Skinless

<p>A humane unsparing portrait-wringing hope from the drug-drenched sex-soaked streets of 1990s New York City. - Danielle Ballantyne Foreword Reviews</p><p></p><p>BookLife calls Skinless undeniably powerful and a portrait of survival that doesn't sanitize the mess.</p><p></p><p>At the turn of the millennium in New York City fresh from teenage homelessness and childhood abuse Charmay-a street‑smart velvet‑voiced singer‑songwriter-develops a glittering alter ego Cindy to survive the PTSD she calls skinless a raw vulnerability she tries to numb with alcohol and soothe with music.</p><p>Over two turbulent years chasing quick fixes and the American Dream she's pulled into a maze of small‑time hustles and crime that devolves into a dangerous game of secrets lies and power. Longing for her estranged father and the girl she once was she clings to three men-and Cindy-for protection and hope until hustles collide and masks ricochet into beats bullets and bedsheets and it's never clear who is really in control or who is using whom.</p><p>By the final chorus Skinless becomes an evocation of turn‑of‑the‑century America-the times we live in and the forces we live by-as Charmay must choose between the mask that kept her alive and the honest voice that could make her whole. </p><p></p><p>Skinless is a psychological crime novel for readers of <em>Milkman</em> <em>Cherry</em> <em>In the Cut</em> <em>The Basketball Diaries</em> Harley Rosee's <em>Twinsgate</em> Lucy Treloar's <em>Days of Innocence and Wonder</em> and dark character‑driven literary noir.</p>