Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.

Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.

Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!

Title: Dreadful Skin
Author: Cherie Priest
Published: 2007
Length: 184 pages

What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):

I ducked into a niche between a cabin and the pilot house and hiked my skirt up enough to reach down into my garter holster. I’ve heard it said that God made all men, but Samuel Colt made all men equal. We’d see what Mr. Colt could do for a woman.

* * * * *

Jack Gabert went to India to serve his Queen. He returned to London a violently changed man, infected with an unnatural sickness that altered his body and warped his mind.

Eileen Callaghan left an Irish convent with a revolver and a secret. She knows everything and nothing about Jack’s curse, but she cannot rest until he’s caught. His soul cannot be saved. It can only be returned to God.

In the years following the American Civil War, the nun and unnatural creature stalk one another across the United States. Their dangerous game of cat and mouse leads them along great rivers, across dusty plains, and into the no man’s land of the unmarked western territories.

Here are three tales of the hunt. Reader, take this volume and follow these tormented souls. Learn what you can from their struggle against each other, against God, and against themselves.

How and when I got it:

According to my Amazon records, I bought the Kindle edition of this book in 2011. (Interestingly, while I still see a physical version available to purchase, a Kindle edition does not appear to be available any longer.)

Why I want to read it:

I think — ??? — this is supposed to be a werewolf story. At least, that’s what I seem to remember hearing about it when I first picked up a copy 10 years ago! I’m always up for a good supernatural-infused Western, and this sounds weird and offbeat enough to appeal to me.

I know I got Dreadful Skin soon after reading Boneshaker, when I was itching to read more by Cherie Priest. And while I didn’t continue with that particular series, I’ve read a handful of her books over the years. She’s such a talented writer and writes on so many different themes. I don’t always love every single one of her books, but I can say that I’ve never been bored with the ones I’ve read!

What do you think? Would you read this book? Have you read any other books by Cherie Priest that you’d recommend?

Please share your thoughts!

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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:

• Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
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Have fun!

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