Skin Deep is the first book in the cozy mystery series Siobhan O'Brien, written by Sung J. Woo, and published by Datura Books. A kinda cozy noir proposal that mixes the best of detective methods with a really relaxing sense of humour that helps to alleviate the tension, with a thrilling pace that suits really well the genre.

Siobhan O'Brien, a Korean adoptee, works as an assistant PI; when her boss suffers a coronary, leaves his agency to Siobhan. Immediately she gets a first case, as her friend Josie needs her to find her daughter; a difficult investigation that will take her to the Llewellyn College, getting involved in the dangerous politics of the university and embroiling herself into something bigger, hoping that it will be the key to find Josie's daughter.

Great part of the charm of this novel resides in the own character of Siobhan; while she's clearly outside of her element at many moments, we see how, at many points, she actually manages to advance the investigation in part due to her kindness. A bit naïve for the PI business, but it suits well with the kind of plot Woo is trying to establish. The rest of the secondary characters are kinda forgettable, eclipsed by Siobhan.

The pacing is really fast, partly motivated by how Woo is using really short chapters; I kinda liked how this makes you devour the book. Despite being a noir story, there's no much violence; many of the humour moments are introduced around stereotypes and physical characteristics, alleviating the tension that naturally grows in the genre.

Skin Deep is a nice cozy mystery proposal, introducing a character with a lot of potential and that knows how to play to its strengths. I'm kinda curious to know how it will be the next Siobhan O'Brien adventure!