Skin in the Game

TRAPPED IN A MAZE OF SECRETS AND LIES

WHAT IS THE “TRUTH” WHEN THE NUMBERS GET BIGGER?

When Joe Hawkins left the US State Department, he left international intrigue behind and took a prestigious position as a professor at Oxford University. His younger brother’s disappearance upends his tranquil academic life and plunges him into a world where covert government intelligence meets international high finance. His search for Sam will uncover his brother’s ties to a shadowy London investment firm and an insidious network of international corruption.

CAN YOU TRUST YOUR MEMORY AND SENSES?

MI6 psychiatrist Kate Farrow has cracked some tough cases, but when faced with a suspected terrorist suffering from torture-induced amnesia, she knows she’s in over her head. The clock is ticking, and Kate must unlock the secrets in his battered psyche to prevent the loss of innocent life. Only by discovering what lies at the core of her own identity will Kate find a way to separate the truth from a shell game of greed and exploitation.

MYSTERY, SUSPENSE AND UNEXPECTED ROMANCE

Skin in the Game is an intricately woven story of international political and corporate wrangling that takes readers on a fast-paced journey across Europe and the Middle East. 

Editorial Reviews

'The Bottom Line: A breathtakingly intense conspiracy thriller ripped straight from the headlines. Brilliant characterization and a riveting global puzzle will have Jason Bourne fans clamoring for Byrne's next installment in the series.' -- bestthrillers.com (ranked: The Best Thrillers of 2015)

'Tomas Byrne's first novel is an ingenious and seamless blend of fast-paced, page-turning, mainstream, at times almost Bondian fiction and something rather more mysterious, even weird and highly literary. This is an outstanding, richly entertaining, effortlessly smart and very promising debut. Skin in the Game is a book that deserves to be widely read and Byrne, already an assured talent, is an author to watch.' -- Karl French, book and film critic, author and editor

'One is reminded of Orwell's dystopian nightmare Nineteen Eighty-Four ... Byrne's vision is of such a world. He warns us not to fear the enemy "within" so much as the horrifying truth that the enemy is actually all around us, governs us, knows and controls everything we do and is prepared to do anything to preserve its power. One immediately recoils at such a thought, and attempts to deny the implications, but the insistency of the writing and the thrust of the unfolding plot make it impossible but to draw the same stark conclusions.' -- Jeremy Sheldon, screenwriter and author

'A very superior thriller ... Byrne adroitly manages the tension and confusion ... entertaining and informed.' -- The Morning Star

‘VERDICT: Touchdown’ -- The Wisconsin Lawyer