Skin Deep is a funny and quirky twist on the typical cozy mystery novel with surreal plot twists. Siobhan O'Brien, a woman of Korean descent adopted by parents who are Irish and Norwegian, inherits her boss's private detective agency after she finds him deceased (from natural causes) at his desk. The agency is in deep financial trouble yet as soon as she decides to keep the doors open, Josie, the younger sister of a fellow Korean adoptee friend of hers, (who died years previously- and her sister is not Korean which is relevant to the plot) contacts her for help finding her missing daughter, Penny.

The search for the missing daughter begins with lies and omissions from Josie and Siobhan soon finds that Penny's life in college is not at all what it seems. Penny is attending a women's college in update NY that Siobhan is an alumna of which makes it easy for Siobhan to infiltrate. The plot line of what is happening at the college swiftly becomes absurd as Siobhan meets eccentric students and finds out secrets that the college president is hiding from everyone. Siobhan's trail leads her from the college to a yoga cult retreat and a bizarre yet magnetic guru who is intertwined with the university.

While the plot takes a lot of turns, it's not so over the top that the book is too silly to read and the dry humor is impeccable. In addition to the mystery aspect, Siobhan has a budding romance with one of her fellow officemates and the book also addresses the complexities of being a transracial adoptee.

This is a great book for fans of cozy mysteries and noir. I'm excited that this is part of a series and am looking forward to reading more.

Many thanks to Datura Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

This was such a fun and clever mystery! I really liked Siobhan O’Brien as a main character—she’s smart, sarcastic, and a little chaotic in the best way. I loved that she’s not your typical young, fearless detective. She’s easing into middle age, figuring things out one donut at a time, and that made her feel very real and refreshing.

The mystery was well-paced and had just the right amount of twists. I was pulled into the story right away, especially with the missing college girl and the strange things happening on campus. The college setting was super interesting—it’s a very old, all-women’s school that suddenly starts admitting men, and the tension between the students, staff, and the weird new science center made the story even more gripping.

There were so many funny moments too—between dangerous vegan food, over-the-top yoga, and billionaires with too many secrets, I was entertained the whole time. Some parts were a little over-the-top or unbelievable, which is why it’s 4 stars instead of 5, but overall I really enjoyed it. I’m excited to read more books in this series!

This book is really quite interesting. It has many little sun plots running alongside the main plot that I really liked and found really interesting.

The writing is incredibly intricate and cleverly done with interesting and likeable characters. It's an interesting and quirky book and overall I would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed reading this book despite the plot being quite dark and slightly disturbing. It still managed to be funny at times and the main character is interesting. I wish more of her backstory was delved into with her best friend and her best friend’s sister. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Datura Books @daturabooks , Netgalley @netgalley and Sung J. Woo @sungjwoo for this free book!
“Skin Deep” (Siobhan O’Brien #1) by Sung J Woo. Genre: Mystery. Location: Upstate New York, USA. Time: Autumn, present.

Korean-American adoptee Siobhan O'Brien (40) is a newly licensed private investigator. When her boss dies and leaves his Athena, NY PI agency to her, she wonders if she can keep it solvent. Then former roommate Josie asks Siobhan to find her daughter Penny, who disappeared from her Llewelyn college dorm in rural Selene, NY. For the 1st time in its 200 year history, Llewellyn opened its doors to men. Fringe group The Womyn of Llewellyn are furious, but the ex-fashion-model college president says it’s financially necessary. So where did she get money to build a new science center, and why is it under 24/7 armed surveillance? Siobhan must sort out Llewellyn’s secrets and the threads between Christopher, Penny, and Grace; Annabelle, Cleo and Dharma; Faith, Wheeler, and Travers Hall.

Author Woo has written a mystery that takes on cultural, societal, and familial issues. His main character is a cool, slightly snarky, quite endearing detective (“Next on my must-annoy list was…”)(“…yoga people are like country musicians to me: they all look and sound alike.”) Woo adds to the detective atmosphere by having Siobhan imagine what former boss Ed would do when she’s feeling overwhelmed. His descriptions of the autumn trees, leaves, the Adirondack Mountains makes me want to visit upstate New York! If you enjoy detectives like Kinsey Malone and VI Warshawski, pick up this book. My best praise is that Woo writes Siobhan so well, I didn’t realize he was a male author until the end of the book! It’s fast-paced, full of twists, and it’s 5 stars from me 📚👩🏼‍🦳#skindeep #sungjwoo

I received a digital ARC of the 2025 version from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very readable, fast-paced mystery. I like Siobhan and I wouldn't mind reading more of her adventures.

The action gets repetitive, which isn't too annoying because scenes are so short, but it's noticeable. There's a lot of Siobhan going to an event/meeting/party, learning something important and leaving almost immediately, and multiple instances where people conveniently stop right beside where Siobhan is hiding to have expository conversations.

The mystery is pretty implausible and I didn't find the resolution particularly satisfying. There's also an undercurrent of misogyny throughout the book that is very "male author writing women", and some anti-fatness that doesn't need to be here at all.

This was a quick and engaging enough read that I might still pick up the sequel, but the series isn't a must-read for me.