My favourite crime fighting family is back and I am so happy! 🙂 The Opposite of Lonely is the fifth novel in the refreshing Skelf crime series that focuses on the three generations of kick-ass yet vulnerable women in this family. I am a big fan of this quirky, brilliant series which is written by bestselling Scottish writer Doug Johnstone. I have loved every book in the series as my previous reviews show, with this latest novel no exception.
- A Dark Matter; grit, intrigue and humour
- The Big Chill; a cracking crime sequel
- Black Hearts; tense, dark and explosive
For those of you that have never read any of the Skelf books, I encourage you to do so. Unique and addictive, the series focuses on a family of Edinburgh based women that run a funeral director business, as well as being private investigators on the side. As you can imagine, this leads to many dangerous exploits which makes exciting reading for us.
As well as being full of adventure and dramatic tension, The Opposite of Lonely is a very moving novel. It skilfully explores deep societal issues including the abuse of power in many forms, discrimination and social judgement, and the strength of community, even in death.
Dorothy, the matriarch of the family is now 73 but she is not letting age stop her. I love Dorothy as a character and all that she believes in. I can’t wait to discover who is cast to play her in the screen adaptation of these books, which is currently in production. In this latest novel Dorothy befriends a community of travellers. As well as witnessing the small minded discrimination these travellers experience on a regular basis, Dorothy soon finds herself investigating a horrendous arson attack against the travelling community. However Dorothy is not prepared for the shocking revelations of where this investigation will lead.
Dorothy’s daughter Jenny is slowly starting to find a sense of calm following the physical and emotional turmoil she has experienced over the last few years due to the momentous and shocking actions of Craig, her ex husband. But then Craig’s terminally ill mother contacts Jenny asking for her help, resulting in her seeking out an old nemesis.
And then there is Hannah, Jenny’s daughter and Dorothy’s granddaughter, who, struggling with her PhD finds a bit of escape when she meets Kirsty, the first ever Scottish female astronaut. Excuse the pun but Hannah is starstruck by Kirsty. She eagerly agrees to help when the astronaut asks Hannah to investigate a potential stalker. Yet Hannah soon discovers that Kirsty is not quite who she presents to the world and is happy to cross boundaries. But has Kirsty got permission to cross these boundaries, and will this bring danger to Hannah and all she holds dear?
Just like the previous novels, Doug Johnstone has skilfully developed a series of thought-provoking plot threads, brilliantly bringing them all together for a dramatic climax.
The Opposite of Lonely is published on 14 September by Orenda Books. It another great read that is dramatic and enthralling, yet it also explores the true power of inclusion and acceptance. It has left me really excited to discover what’s to come for the Skelf’s.
Thank you Anne Cater for inviting me to the blog tour of this fantastic novel. To follow the blog tour, please see below.
Thanks for the blog tour support x