Skin in the Game

by Tomas Byrne

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.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks, Amazon

484 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2015

About the author

Canadian author Tomas Byrne is a native of Ontario, and received his education at McGill University, York University and the University of Oxford. For twenty years, he worked in London as a lawyer and banker. His novels raise questions about today’s controversial political and social issues. Byrne’s writing has roots in his extensive study of philosophy, mythology and religion. He counts Joseph Conrad, Thomas Mann, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, John le Carré among his literary influences; Friedrich Nietzsche, Gilles Deleuze, Charles Taylor, Murray Bookchin among his philosophical influences. Byrne resides in Sweden with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Kate Farrow (psychiatrist, interrogator) & Dr. Cameron Krug (Former President APA, psychiatrist, neurologist, interrogator) are discussing their client Subject 13 (aka Jack Pierce, terrorist, weapons, drugs, human trafficking).
It seems he has been interrogated so many times he has lost his mind. Or has he?

Ahmad Ghazali (Density Capital) & Omar Sadir (investment manager, Dhatan Investment Authority) were aboard the 100’ Baglietto yacht Al Kamar that set in the Dubai Marina Yacht Club. The 2 were discussing Sam Hawkins (Princeton).
Ahmad went upstairs to make a call & just as he started to speak…
KABOOM! The yacht exploded.

The unknown sniper took care of the guy with the detonator device.
Later Sofi Watt (MI5 agent, lawyer, King’s College, Cambridge, NCA) & Detective Inspector Hamish McLeod (London P.D) were discussing how Density Capital Passage fund invests in markets in Central Asia, Middle East & North Africa.

Density Capital filed a grievance against Sam Hawkins a top notch commodity-trader in the investment firm. Sam had also gone rogue. This led to North Africa; Gold/Diamonds. Professor Joe Hawkins (Oxford, Columbia, PS) it seems is listed on Sam’s legal documents. His offshore account is in New Jersey.
The Shard (London) is the host of the huge international investors meeting.
Cadan Blake Density Capital (spokesperson, Sr. partner) announced Passage II Fund is going to be introduced. Bertram Mercier (head of sales, DC supervisor), Alan Trompett, Laith Khaldoun & Claire Nelson (legal advisor) were in attendance.
Sofi Watt & Detective Inspector Hamish McLeod were interviewing Professor Joe Hawkins (Oxford). Joe was informed Sam might be involved in some illegal funding that caters to Islamic fundamentalist groups (terrorists).
Laith Khaldoun (MS, Finance, Ecole Polytechnique) informed Qasim Qadi (Chief Investment Officer DIA, University of Chicago) & Dr. Abdullah Samarrai (Chief Investment Officer DIA) Sam Hawkins is missing.
When Joe finally got home his house had been ransacked.
Professor Carl Frazier (Christ Church College, killed) & Sam Hawkins were later murdered!

But why?

The portfolio of International investors now contains: Density Capital, Baexter Technologies (merger Frye Rayman), Mandrake Resources, Anno Domini Christian, Trust & White Throne Investors Passage Finance (broker/private bank), & an affiliate Serbon Surveillance (private security). All are being investigated.
Michele Scordato (m) & Joe Hawkins (36) were having a meeting in Paris about the Global corporate entities.

Another big meeting. Those in attendance were: Barrendt Trace (Mandrake Resources), Lincoln Covington (Baexter Technologies), Harold Sallow (British Foreign & Commonwealth Office), Marlon Freeman (US State Department) Cadan Blake (Density Capital), Laith Khaldoun (Density Capital), Dr. Abdullah Samarrai (DIA) Qasim Qadi (DIA), & Prince Nasid (Dhatan Emirate). The discussion topic the PPL & infrastructures of Uzbekistan

Next on the hit list were Ahmad Ghazali, Omar Sadir, Kris Maarten, Richard Blumee, & Sofi Watt. What will happen to them?

What about Claire Nelson?
What secrets does the Christ Church Cathedral (Oxford) hold?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written international conspiracy thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great covert operation movie, or mini TV series. Another book at the top of my 2015 list, There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skin in the Game by Thomas Byrne

Joe Hawkins is a former US State department employee and now an Oxford University Professor. When his younger brother Sam disappears Joe decides to look for him. While searching for Sam he discovers that his brother was involved with a shady London based investment firm. Not only that, but there is international corruption going on as well. Joe's life is in danger, but he won't stop until he finds his brother.

Kate Farrow an MI6 psychiatrist, is trying to help regain the memory of a suspected terrorist with "torture induced amnesia". Time is running out for Kate, and she must get to the bottom of this. She is the one to find out the truth behind her new patient. Together the two will find themselves into something very deep and lives are in danger.

A well written fast paced nail-biting tale of suspense. I like that the story takes place in Europe and the Middle East, this adds more intrigue to the story. The plot is thick, and believable. Something that could really be happening in the world today.

There is psychological suspense, intrigue and some seriously dangerous situations the two encounter. I feel that lovers of (political) thriller/suspense will enjoy, Skin in the Game.

[Elizabeth Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

With insight reminiscent of Dan Brown, Byrne peels back the curtain in this riveting ride. Like secrets from Skull and Bones we glimpse players behind a cloaked World Order. Combining a cacophony of intrigue, high finance, political discord, terrorism and psychology, the reader can only be left wondering "what if". Byrnes characters encompass the totality of the human psyche, from good and evil to frailty and strength and all that lies between. Marrying character study with page turning tension, Byrne strikes the right balance in his debut novel. Leaving the door open, I can only look forward to the next installment.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like a good conspiracy story as much as the next guy. Having said that, I found myself skimming much of this novel. Too much political and economic blah, blah, blah. Isn't the first rule of good writing, "show, don't tell"? Add to that pages of flowery psychological clap trap and you've got a book that needed a good editor. Don't waste your time, even if the book is free on Amazon. Your time is worth something.

[David Highton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only made it 40% through this one - overly complex plot, sections of superficial analysis, just did not convince me

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly, let me lay my cards on the table so to speak. As a rule I am deeply suspicious of self-publishing. I think that traditional publishers are there for a reason: to ensure that the books that reach the reading public are the best that they can be. Unfortunately, with the rise of digital platforms like Kindle, a lot of people are circumnavigating this process and sub-standard works are appearing. If I had known that Skin in the Game was self-published I would never have downloaded it. My mistake, I should have read the description more closely.

Having said all that, upon opening the book I was initially surprised. To the author's credit he has ensured the minimal of spelling/grammatical mistakes. The typo is the bane of the self-published work and the author has done an admirable job correcting any errors in his manuscript prior to publication.

That said the rest of the book is a mess. I have to confess that I got to the sixty per cent mark and simply gave up. I understand that this is a conspiracy thriller but events are so opaque as to be unreadable. Things aren't helped by some serious issues I have with the text.

The first is the layout when dialogue occurs. I simply can't tell who is supposed to be saying what during a conversation. The author writes a line of dialogue, then on the next line there is description, then the next line a line of dialogue. There simply aren't enough pointers as to who is saying what. I understand that he doesn't want to use the word "said" too often but it exists in novels for a reason, to let the reader know who is saying what in conversational to and fro.

The second issue I have with the dialogue is that the author is clearly not familiar with the adage Show, Don’t Tell. Simply put, the plot of the novel, the emotions and actions of the character should be shown, not spelt out to the reader through stilted dialogue. In Skin in the Game, the plot is most definitely spelt out to us time an again in dialogue. There are pages and pages of stilted discussion, where characters discuss the conspiracies they are involved in, their belief and motivations in mind-numbing detail. Quite apart from the fact that people involved in illegal activity won’t sit around discuss their illegal activities for long, surely co-conspirators already know each other’s motivations?

Then there are the weird movements/body language/expressions he has his characters do. Characters will be talking and then the author will write something like: ‘he tilted his head back, curled his lip and jerked away’. Or ‘She placed her palms on her eyes, slowly down her nose and lips, to her mouth.’ Quite simply half the time I have no idea what is meant by all this, or what this is meant to say about the characters. It seems strangely robotic. And characters ‘leer’ at each other. My dictionary says that leer means; ‘To look with a sideways or oblique glance, especially suggestive of lascivious interest or sly and malicious intention.’ There is one occasion when the use of the word makes sense, but when a hitman is talk to his employer in MI6? Why would he leer at him?

This brings me onto a further criticism. Part of the plot involves an MI6 torture facility, where techniques similar to those recently exposed being used by the CIA in black sites are used, complete with dodgy psychiatrists, sensory deprivation, hallucinogenic drugs etc. I know this is fiction, and I’m not for a moment suggesting that the UK’s intelligence services are whiter than white, but if you are going to write a novel based in the current political climate at least try and get some things right. There is no evidence that the British intelligence services ever did anything even close to this. They sat in on interrogations abroad, fine, but a torture facility in deepest Surrey? It stretches credulity.

Lastly, I have to take issue with the author’s choice of names for characters. There are just too many outlandish names. Cadan Blake, Bertram Mercier, Lincoln Covington, Cameron Krug. I understand that this is a novel that spans the globe, but its like the author has reached for the most outlandish names he can find. Even “ordinary” names like Sophie have the more rare spelling: Sofi. There is a Sam and a Joe, and I exempt the Arabic names from this criticism, but I found myself grating at his choice of names.

All in all this is a rough, messy novel. Much editing is needed and the author, while showing some talent, needs to work on his craft.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Received this book from the author for an honest review*
2.5 stars
I'm not one to summarize a book in my reviews....don't understand the need when so many others do :)
Knowing that this was a self published book and given to me by the author, I so wanted to love this book. It sounded like it had all the intrigue and mystery I like in a book. There are some high points and moments of suspense, but the biggest downfall to me was how long it took to be able to start connecting the dots. Too many characters and storylines going that made it hard to get into the story. It wasn't until I got to chapter 8 that I had my first 'AHA' moment and was able to tie two storylines together.
There is a good foundation here, just think it has too much going on.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review:  SKIN IN THE GAME by Tomas Byrne

If Kafka and Dostoevsky had teamed up to write a 21st century perspective on terrorism, torture, and global terror from a British perspective, the result might be SKIN IN THE GAME. Penned with expertise by a Canadian author who formerly was a London banker and lawyer, this complex thriller with deep philosophical and psychological undertones will astonish, entertain, educate, and elucidate readers. I predict it will also linger on in readers' memories.

[C Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written political thriller that makes conspiracy theories pale. Big business and government collusion and corruption at the highest levels. If you followed the Bourne series with an eye toward political intrigue and the action was just a bonus this the book for you!

[Jai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't "get" this book and found it long, tedious and confusing. It was possibly too involved for my leisure reading.

[Dave LaBau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre. Too many psychological ramblings.

[Normand Girard · Rating 4 out of 5]

That is one heck of a story. Many, many characters come into play and the action is unrelenting. I was confused at first as I did not understand that the author kept going back and forth in time and some of the characters were specific to a particular time (and have short lives to prove the point). With regards to subject 13, it was very clever on the author's part, to throw in the name of Jack Pierce, a name that only appears at the beginning of the story. I need to read more from this author. Personally, I would have liked a timeline (date) at the beginning of each short chapter to ground me in the story.

[Michelle Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a frightening story, that could all be true. Evil is part of our lives. In this book it is well documented. From London to Dubai with assassins ruling the world. Taking advantage of the break down of USSR and only greed being the main reason for all this upheaval. The good guys must bide their time. Thomas Byrne, the author is someone to watch.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventurous

A story that has many unexpected twists and turns but that was burdened with an overwhelming amount of detal the slowed the story down. There were times where it was exhausting to continue reading. Not an author I would follow.

[Frances Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too financially technical for my liking couldn't continue reading it

[Maureen · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lot of pretentious "filler" that added nothing to the story line.

[Curt Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note, copy provided to me by author for review:

In a literary market rife with books boasting intrigue and adventure, it was a pleasure to come across this offering from Tomas Byrne, as it brought not only thrill and chase, but it's all done with an artful intricacy and strong style.

Joe Hawkins is an ex-US State Department agent teaching in England. His experience is in politics and related concepts, but as evidenced in the book's action, he might well have a bit of the operative in his pedigree as well. And when his brother, Sam, a high-ranking figure in the financial firm Density, initially disappears and is then found dead, Joe picks up the trail to track down the bad guys.

But wait. The book actually opens in some kind psycho-psychiatric torture facility, with a shadowy male figure under the brutal needle of a Dr. Krug, who is himself watched closely by Kate Farrow, she there to access memories that it seems Krug is trying his best to bury. And since it's written in present tense, at the beginning and when revisited later, you know you should be paying attention.

The rest? Past tense, of course, standard issue, easiest to follow. So while for the first third or so of the book the reader's confusion trickles steadily higher, clarifying clues seep in just enough to mitigate a full-blown mind-bender. And that's a good thing, because as we start to become inundated with Joe and Kate's metaphysical tangents, we need a string on which to pull ourselves along in the plot. And beware, there are acronyms aplenty, some phonetic or familiar, some not, but don't be afraid to keep a crib sheet. it could come in handy a few times.

This is a book that demands attention, even during the more ethereal moments. You know we all have those times, when reading a book, where our eyes and minds skip over some of the details we've determined are less central to the book's purpose. We skim readily, and yet still understand that the "limpid azure pool, reflecting the golden rays and cottony billows from the sky, nestled quaintly in the feathery, verdant expanse of arboreal proliferation" is a pond in a forest. Here, though, such a cursory reading could easily omit some detail without which sensibility is more hard-won later in the book. Simply, if you peruse, you could very well lose.

It is busy. I mentioned metaphysics, but there're also various doses of psychology, psychiatry, politics, philosophy, finance, economics, warfare, sociology, plus more, and several combinations of those subjects as well. So it is busy, and a challenge at times, but well worth the effort.

I did find the meta-stuff to be a little long-winded at times, especially when Joe and Kate start expounding about love, self, and our places in the world. And the dialogue could be, at times, frankly awkward. Chiefly, this is because there's sometimes a halting merging of corporeal action and reaction with what's being said. In some cases, an unspoken gesture plays the placeholder in an alternating dialogue, and that's not always clear, so you're not sure who is saying what. Other times, that gesture, such as a nod or a glance, is between two similar quotes, and you're left to wonder whether it applies to one party or another. But to be fair, once you've read thirty or so pages, you'll hopefully pick up on the back and forth, staccato rhythm, and following becomes an easier task.

And we have England, Germany, Uzbekistan, Dubai, all familiar espionage locales, but this time with a corrupt corporate edge, blended with the ubiquitous "national security" license to slaughter, maim, and deceive, so it's got all the basics, but with the benefit of never bowing to the easy strategy of going all formulaic on the reader.

There are twists, too: a big one, some smaller ones, and a few in between, yet none are gratuitous, and they're sewn neatly and tightly into the plot. You might see some coming, but I dare say you won't see them all. But no spoilers here.

No, you'll have to get hold of this one yourself, and make the time to read closely. If indeed the reward is in the doing, I hope Mr. Byrne was rewarded as well for writing this book as I was for reading it.

[Jeremy Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most impressive things about Tomas Byrne’s debut novel is that it achieves a winning balance, presenting a conspiracy thriller big enough to impress but also building an intimate and emotionally charged empathy between his characters and his readers. That Byrne writes in the present tense perhaps assists this fluidity of movement from the macro to the micro and back again, an all important-trick in a complex and intelligent novel like Skin in the Game that seeks to explore the individual’s perilous if not powerless position in relation to the capabilities of the New World Disorder’s real ruling class.

We first enter what quickly becomes a geographically wide-ranging narrative by way of British Intelligence psychiatrist Kate Farrow, the new girl on the team “tasked” (as they say in these kinds of stories) with the responsibility of extracting the truth from the wonderfully named “Subject 13”. 13 is mysterious, handsome (of course), and knows something crucial that Kate’s bosses are desperate to find out. Understanding like most torturers that the infliction of physical pain can be counter-productive when it comes to extracting the truth (the victim of the violence will simply say anything to make the experience stop and is often rendered incapable of reliably surrendering what information he or she possesses), they are relying on Kate’s skills of manipulation to penetrate the mystery. And so the ride begins.

Before long, we’re zooming around the planet, piecing together an all-encompassing web of corrupted manipulation that ties together high-level finance and government ruthlessness. One is reminded of Orwell’s dystopian nightmare Nineteen Eighty-Four and torturer O’Brien’s promise to Winston Smith, the novel’s doomed protagonist: “We control life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature.”

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.

[Charles Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin in the Game by Tomas Byrne is a taut political thriller that explores a range of topical issues, from government-sanctioned torture to corporate greed and manipulation. Dr. Kate Farrow is a psychiatrist working for an anti-terrorism interrogation facility in Kent, UK. When her boss, Dr. Krug, assigns her to help in the interrogation of ‘Subject 13,’ she soon discovers that things are not what they seemed at first, and finds herself having to decide between her job and her conscience. Joe Hawkins, a counter-terrorism instructor and former US State Department official, who left government because his sense of justice could not take some of the things his government was doing, gets a strange communication from his estranged brother Sam. Sam is on the run, being accused by his company of consorting with terrorists. What Sam communicates to Joe, though, is that it is his company that is up to no good.
With that as background, Byrne takes the reader on a dizzying journey into the belly of the beast – the beast that is government and industry working hand in glove, not for the ideals of democracy, but for profit and power. The author tells parallel tales that are at first out of temporal sync, and demarked by different chapter numbering (which was not apparent until nearly halfway through the book). While a bit confusing at first, patience is rewarded as the two threads are brought together near the end in an explosive conclusion that will leave you gasping for breath.
A nicely told tale, full of red herrings, false clues, and murky happenings that will keep you entertained from the first page to the last.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic copy of this book by the author for an honest review. Joe Hawkins got a little more than he bargained for when he decided to teach a class on Terrorism at Oxford University. After his brother Sam leaves him a package and then promptly disappears, Joe is thrust into the world of international finance, corruption, and world politics. Skin in the Game was packed full of intrigue, money, power, and corruption with a large number of important characters. Joe and Kate were my favorites, in regards to their story lines and their personal character. Joe, in the face of it all, triumphed over evil when he used his strength of will to persevere. Kate, in spite of the fact that the odds were against her, used her ingenuity to help Joe when no one else would. Overall, I thought the plot was well paced and had enough twists to keep me interested. This book is believable because, like real life, everything does not get wrapped up into a nice, neat package. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a good thriller and I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Tessa Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very different kind of thriller from any I have ever read. A refreshing story, part mystery, part satire, with a depth of ideas that stay with you long after you are finished reading. Byrne sets up the contrast of unforgiving power relations at work in society and an innate vulnerability within that doesn’t release until the last page. This stark vision highlights how fragile our future might be, if it were not for strong characters that are willing to stand up to injustice. This conflict, played out through the book’s intriguing plot and the unraveling of the psyche of the main character, Joe Hawkins, points to an exterior vision of civilization hanging on the edge of cliff, and an underlying parallel theme of rationality floating on a sea irrationality. At the vortex, compassion and courage are all Joe and Kate Farrow have to face the Leviathan. What a rare find is Skin in the Game: a smart and cerebral page turner. I can’t wait for the next installment in the series.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given an electronic version of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have read some of the glowing reviews of Skin in the Game, and it sounds as though I read a different book. The premise sounded so promising, but I found it difficult and painful to get through. Perhaps I'm not sophisticated enough of a reader, but the story seemed to bog down at every turn and I ended up confused about what was happening more often than not and struggled to finish. The past and present were vaguely presented and the way the two brothers' stories were set out, and that of Sofi, I found difficult to follow. Perhaps the author tried to interject too many ideas into his first book.

[Guy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thinking man's international mystery. It has a good story line with enough twists and unpredictable events to keep the reader's attention. Descriptions of the various lacales where the actions take place are interesting and not overdone. The protagonist, Joe Hawkins is three-dimensional and believable, as are the various villans, especially Cedan Blake, Krug and the various minor players. The only concern is the use of the time element in scene changes in the latter part of the book. Using the two ladies Sofi and Kate for the different scenes is effective.
The political associations of government and international corporations for the detriment of mankind are a fact of modern life and are well-presented in this novel
I look forward to other books by Tomas Byrne

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dystopia Here and Now!

This is a timely and original thriller that succeeds via a tight but complex plot, and skillful management of a broad cast of characters who help us understand how we sometimes see or are blind to things happening before our very eyes. And we aren’t taken centuries into the future to imagine this terrifying scenario – Byrne’s tale takes place in the here and now. In matters of national security, too often after the fact, we find out that the illegitimate use of force was involved, in this case, torture. Byrne plucks this issue from contemporary politics and tells an engaging and rattling story of corruption. A stimulating and eye opening read!

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book as a free download in return for an honest review.

Tomas Byrne has created strong, believable characters and immersed them in a pulsating story line. The action skilfully moves back and forth in waves, fluctuating between past and present events in order to unravel the plot to the reader. Packed with political intrigue, power struggles and insatiable greed the main protagonists go to great lengths to ensure their ambitions are fulfilled. It is left to one man to try to stop them and to triumph against overwhelming odds.

Thoroughly enjoyable, a cracking read.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took me 2 goes to finish it, and I only picked it up again as I’m doing a challenge and one of the topics was a book we started but never finished. It got better the second time around but I still found it quite confusing. It took me a long time to realise the chapter numbering was different depending on which storyline we were following. Perhaps it would have been easier if I had picked that up earlier. There were too many different characters to keep track of and work out what was happening for me to really enjoy the story. A lot of thinking was required to piece it together. I got it near the end, but it was hard work.

[Lin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not an Interesting book or writing style

I tried three times to read this book but found myself skimming through the pages. I didn't like the third person writing style where the author is describing in too many single choppy sentences (ex: She walks to the door; She opens the door; She turns the light on, etc.). It reminds me of when you accidentally put your television in the Sight Impaired mode. The extra details are necessary in this mode because you are describing what is going on to the Sight Impaired. Too many extra words as if just to fill the book to its desired capacity. I had to give up on this book. I guess sometimes you get what you pay for!

[Patricia Levack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed reading Tomas Byrne's Skin in the Game novel which deals with problems that we face today. It deals with questionable practices that Government agencies, religious leaders and private enterprises perform. Is everyone only interested in what their own gain will be? Are they working to advance the betterment of the people? Or are they in it for the money? The different groups, including private individuals and terrorist are woven into the mix some tring to stop a disaster and others waiting for one to be created.

[Joanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I read this terrible book..

A cast of chapters nobody could keep up with, a long series of unnecessary descriptive words is only the start. I'm not a "novice" reader. I can easily read 4 a week. I kept thinking it would be worth finishing. NOT, not at all. Is it a philosophy book or a travel book or a political book, or is the writer simply throwing what he knows & to show off. Oh, maybe it's a religious book? Whatever it was, I'm glad it's over. Don't waste your time. Read an actual book!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered what "big business" really means, Tomas Byrne lets you enter a world that few get to see. His background offers a front row seat and an edge of plausibility to his fast paced world of international intrigue. Across continents and social classes we follow Joe Hawkins as he unravels a mystery that leaves you breathless. Building layer on layer, Byrne raises the tension and raises the bar. This, the first installment in the series leaves you wanting more.