The discovery of a human foot in an Edinburgh park, the inexplicable circumstances of a dying woman, and the missing daughter of Jenny’s violent ex-husband present the Skelf women with their most challenging – and deadly – cases yet…
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 the dog, a perplexing case presents itself … with potentially deadly results.
Daughter Jenny and grand-daughter Hannah have their hands full too: The mysterious circumstances of a dying woman lead 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 yet another devastating experience.
Nothing is clear as the women are immersed ever deeper in their most challenging cases yet. But when the daughter of Jenny’s violent and fugitive ex-husband goes missing without trace and a wild animal is spotted roaming Edinburgh's parks, real danger presents itself, and all three Skelfs are in peril.
Taut, dark, warmly funny and unafraid to ask big questions – of us all – The Great Silence is the much-anticipated third instalment in the addictive, unforgettable Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever.
What did I think?
I love The Skelfs series and couldn't wait to get my hands on book 3, The Great Silence. The Skelfs are a family of funeral directors and private investigators so there's always lots going on and I was entertained from start to finish. With recaps of the previous books scattered throughout, you can read this as a standalone but reading them in order has the benefit of seeing the characters develop and I felt like I was catching up with my old friends Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah.
With an awesome first line, Doug Johnstone's brilliant dark humour sets the scene for a gripping, intriguing and pretty wild ride. It's entertainment at its finest with a wild panther on the loose, possible contact from aliens and Jenny's unhinged ex-husband Craig still at large so there's danger from all angles. I just love how the wonderfully imaginative storylines keep the Skelfs busy and it really gives my eyes a workout as I can't read fast enough.
Even though a lot of it went over my head, I enjoyed reading the parts that touched on astrophysics as it really made me think about the universe and my place in it. As it is set in a funeral directors' business, death and grief are explored sensitively and I particularly liked the Buddhist quote about waves and water that I shall never forget.
Hugely entertaining and incredibly addictive, if you're looking for something different to read The Great Silence will fit the bill. I highly recommend the whole series.
I chose to read a digital ARC for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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About the author:
Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve previous novels, most recently The Big Chill (2020). Several of his books have been bestsellers and three, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade – including at a funeral parlour ahead of writing A Dark Matter – and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three solo EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh. Follow Doug on Twitter @doug_johnstone and visit his website: dougjohnstone.com.
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Thanks so much for the blog tour support Michelle xx
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