Skin Deep - by Sung J Woo (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this witty and endearing PI series, rookie detective Siobhan O'Brien investigates the secrets of a secluded New York college in a search for her friend's missing daughter.

Korean-American adoptee Siobhan O'Brien has spent much of her life explaining her name and her family to strangers, but her more pressing problem is whether to carry on the PI agency that her dead boss unexpectedly left to her. Easing into middle age, Siobhan would generally rather have a donut than a romance, but when an old friend and asks Siobhan to find her daughter who has disappeared from her dorm room, the rookie private detective's search begins in Llewellyn College.

A private institution of higher learning in upstate New York, Llewellyn, for the first time in its two- hundred-year history, has opened its doors to men, causing a clash between the female students and their former fashion-model president. The financial reasons prompting the change seem like a ruse when fringe- group The Womyn of Llewellyn, aided by Siobhan, discover a newly built science center, which is under 24- hour surveillance.

As Siobhan delves deeper into locating the missing girl and campus politics, she encounters vegan cooking that just might kill her, possibly deadly yoga poses, and politely dangerous billionaires.

Review Quotes

"With just the right mix of clever twists, endearing charm, looming threats, and contemporary issues, Woo debuts quite the absorbing new mystery series."
- Library Journal, Starred Review

"This winning series launch from Woo... perceptively explores the theme of image and personal identity throughout. Readers will look forward to seeing more of the beguiling Siobhan."
- Publishers Weekly

"A heroine who's by turns wide-eyed, gravely amused, susceptible, and plenty cool enough for an encore."
- Kirkus Reviews

"This first in a series holds promise, given Woo's punchy prose style [and] diverse milieu. A series to watch."
- Booklist

"A diverse cast replete with vividly sketched characters - the majority of them female - elevate this fun take on the classic PI novel. Kinsey Millhone fans, this one's for you."
- Mystery Scene

"An energetic romp with a sneakily sinister side, Skin Deep follows charming reluctant private eye Siobhan O'Brien onto a college campus and a spiritual retreat teeming with shady secrets."
- Steph Cha, Award-Winning Author of Your House Will Pay

"Skin Deep reads like a fast-paced, light mystery - all the while it explores thought-provoking themes of cultural, societal, and familial obligations, and the complicated power dynamics therein. With Siobhan O'Brien, Woo creates an intriguing series anchor whom we can delight in watching climb a steep PI learning curve with wit, intelligence, and brave resourcefulness. Siobhan is a wonderful addition to a beautiful tradition and I'm excited to read more of her adventures."
- S.G. Wong, Award-Nominated Author of The Lola Starke series

"Siobhan O'Brien (black haired Asian adopted by an American Irish father and Nordic mother) perfectly fits the spunky independent investigator gap left by Kinsey Millhone. I love how she delivers lines like, 'Surveillance makes the tummy grow fonder - for food, that is, ' in this funny, entertaining mystery that hits all my favourite buttons."
- Ovidia Yu, Author of Aunty Lee Mystery and The Crown Colony series

"PI Siobhan O'Brien, a Korean-American adoptee who finds herself unexpectedly the sole proprietor of a PI firm, is a welcome addition to the genre. She's smart, brave, funny, and dog-with-a-bone determined. Skin Deep gives her an intriguing case and surrounds her with wonderful characters. I hope to see much more of Siobhan O'Brien in the future."
- SJ Rozan, best-selling author of Paper Son

"Sung Woo skillfully navigates the world of identity and family through this amazing detective novel. Woo's story brims with wit, and his PI, Siobhan O'Brien, rings with jaded authenticity."
- Ed Lin, author of Ghost Month and 99 Ways to Die

About the Author

Sung J. Woo's short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, PEN/Guernica, Financial Times, and Vox. He has written five novels, Lines, Deep Roots, Skin Deep, Love Love, and Everything Asian, which won the 2010 Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Literature Award. In 2022, his Modern Love essay from The New York Times was adapted by Amazon Studios for episodic television.