BLOG TOUR: Living is a Problem (The Skelfs Book 6) - Doug Johnstone

The Skelf women are back on an even keel after everything they’ve been through. But when a funeral they’re conducting is attacked by a drone, Jenny fears they’re in the middle of an Edinburgh gangland vendetta.

At the same time, Yana, a Ukrainian member of the refugee choir that plays with Dorothy’s band, has gone missing. Searching for her leads Dorothy into strange and ominous territory.

And Brodie, the newest member of the extended Skelf family, comes to Hannah with a case: Something or someone has been disturbing the grave of his stillborn son.

Everything is changing for the Skelfs... Dorothy’s boyfriend Thomas is suffering PTSD after previous violent trauma, Jenny and Archie are becoming close, and Hannah’s case leads her to consider the curious concept of panpsychism, which brings new danger, while ghosts from the family’s past return to threaten their very lives...

 

What did I think?

This wonderful series just keeps getting better and better, and I have to say it's been brilliant from the start.  Living is a Problem is book six in The Skelfs series and if you haven't discovered The Skelf women yet, you really need to pick up this book (and the previous ones).  

I have read every book in the series but I am still astonished at the twisted imagination of Doug Johnstone.  Some kind of drama often unfolds at one of the funerals the Skelfs are conducting so I shouldn't have been surprised when such an event occurs at the start of the book.  It's the actual details of the event that had me suppressing a snigger and applauding Doug Johnstone's ingenuity and amazing dark humour.

The Skelfs are both undertakers and private investigators, two businesses that work surprisingly well together.  The Skelf women are so strong and have developed so fully over the series that they are almost as familiar to me as my own family.  

I love the amount of new things I learn whilst reading a Doug Johnstone book, whilst being thoroughly entertained by the outstanding multi-stranded storyline.  There are elements of science, music and alternative funerals to inform and provoke the reader without being bamboozled.  Doug Johnstone reminds me of Mr Benn (a reference you'll get if you are of a certain age) as he is an outstanding author, a talented musician and he has a PhD in experimental nuclear physics.

Compelling, entertaining and incredibly original, Living is a Problem is another unputdownable and unmissable instalment in The Skelfs series.  Very highly recommended and an easy five stars from me.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of seventeen novels, many of which have been bestsellers. 

The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for and The Big Chill was longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral home.

He’s also been an arts journalist for 25 years. He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club and lives in Edinburgh with his family.

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