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 3 in the series is called The Great Silence.
Keeping on top of the family funeral directors’ and private-investigation businesses is no easy task for the Skelf
women, and when matriarch Dorothy discovers a human foot while walking thedog, a perplexing case presents itself.
Daughter Jenny and grand-daughter Hannah have their hands
full too: the mysterious circumstances of a dying woman have led
them into an unexpected family drama, Hannah’s new astrophysicist colleague claims he’s receiving messages from outer space,
and the Skelfs’ teenaged lodger has a devastating experience.
Nothing is clear as the women are immersed ever deeper in
their most challenging cases yet. But when the daughter of Jenny’sviolent and fugitive ex-husband goes missing without trace
anda wild animal is spotted roaming Edinburgh’s parks, real
danger presents itself, and all three Skelf’s are in peril.
Taut, dark, warmly funny and unafraid to ask big questions –
of usall – The Great Silence is the much-anticipated third
instalment inthe addictive, unforgettable Skelf’s series.
My Thoughts
Having
met the Skelfs before, it felt easy to slide back into their world of
funeral directors and private investigators. The three generations of
the family had their own stories as before but the family feeling
between them counterbalances their rather grim findings and the death
which is part of their daily lives. I enjoyed the black humour and the
relationships between the characters.
It
took me a little time to work out who some of the other characters
were. and how they fitted in. Craig, Jenny's ex-husband is on the run
but always in her thoughts and there is the added complication of his
new partner and child. Dorothy's lodger has her own turmoil and the most
intriguing of all, is Hannah's colleague who claims to be receiving
messages he can't explain. I felt that Hannah's investigations gave
flight to some really thoughtful parts of the story with some soul-
searching issues and important questions to answer. Always in the
background is the prowling big cat, with all its symbolism of dark
forces and wild motives.
This has been an entertaining and engrossing series, with plenty of
dark moments, rounded characters and shocking incidents. The opening
scene of The Great Silence certainly counts as the latter!
In short: smart, funny, thought-provoking.
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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