I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am at the prospect of the third Skelfs book coming to bookshops this year! This has been one of the best series I have read in years and I love the way Doug Johnstone portrays this family of three generations of women who run a funeral home and a P.I. service.
The Great Silence is the third book in this trilogy which started with A Dark Matter and was followed by The Big Chill.
So what is The Great Silence about? Here’s the skinny:
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 Skelf’s teenage 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.
Doesn’t that sound MAGNIFICENT?!
Such a FANTASTIC book deserves an AMAZING cover, and that’s what this one delivers in spades! Isn’t it GORGEOUS? Designed by the wonderful Mark Swan who makes so many of Orenda’s special book jackets. I love this cover and can’t wait to read the book. So EXCITING!!
Here’s a bit about the author, the supremely talented writer and musician, Doug Johnstone.
Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve previous novels, most recently The BigChill (2020). Several of his books have been bestsellers and three, A DarkMatter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), were shortlisted for theMcIlvanney 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, 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
Visit his website: dougjohnstone.com
Photo: c. Duncan McGlynn
The Great Silence is out in e-book on 19th June and in paperback on 19th August
Pre-order here:
E-book : The Great Silence
Paperback: The Great Silence
Live and Deadly 
I share your excitement. I loved the first two titles in this series.
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