I am delighted to take part in the #SkelfSummer celebrations showcasing all things Skelf in the run up to the publication of Book 6 in the series, Living is a Problem. Over the next few weeks I will be reminding you about the series by Doug Johnstone with a repost of Skelf novels. Book 2 in the series is called The Big Chill.
Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a
quieter life. But running both a funeral directors’ and a private investigation
business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open
grave at a funeral Dorothy is conducting, she can’t help looking into the dead
driver’s shadowy life.
While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of
Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own
struggles. Jenny’s ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the
Skelf women’s lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a
friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.
But something
even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy’s disappears, and
suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves immersed in an
unbearable darkness – but could the real threat be to themselves?
Fast-paced,
darkly funny, yet touching and tender, the Skelf family series is a welcome
reboot to the classic PI novel, whilst also asking deeper questions about
family, society and grief.
My Thoughts
I
didn't think that a book could top the first in this series, but
actually, I was wrong, This one did! I loved how the three generations
came together to solve the differences and how complicated this novel
felt and yet at the same time, how it became simplified if you looked
at it through the eyes of the family members. There is certainly a lot
to keep up with in this novel but I loved the black humour which was
there and also the relationships between the family members.
The whole premise is very clever. An undertaker gives you plenty of
opportunity to reach out to any situations which are bereaved and this
always puts an element of doubt in our mind. This is a story which
shocks and at the same time, shows you that what is shown on the surface
might not always be the truth. It has humour, it has some dark moments,
but above all, it is readable.
In short: An enjoyable dip into the dark side.
About the Author
Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently
Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for
Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his books have been bestsellers
and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid,
Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in
residence at various institutions – including a funeral home – and has been an
arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five
albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime
Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also playermanager of the Scotland
Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.
Thanks to Doug Johnstone, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book.
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