A mummy turns up unexpectedly in the Booth Museum in Brighton, but on further investigation, it becomes apparent that this mummy is not centuries old, but recent. It is a race against time for the police to find the perpetrator before the next victim meets The Embalmer's knife.

When I started reading this book I didn't think I was going to be able to stick with it because it referenced what I assume is a previous book in the series so often that I felt I had no idea what was going on - it was rather like being out with a group of people who are all chatting exclusively about an event that you didn't go to, and wasn't that much fun. It also meant that a good half of the plot - Marni being accused of murdering her partner - I felt like I didn't know what was going on. It turns out it was the third book in the series and I feel very much that this book doesn't work as a standalone for that reason - the investigation into the murder works by itself, but that's only half of the story.

That said, the final quarter of the novel had a really good pace and the eventual confrontation with the murderer was really quite exciting and made up for the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

As so many people I have a thing for Egypt and its history. So when the author describes how ‘the embalmer’ goes to work, I can see it in front of my eyes due to all the wonderful documentaries on NatGeo. It is quite grisly. But, after reading about a killer in Her Last Breath by the same author, who flayed his victims alive, maybe not so grisly because this time the victims at least are dead when he sets to work.
I had a nice few days reading all three books in this series. Although the stories of all characters are nicely rounded up, I have some hope there will be more books in this series. I still have a feeling I want to learn more about them. Francis is quietly becoming better and better in following his heart, both in his job as in his personal life. Marni and Alex are safe after some gruesome experiences. We still don’t know a lot about Robin, Francis’ sister and some of the colleagues of Francis that may or may not like him. Yes, there must be more and I would love reading it because the author has a nice flowing style that keeps you reading.
As in the two previous books, the killer is very hard to find, not only for the police but also for the reader because the clues are not easily found but cleverly hidden. There is witty dialogue and some really exciting scenes with some good surprises.
I’m happy to have found this author and I hope to read more of her in the near future.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

A dark and gripping police procedural. The third in the Tattoo Thief series featuring DI Francis Sullivan and tattoo artist Marni Mullins. This time we have two killers in Brighton. First, the Embalmer who has left a mummified body in the local museum. The second, Paul Mullins, twin brother and killer of Marni's husband. For pace and peril, this thriller is hard to beat.

The Embalmer is the third book in Alison Belsham’s Tattoo Thief series. I must admit I chose to read this book pretty much solely based on the cover so initially I wasn’t aware that this was part of a series, let alone the final book in a trilogy. However, from the first few chapters it is clear that these are returning characters with a lot of history and a quick check shows that the story here follows that of The Tattoo Thief and Her Last Breath.

Any struggles I had keeping up with the links between the characters to begin with were quickly forgotten by just how intrigued I was by the creepy opening chapter and the twisted acts of the serial killer. Yes it was a bit jarring at first knowing I was missing out on some details but this was at no fault of the writing or the story itself as both were extremely fascinating and had this book lingering on my mind whenever I wasn’t reading it, so much so I got the novel confused with a crime series I had been watching on TV around the same time as I was picturing this book playing out in my head so much I actually thought I had been watching it. The Embalmer could be read as a standalone but really I would recommend starting from the first book in the series to get the full experience. It was seriously gripping and had me eager to read more from this author.

In the Embalmer, the series returns to the character of detective Francis Sullivan who receives a call out to Brighton’s Natural History Museum where he is presented with a freshly mummified body. The findings were enough to send a shiver down my spine and whilst the first victim’s fate was gruesome enough, things only got more disturbing with more jars of body parts leading to a truly edge-of-your-seat race against time to stop yet another life being taken.

The Embalmer also continued the story of Marni Mullins, who is caught in the middle of a battle between her ex-husband Thierry and his brother Paul, resulting in one of them losing their life and Marni being charged with their murder. It was evident Marni had been a vital character in previous books so it took me a little bit of time to get up to speed with her backstory, but I found it didn’t take too long before the author had me sympathising with her and rooting for things to work out for her.

Both threads to the story here intertwine satisfyingly, as Marni’s fate became just as important as the battle to put an end to the serial killer was. Each part of the book had good pace to it, enough to drag the reader in whilst catching them off guard with another sinister twist.

Sullivan’s character was perfect for a top crime series. He is flawed but also respected. He invests heavily in his cases but is good at his job. The strong characterisation of the detective made this book all the more engrossing but truthfully I found everything about this book had me engrossed. The Embalmer was bursting with originality and had a lingering graphic, gory edge to it that was truly compelling. Fast-paced and atmospheric, this was one eerie book that I won’t be forgetting in a hurry.

I'm late with this review so will head right over to Amazon etc. Thank you. Excellent, very enjoyable read.

Guys this is not for the faint hearted, from the opening chapters it is graphic, brutal, we know what embalming is and we get an insight into what the killer does to his victims. He isn't called the embalmer for nothing and soon a body, mummified, turns up and the police investigate, hello Detective Francis Sullivan. If you have read the previous books in the series you will be familiar with Francis and Marnie - it is totally complicated.

Marnie, poor Marnie cannot catch a break. Every book she ends up involved in what is happening she also has a bit of a history with our Francis so there is tons of threads to the story, if you haven't read the previous you can get away with this one but I would go back.

The bad guy is icky, brutal - in what he does to his victims and his disregard for them, Belsham doesn't hold back in describing what happens so not for the faint hearted. With mummification there is nods and links to Egyptian mythology which I found really interesting as I do like that kind of stuff yet never seem to get round to reading it. Police investigation, gruesome murders, friction between Francis, his colleagues, Marnie, his family. There is a lot going on but you can follow it easily enough, nothing distracts away from the threads and you are pulled in quite quickly. I have read the previous books and very much look forward to the next in the series, maybe not be eating noodles next time just incase, boke, 4/5 for me this time.

This book is BRILLIANT.

It takes the previous 2 novels in the series, builds upon the relationships created in them and moves them forward with a natural fluidity that makes for a very visual, almost cinematic reading experience.

This time around,the police team are trying to recover themselves following the shocking conclusion of 'Her Last Breath', a new team member is introduced (Gavin) and a highly unusual crime scene discovered...

At the Brighton Museum of Natural History-a very loose translation of the word  'museum', a glass display case with two sea eagles in it is found to have been emptied overnight and replaced with a new exhibit, a freshly emblamed mummy, surrounded by canopic jars.

Rose, the local pathologist, initially dismisses this as following in the footsteps of the latest 'craze', mummified cat organs (why, just....why?!!!) but on closer inspection, this is a body which has not only been embalmed according to Egyptian tradition, but also had been held somewhere for 40 days to allow for the process to take full effect.

Meanwhile, tattooist Marni Mullins, who has helped Detective Francis Sullivan with his previous two cases, has been arrested following the brutal death of her husband. Fran has blurred the lines between personal and professional with Marni so has to watch from the sidelines, convinced that Marni is innocent, but how can he prove it?

And with more jars arriving at the local newspaper office, and dead bodies turning up, Fran and his team may have met their most devious and twisted criminal mind yet...

It is a brutally faced paced story which relies on the reader to pay close attention to what is going on, the chapters revolve between Fran, Marni and the Embalmer himself, giving you an insight into where his psychology lies. He is someone aspiring to immortality via the sacrifices required to the gods he believes in, in return for the abuse and degradation he has experienced throughout his younger years, taking a 'god complex' to literal new heights. This enhances the race against time aspect of the chase to bring him to ground, you have this unique insight and are just on the edge of your seat waiting for the clues to be picked up by Fran, Angie, Gavin and Rose.

The dynamics between the police are so interesting, the way that you approach such a highly skilled, professional role without letting it spill over into your personal life is so well described. And the tattoo aspect is pure genius, the way that something which is often taken as a negative, something that marks a person out for a choice they made to write their journey on their skin (often seen as a way of distancing the self from others, and looked down upon) is elevated and seen as worthy.

It all combines to create a deliciously dark atmosphere, once again set in Brighton which is so well described over the series that I feel like I have been there, and once more Alison  peels back the veneer of what is commonly assumed to be a millionaires beach front playground, to reveal the stained and dirty underbelly which exists beneath the postcard perfect surface.

Still wish you here?

Although the premise and setting of the book were engaging, and the writing easy to function with, there were many historical errors within the Egyptology side of the book. This was disappointing as it was one of the things that most drew me to the book in the first place.

When a freshly-mummified body is discovered at the Brighton Museum of Natural History, Detective Francis Sullivan is at a loss to identify the desiccated woman. But as Egyptian burial jars of body parts with cryptic messages attached start appearing, he realises he has a serial killer on his hands.
This is the third instalment of the ‘Tattoo Thief’ series, one I was not aware of when I requested the book and there are lots of little references throughout the book and some of the character relationships seemed to have built up across the series, so I did feel like I was missing out on some things. That being said, I still enjoyed the story for the most part, but I think I would have been more invested in one particular storyline had I read the previous two stories.
Written from different character POV from the detectives on the case and the killer themselves, it was a great way to see the case progress. I really enjoyed the serial killer storyline with the intriguing clues being left in canopic jars for Sullivan was a nice touch that kept me guessing.
The close of the book was exciting and had me swept up with the closing of the cases, definitely a ‘one more chapter’ situation as I had to know who the killer was and why! Some really likeable characters, Gavin was my favourite by far; a nice young happily married gay cop who even turned up to a crime scene straight from clubbing, he was really fun. I would like to read the first two and find out more about some of the main characters and learn more about their journeys.
Overall, a really nice crime novel with a few twists and a fast moving ending, a great read for thriller and police procedural fans, just make sure you read the whole series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5

This is the third book in the Tattoo Thief series featuring DI Frances Sullivan and tattoo artist, Marnie Mullins. I hadn’t read the previous books and found this a bit of a difficult read not knowing the background. A newly mummified body and a jar containing embalmed body parts plus a hieroglyphic scroll, have mysteriously turned up at Brighton’s Natural History Museum. DI Sullivan is assigned to the case but as he struggles to identify the body and body parts, more body parts are found and he realises that there is a serial killer on the loose. At the time time, Marnie, who is an old friend and lover, is accused of stabbing her ex husband but she is adamant that the killer was his twin brother, but he is supposed to be dead. Can Sullivan help prove her innocence while at the same time his own life seems to be in danger from the serial killer, nicknamed The Embalmer. This was a good, gripping and fast paced read but I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books first.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

One morning a brand new mummy was discovered where there ought to have been a bird display in a Brighton museum. Well that description definitely sparked my interest right away! What I didn’t know though that this is the 3rd in a series which explains why some of it didn’t make much sense. I’m the sort of person who has to read books like this in numerical order anyway. This will appeal to anyone who as already read the other two.

I have not read the other books in this series, so I struggled to keep up with the story, and there are a lot of characters.

Nathan works at a museum, and one morning he comes to work to find a mummy, who was never there before. Yes, this is creepy, if you can keep up! Maybe it's easier to understand when you've read the previous 2 books!

I had high expectations for this book because I found the blurb fascinating.
Even if I liked the main story I wasn't interested the subplot and found the characters not very likable.
I assume that this is caused by the fact this is a book in a series and you can surely enjoy it if read the previous installment.
Not my cup of tea but I'm surely it will be appreciated by other people.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What I love about this series is that you are always guaranteed to have a story which is not only completely gripping and entertaining, but you. are treated to completely original murders that border on the macabre without needing to resort to being overly gratuitous. Don't get me wrong, there is no denying that very dark and twisted nature of the killer in this particular story, but we are not forced to live through the violence, more to sit in shock at the audacity of the killer when presented with the results of their kill. There is a definite tendency towards the theatrical, the spectacle of how they leave their victims and the nature of what they do, but also the knowledge, from very early on, that this is also a very personal crusade.

I always wonder just how Alison Belsham will top the book before when she starts to write. Each one has been unique, inventive, dark and so jam packed with tension and compelling storytelling that i find myself racing through them in a matter of hours, never any question that I am going to walk away and do something else in between times. This time around our killer has an obsession with ancient Egypt, and their ideas of both life and chaos, presenting his first kill as a fully mummified body, taking readers through the absolute artistry of the preparation as a means to ease us in to the action. From here on in the kills escalate, less theatrical in presentation but no less shocking in execution or final result. there is a clear message being given, one which readers may be able to decipher far quicker than the police, treated as we are to the killers perspective, but it makes the story no less exciting as we power towards a very tense and action filled showdown.

It's not only the eponymous Embalmer who raises the tension this time around, things looking pretty bleak for Marni this time around as the tension between her, her husband Thierry and this brother, Paul, reaches a very dramatic and tragic conclusion. I love that this series brings the personal lives of Marni and sullivan front and centre every bit as much as the central investigation, the chemistry and friendship between the pair undeniable, even if circumstances dictate it is never quite their time. The whole side story adds pace and jeopardy to an already intense story, but just made me turn the pages even faster, whilst bringing that chapter of Marni's ife to a head.

It's clear that the story marks a turning point in the series and I'll be intrigued to see where the author takes it next, whenever that might be. I've really enjoyed getting to know Marni and Sullivan, and love the dark nature of the stories that Alison Belsham serves us. Another intense and inventive offering and definitely recommended.

The Embalmer follows DI Francis Sullivan and his colleagues as they solve another murder case. The case started when a mummified body was found in a museum at Brighton, perfectly preserved and similar to the ancient ritual of mummification. The case develops when another body turns up with dead, and the killer begins to leave messages targeted to Sullivan. The investigation of the mummification case isn't the only case bothering DI Sullivan, as his lover Marni was accused of murdering her husband, Thierry, and he's determined to protect her from the actual murderer.

This is the third book in the series, and this was something I did not know when I requested the book. While this can be read as a standalone, its connection to the previous two books are very rooted. If you choose to read this book first, know that it does have spoilers for the first two books.

This was a fast read. The two cases involved are both prominent in DI Sullivan's life, so both were given equal attention to. Because both narratives were narrated side by side, it lacked that intense atmosphere that are usually present in crime books. DI Sullivan turns out to be a narrator of events that already transpired, as it was mostly the other people around him doing the detective work. I think the book would have had a better tone if the murder of Thierry Mullins took a step back, only because the book was marketed to focus on the mummification and the Egyptian rituals. The events surrounding Thierry and the connection of Marni's family to Sullivan in this novel (and in the first two books) make it seem that the author is pushing all of these connections together to give Sullivan a troubled character arc. However I don't think it helps the character in any way: he's too preoccupied to do his work, and he's not really much help in Thierry Mullins' case because he couldn't be seen to aid Marni because that would constitute intervention and he was considered a witness.

The story is also told through the perspectives of DI Sullivan's colleagues, but this doesn't help the mummification side of the murder because none seem to offer real insight apart from what they were instructed to. Their perspectives seem to pave way as transition to the story. However, the perspectives used in the other murder case is beneficial for their story arc because it's the only way it keeps on moving, especially since one of the perspectives does most of the leg work.

This was an entertaining book to read, albeit not as twisty as crime books usually are. My favorite characters are Rose (the forensic specialist) and Gavin (the new DC in Sullivan's team). It's not a perfect book, but I still found it enjoyable.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

*I requested a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*

#TheEmbalmer #NetGalley This is the third book in the Tattoo Thief Trilogy and whilst it is perfectly capable of being read as a standalone, it does help to understand the relationships between Francis and Marnie and Paul and Thierry. Fast paced and gritty, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat as Francis races against time to solve two crimes. Plenty of action which I love in a crime thriller. There was some unfished business with DCI Bradshaw at the end of the book and although this is the end of the trilogy, I do hope that we see DI Francis Sullivan again in the future! A well deserved 5 stars.

I loved this read, especially the references to ancient Egyptian rituals and mythology! I've always been intrigued by mythology an all the different gods and believes so this was right up my alley. I also have some good info on how to mummify a body if I need to!

A mummy is found at a museum. The only problem is the fact that it doesn't belong there and also that it is not ancient. Who knew it only took 40 days to mummify a body! Who is this woman and why is her whole body covered in tattoos? Then a jar with some gruesome content is found. This will not be the only 1. Detective Francis Sullivan is tasked to figure it out.
The second storyline sees a murder en someone close to Francis being jailed innocently for the murder of her husband. Will Francis be able to juggle all the balls at the same time and will he be able to stop the serial killer who's endgame is..... Francis.....

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Alison Belsham gives us the third and final part of her Tattoo Thief trilogy, it continues with the reputation for grisly horror that she has established with her two previous books, based in Brighton. Her central protagonist who she has really put through the mill is a man with his own demons, DI Francis Sullivan, returning still in the position of having to prove himself and under constant pressure, with a police team that includes the still resentful DS Rory Mackay, new team member DC Gavin Albright and his odious boss, DCI Martin Bradshaw, a man that cannot be relied to be supportive. Sullivan is met by Nathan Cox at the Brighton Museum of National History where a museum exhibit of sea eagles has been replaced by a recent fresh mummified body tableau, with canopic jars of removed embalmed body parts.

It turns out not to be any kind of prank, but the beginning of a gruesome and dangerous police investigation. With the public living under fear, there are further murders with cryptic notes by a serial killer obsessed with Ancient Egypt and practices from that era, such as the burial jars, a killer given a voice interspersed in the narrative. Sullivan struggles to make any progress in the case, trying to find out what connects the victims, and identifying the serial killer. Additionally, he finds himself caught in what is happening to tattoo artist Marni Mullin facing her own troubles, trauma and grief, with DS Rory Mackay determined to charge her with the murder of Thierry Mullin. Marni claims she is innocent, that Thierry was killed by his evil twin brother, Paul, and her son, Alex, and Sullivan believe her, but Sullivan's relationship with her precludes him from getting involved in the police inquiry.

Belsham continues with her edgy and gritty crime stories here in this claustrophobic, terrifying and atmospheric tale of revenge, ancient Egypt, and obsession that culminates in a thrilling finale. I would recommend reading the previous books before reading this one, firstly, because it allows you to understand the characters of Francis and Marni and how their relationship develops, and secondly, because there are numerous references to what has happened in the past in this novel. This is an engaging and intense crime read that will appeal to those who enjoy their crime reads on the dark, creepy and offbeat side. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

Brilliant. Gripped the whole way through. Very cleverly written story with plenty of action and suspense. Love the characters. Hope there are more books to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

4.5*
gore score 3.5/5
#3 in the series with Detective Francis Sullivan. A new author to me.
There are frequent references to events from the previous cases in the trilogy so it would be best to read the books in order.
Frank has both personal and professional problems to deal with in this book. His friend is accused of murder and a mummifieud body is found in a museum and cryptic notes are left.
I loved the unique storyline with the Egyptology theme. It’s dark, it’s gritty and it’s captivating.
It’s fast paced and full of gritty descriptions of the murders. Grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept it throughout. There are lots of twists and turns.
It has left me wanting to read the other books in the trilogy.