I’m delighted to be joining the #SkelfSummer for Orenda Books, celebrating the Skelf series by Doug Johnstone. Today I’m resharing my review of The Opposite Of Lonely, which I originally wrote in September 2023. As always my post is shared with thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for inviting me on the tours, and for my copies of the books.

Blurb:

Even death needs company…

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 an illegal campsite 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…

Tense, unnerving and warmly funny, The Opposite of Lonely is the hugely anticipated fifth instalment in the unforgettable Skelfs series, and this time, danger comes from everywhere…

Review:

I love Doug Johnstone’s writing, and after a (wonderful) foray into science fiction earlier this year, I am so glad that we are back with the Skelf family. The Opposite Of Lonely once again invites us into the lives of three generations of amazing women: Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah. They’re all very different and clearly reflect their generation, but I love how progressive they are and how close they are to each other, as this makes the reader feel close to them too. In The Opposite Of Lonely, there is much opportunity for the characters to grow and I loved seeing the subtle changes in them as the novel reached its conclusion.

The Opposite Of Lonely is set in Edinburgh and the author’s sense of place is perfect. I don’t know Edinburgh well but the references to streets and landmarks make it easy to picture the scenes in the novel and be drawn into what is happening in the story.

There are several strands to the plot in The Opposite Of Lonely, as each woman deals primarily with a different case. However, it never feels like one takes precedence over another and Doug Johnstone brings everything together immaculately. I love how each strand is carefully researched and there are many references to current events and societal issues, which ground the novel in the present day and give it extra resonance. The plots themselves are fully engaging and I was intrigued throughout the novel as they built to a particularly thrilling ending with a definite sense of danger in places.

I’m never sure if a Skelf review will be my last one, as the series was meant to be a trilogy that has now reached a fifth book, but I definitely hope the series continues for a long time. I’m not ready to say goodbye to these ladies yet.

The Opposite Of Lonely is available from Amazon.