When washed up journalist Harry Hendrick wakes with a hangover and a strange symbol tattooed on his neck, he shrugs it off as a bad night out.

When more tattoos appear – accompanied by visions of war-torn Afghanistan, bikies, boat people, murder, bar fights and a mysterious woman – he begins to dig a little deeper.

Harry’s search leads him to Jess McGrath. She’s successful, married; they are drawn to each other though they have nothing in common but unwanted tattoos and high definition nightmares. Together, they edge closer to unearthing the truth behind the sinister disappearance of an SAS hero and his girlfriend Kyla.

There’s a federal election looming, with pundits tipping a landslide win for opposition leader Andrew Cardinal. Harry knows there’s a link between these disturbing visions and Cardinal’s shadowy past, and is compelled to right wrongs, one way or another.

Skin Deep is the thrilling, layered, genre-bending debut novel of Brisbane author and journalist Gary Kemble.

Gary Kemble has spent his life telling stories. He wrote, illustrated and self-published his first story (Back from the Grave) aged eight.

His award-winning short fiction has been published in magazines and anthologies in Australia and abroad, and his non-fiction has appeared in newspapers, magazines and online. Born in England and raised in Brisbane, Gary now lives in Edinburgh with his wife and kids.

Author photograph: Brian Sherman

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‘Kemble’s other life as a journalist is evident in his writing and his convincingly realistic characters … Skin Deep is a fine debut for both Kemble and Echo Publishing, which offers more than a passing nod to John Birmingham and Stephen King.’ – Books+Publishing

‘The novel has the crucial ingredients of the best of the genre (cracking pace, intricate plotting, irresistible intrigue) while largely evading the cheesy, overblown language of its cheaper examples.’ – The Saturday Paper

‘A dark novel that sets an energetic pace and reflects Kemble’s other life as a journalist.’– Otago Daily Times

‘Despite my belief I wouldn’t enjoy any book with supernatural or violent themes, it was hard not to like a book so well written and with such a great plot. It keeps you guessing until the end …’ – Weekly Times 

‘Equally, not many ghost stories have this kind of immediacy, or tactility. No strange frissons or fleeting shadows here! It’s all blood, drained batteries and murderous rage, stinking of bourbon in the subtropical humidity.’ – Tabula Rasa

‘This is an excellent debut from Gary Kemble. Fans of Stephen King will love this Australian author.’ – Manly Daily

‘This book has been touted as a genre mash up – and maybe that is what I found so refreshing and unique about [it]. It is an action adventure, a paranormal crime thriller, a story of life and regrets and bikies and drugs and corrupt land developers and crime and politics and abuse, and … a little bit of everything else but all balanced and all with its own place in this narrative.’ – Reading, Writing and Riesling