too quickly in the story. The author does keep you guessing, but to a point. I would recommend this book and probly read more by the author.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and haunting -- an incredible thriller!
Review: I marvel at Nicci French's attention to detail and ability to write a great thriller. I have read Killing Me Softly -- one of my favorite thrillers -- and she has managed to awe me again with Beneath the Skin. This is the story of Zoe, Jennifer and Nadia. Three women who have only one thing in common: they are targeted by a sadistic and very clever killer. He sends them "love" letters in which he explains in gruesome detail what he would like to do with them. He inflicts fear and emotional distress on his victims and enjoys it. What will happen to these women? And will the police be of any help? More importantly, who is the killer? Of course, everyone is a suspect. What struck me most when reading this book was the fact that the story was told from the victims' point of view. You can feel the fear, confusion, anger and hopelessness that the female characters go through -- so much better than third person narration. What an amazing book! I still can't get it out of my mind. Nicci French is an amazing storyteller. I look forward to reading her other books. I don't think I have to tell you that you should read this book, do I?:)
Rating: 
Summary: Lost it's spark mid-way, didn't finish.
Review: I ordered this book from BOMC thinking it would be interesting. About halfway, when I looked at the book picking it up and resuming my reading of it was a question. It was just getting dull and I decided not to finish it. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Rating:
Summary: Great starting point with Nicci French.
Review: Nicci French, Beneath the Skin (1999, Warner) Think of Nicci French as the darker, rougher side of Judith Michael--a collaboration between two folks, one male, one female, on some very nasty mysteries. In this case, the main character (though he gets relatively little screen time) is a serial killer who enjoys stalking his victims, leaving them love notes, outwitting the police, that sort of thing. Your typical above-average-intelligence serial killer. We see him, and the police trying to catch him, through the eyes of three of the women he stalks. It's a clever conceit, and it's pulled off quite nicely here. The use of different first-person narrators gives more insight (especially into some of the minor characters) than one normally gets in books of this type. Add in a clever twist at the end (predictable, but still clever), and you've got a bang-up novel. I'll be reading more of Nicci French in the future. ****
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