#BlogTour – #BookReview of #TheOppositeOfLonely by Doug Johnstone @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours #TheSkelfs #Skelfaholics

calturner

Sep 29

I'm excited to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for The Opposite of Lonely by Doug Johnstone, which is the incredible fifth instalment in The Skelfs series of books. Thank you as always to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this fantastic book.

About the book:

The Skelf women are recovering from the cataclysmic events that nearly claimed their lives. Their funeral-director and private- investigation businesses are back on track, and their cases are as perplexing as ever.

Matriarch Dorothy looks into a suspicious fire at a travellers' site, and takes a grieving, homeless man under her wing. Daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister-in-law, who disappeared in tragic circumstances, while grand-daughter Hannah is asked to investigate increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut … putting her own life at risk.

With a body lost at sea, funerals for those with no one to mourn them, reports of strange happenings in outer space, a funeral crasher with a painful secret, and a violent attack on one of the family, The Skelfs face their most personal – and perilous – cases yet. Doing things their way may cost them everything…

About the author:

Author Doug Johnstone poses for a portrait near his home in Edinburgh, Scotland. ©Duncan McGlynn

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.

My Review:

As someone who loves Doug Johnstone's brilliant series of books featuring The Skelfs, I've been eagerly anticipating The Opposite of Lonely, which is the fifth instalment in the series - and oh my word it did not disappoint!

As with the previous books, The Opposite of Lonely is a stunning, character driven story that is everything I hoped it would be and more. Although it is possible to read this book as a standalone, I would recommend starting from the very beginning of the series as that way you'll get a much deeper understanding of the flawed but brave Skelf women as they begin to navigate their way through life after loss.

As before, the story alternates between the three generations of Skelf women as they continue to run the family business. Assisted by daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah, Dorothy combines burying the dead with helping the living. With a thread of dark humour running through it, The Opposite of Lonely catches up with the Skelf women as the cataclysmic events of the previous book continue to reverberate through their lives.

Matriarch Dorothy is looking into a suspicious fire at a traveller site, while daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister in law who disappeared in tragic circumstances. And then we have granddaughter Hannah who is investigating increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut - soon putting Hannah's own life in danger in the process…

With Dorothy taking a grieving homeless man under her wing, The Opposite of Lonely is yet another deeply personal and action packed slice of Skelfs drama that sees the three women take on some of their most perilous cases yet.

I love everything about this series. With strong female characters and a compelling storyline, I found myself once again completely immersed in the lives of the Skelf women. With a fascinating cast of characters and a storyline that keeps you guessing throughout, this is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.

As I've said in previous reviews, I think one of the things I love most about this series of books is that they aren't only thrilling crime novels with all the twists, turns and intensely shocking moments you would expect them to have, but they also tell the story of a family in turmoil, who are trying to come to terms with everything life has thrown their way, all at the same time as trying to hold on to the family values that they all hold so dear.

I fell in love with these strong but flawed women from the moment they were introduced, and have enjoyed seeing them begin to come into their own as the series continued, each contributing to the family and business in their own unique way.

In The Opposite of Lonely Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah continue to face their demons in such a way that I couldn't help but fall even more deeply in love with them.

Fast paced, intense and at times deeply shocking, The Opposite of Lonely is, as always, a story with family at its heart. Doug Johnstone's sharp wit and dark humour comes through with every page in a powerfully written story that peels back the layers of the Skelf women, exposing relatable, beautifully nuanced characters who become more and more fascinating with every book.

The Skelfs is a dark, thrilling and thought provoking series that is as warm and human as it is exciting and I've loved every moment of it so far! I can't wait to see what new adventures Doug Johnstone will have in store for the incredible Skelf women next!

The Opposite of Lonely by Doug Johnstone is available to purchase now: