A Good and Useful Hurt by Aric Davis

This is an adult mystery/horror story with older teen appeal. The story centers around Mike who is a gifted artist. He practices his art by creating elaborate tattoos. Lately he has been adding ashes of lost love ones to the ink thus making a permanent memorial on the receiver. Mike has tried a few times to start a shop of his own and to work for others. Its only recently that things came together. Now his shop with Lamar as piercer and tattoo artist, himself as special request artist, Becky who does the sterilizing of equipment, the books, the appointments and so on their shop, located in a popular shopping area has a growing reputation. Mike, only a short time ago, lost a girl friend to a drug overdose so he wasn't expecting to fall in love again when strong willed, independent Deb shows up and asks for a job as a special piercer. She does some pretty strange stuff. He does fall in love then loses her to a serial rapist/killer. He is encouraged to make his own memorial tattoo from some of her ashes. He actually single handedly exhumes her, removes a finger, burns it to get the ashes. After he tattoos a small heart in the web of his fingers Deb appears to him in a dream and instructs him to find her killer, with her help. He obtains ashes from all the killer's victims and creates tattoos. They appear separately and collectively in dreams until the killer is identified and justice is served. This killer was very brutal and the way in which justice is served is very graphic and brutal too. Just a warning. There is so much caring and loving among the tattoo shop employees and for Mike. Its easy to like these people, cheer them on and approve of the justice. Reader's who enjoyed Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box will likely enjoy this book too. JDW 7/23