“A humane portrait of often inhuman actions, Skinless is an eloquent crime novel about a woman’s relentless desire to survive.” — Benjamin Welton, Foreword Reviews

A voice‑driven psychological crime noir set in New York City at the turn of the millennium.

Street poetry. Beauty. Danger. Survival.
Fresh from teenage homelessness and sex abuse, Charmay—a street‑smart, trauma‑bruised, velvet‑voiced singer—fights to build a life in the underground clubs and high‑end gentlemen’s bars where she performs as her glittering alter ego, Cindy. She calls her PTSD “skinless,” the raw vulnerability she drinks to numb and sings to soothe. Cindy is the persona she built to protect her.

In a world chasing quick fixes and the American Dream, Charmay moves through a maze of small‑time hustles and crime that devolves into a dangerous game of secrets, lies, and power. Across two turbulent years, as she slips between past and present in New York’s underground, three forces converge: producer Eddie Cruise hears fire in her voice and pushes her raw; Sam Black, the Miami‑raised son of Cuban exiles, earns her trust, but his vendetta against a privileged partner draws danger; and Rex Raven, a Wall Street financier obsessed with Cindy, not Charmay, opens glittering doors—and traps.

Her past blurs with her present as she longs for her estranged father and the girls she once was, while clinging to a hustler‑lover she needs to trust, a Wall Street financier who wants only Cindy, and a producer who cuts her open to get to her honest voice. Family ties pick old wounds. Hustles collide. Masks switch places. Chaos ricochets. Beats. Bullets. Bedsheets. As desires clash and loyalties fracture, the balance of power keeps shifting, and it’s never clear who is really in control—or who is using whom.

By the final chorus, Charmay must decide: cling to the mask that kept her alive—or claim the honest voice that may finally make her whole.

Honest, tense, and compassionate, Skinless is a literary psychological‑suspense / noir novel and a psychological portrait of a young artist fighting to overcome trauma’s scars and learning that healing begins within.

Skinless is Book 1 in Charmay: New York Noir, a psychological crime noir / literary psychological‑suspense series following Charmay, for readers of The Bell Jar, The Basketball Diaries, Just Kids, and dark, character‑driven literary noir.

This novel has a companion album, Skinless: Songs from the Book (Charmay & Maggie Moor), featuring songs written and performed by Charmay in the story—lush downtempo, jazz, and chill‑out electronica that extends the world of Charmay: New York Noir. Available on all streaming platforms.

What reviewers are saying about Skinless:

• “Skinless is an eloquent crime novel about a woman’s relentless desire to survive… eloquently, Charmay vacillates between beauty and despair… her street poetry highlights the city’s colors and sensations in lush, sensual language.” — Benjamin Welton, Foreword Reviews
• “A humane, unsparing portrait—wringing hope from the drug‑drenched, sex‑soaked streets of 1990s New York City.” — Danielle Ballantyne, Foreword Reviews (Interview)
• “Lyrical and unflinchingly honest, Skinless is a psychological portrait of trauma, trust, and the courage it takes to face your own truth. Perfect for readers who love the raw brilliance of The Bell Jar and the restless energy of Kerouac.” — Goodreads, 5★
• “Raw, poetic, and fearless. Voice cuts to the bone. An unflinching act of emotional courage; both visceral and lyrical. Will stay with me.” — Goodreads, 5★

 Foreword Interview w Maggie Moor | Booklife Profile: Publisher’s Weekly