Still coming to terms with the near-death attacks by a local police officer, the Skelfs find themselves investigating the disappearance of a Ukrainian refugee, gangland warfare and a case very close to home.
A new addition to the Skelf series by Doug Johnstone is always a highlight of the year. Book 6 in the series, Living Is A Problem, is probably my favourite. I'm still not sure how a book about three women who run a funeral business and solve crimes works, but it does. I suspect part of it is that the books make you think; think about your place in the universe and about connections. The other element is enlightening the reader about death, normalising conversations about the topic and making you aware of how the business of death has moved with the times and that we now have far more options available to us.
As usual, the book opens at a funeral service, this time around it's for the head of one of Edinburgh's criminal gangs. More often than not the opening chapters of the series have a humorous element, this time around the tone is far more serious and sees Jenny desperately try to prevent open warfare between rival gangs.
Dorothy finds herself struggling to help her partner Thomas. Following the attacks at the end of the previous book, The Opposite Of Lonely, Thomas is in a dark place, refusing any type of counselling. The sense of community Dorothy gets from being involved in a collective of musicians has certainly helped her to come to terms with the brutal attack, but it has also brought her a new case. Yana, a Ukrainian refugee, who is part of the choir has gone missing, leaving behind her children.
Hannah is trying to decide what to do next after finishing her PhD in astrophysics. Helping out at the funeral home she learns that Brodie, one of their employees, is worried that someone has attacked the grave of his stillborn son. As Hannah investigates she uncovers more about Brodie and also becomes intrigued by panpsychism (the belief that everything is conscious).
The investigation by each member of the family leads to greater problems for each of them, but overshadowing it all is the threat posed by Don Webster, the police officer who almost killed Dorothy and Thomas. This threat fills you with a sense of foreboding as you read, wondering where the danger will surface next.
It was lovely to see Jenny being kinder to herself and in a happy place. However, Doug Johnstone, has this knack of showing us that in the universe everything is connected and there needs to be balance. With one of the family discovering happiness, another seems to pay the price, leading to an ending that left me quite bereft.
Author Details
Doug Johnstone is the author of Fourteen novels, includingThe Great Silence, the third in the Skelfs series, which has been optioned for In 2021, The Big Chill, the second in the series, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2020, A Dark Matter, the first in the series, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Independent Voice Book of the Year award. Black Hearts (Book four), was published in 2022, with The Opposite of Lonely (book five) out in 2023. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his first science fiction novel, The Space Between Us, was a BBC2 Between the Covers pick. He’s taught creative writing, been writer in residence at various institutions, and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. He lives in Edinburgh.
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