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The Great Silence (The Skelfs Book 3) by [Douglas Johnstone, Doug Johnstone]

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Douglas Johnstone

The Great Silence (The Skelfs Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Douglas Johnstone (Author), Doug Johnstone (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Book 3 of 4: The Skelfs

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The discovery of a human foot in an Edinburgh park, the inexplicable circumstances of a dying woman, and the missing daughter of Jenny’s violent ex-husband present the Skelf women with their most challenging – and deadly – cases yet… Book THREE in the addictive The Skelfs series!

‘Simply stunning. Tense, funny and deeply moving’ Mark Billingham

‘If you loved Iain Banks, you’ll devour the Skelfs series’ Erin Kelly

‘Nobody portrays modern Edinburgh better than Doug Johnstone. The Great Silence speaks volumes about the power of story’ Val McDermid

______________

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 Skelfs' teenaged 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.

______________

‘The power of this book, though, lies in the warm personalities and dark humour of the Skelfs, and by the end readers will be just as interested in their relationships with each other as the mysteries they are trying to solve’ Scotsman

‘Remarkable’ Sunday Times Crime Club STAR PICK

‘Keeps you hungry from page to page. A crime reader can’t ask anything more’ The Sun

‘Mysteries aplenty … a poignant reflection on grief and the potential for healing that lies within us all. A proper treat’ Mary Paulson-Ellis

‘A thrilling, atmospheric book, set in the dark streets of Edinburgh. That great city really came alive for me in this gripping tale. Move over Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone is coming through!’ Kate Rhodes

‘An unstoppable, thrilling, bullet train of a book that cleverly weaves in family and intrigue, and has real emotional impact. I totally loved it’ Helen Fields

‘This enjoyable mystery is also a touching and often funny portrayal of grief ... more, please’ Guardian

‘Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave’ Sunday Times

‘Exceptional … a must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists’ Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Skelfs series

***Shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Book of the Year***
***Longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year***
***Shortlisted for Amazon Publishing Capital Crime Thriller of the Year***

‘An engrossing and beautifully written tale that bears all the Doug Johnstone hallmarks in its warmth and darkly comic undertones’ Herald Scotland

‘Gripping and blackly humorous’ Observer

‘A tense ride strong, believable characters’ Kerry Hudson, Big Issue

‘I wouldn’t call him cosy, but there’s warmth to Johnstone’s writing’ Sunday Times

Print length

347 pages
Language

English
Publisher

ORENDA BOOKS
Publication date

19 June 2021
File size

2781 KB
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Review

'Emotionally complex, richly layered and darkly funny. An addictive blend of Case Histories and Six Feet Under.' Chris Brookmyre, author, Places in the Darkness on A Dark Matter

"I was addicted from the first page; gripping, gritty and darkly funny as hell." Erin Kelly, author, He Said/She Said on A Dark Matter

"I'd say that A Dark Matter showcases a writer at the peak of his powers, except that with every book, Doug Johnstone just gets better.' Val McDermid on A Dark Matter

"This is a must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists."Publishers Weekly starred review on The Big Chill --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of eleven novels, most recently The Big Chill, the second in the Skelfs series, which has just been optioned for TV. 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. In 2019, his thriller Breakers was also shortlisted for the prize. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and 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, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08WS62T7R
Publisher ‏ : ‎ ORENDA BOOKS (19 June 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2781 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages

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545 ratings

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Douglas Johnstone

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Doug Johnstone is the author of thirteen novels, most recently The Great Silence (2021). His previous book, The Big Chill (2020), was longlisted for the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year. 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 two decades including festivals, libraries, universities, schools, prisons and a funeral directors.

Doug is a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow and works as a mentor and manuscript assessor for many organisations, including The Literary Consultancy, Scottish Book Trust and New Writing North. He's been an arts journalist for over twenty years and has also written many short stories and screenplays. He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club.

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Spicewalker

A perfect end to the trilogy (but I still want more 😉)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2021

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The hardest part in reviewing a great book is just starting. That is how I have felt about The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone and why I have been putting off writing the review for nearly a whole month. No excuses, I just don't know how to say what I want to in a way that does the book justice but doesn't spoil it for others who have yet to read the book.   If you have read and loved this series as I have then it's kind of a bitter sweet moment reading this book as it is the end of the trilogy but I am really hoping, not the last we see of the three Skelf women. They have been a joy to spend time with, even if their lives have been somewhat turbulent and far from plain sailing. And, whichever way you look at these books - private investigation with a scientific slant, or family drama with the heart of a thriller, it is one hell of a memorable series for all of the right reasons. Perhaps it is just enough to simply list those then?

  1) Doug Johnstone has given us some of the most memorable and original opening scenes in crime fiction. It doesn't matter which of the three books you pick up, you could read the opening paragraphs and know just whose work you were reading. They may shock - this one in particular certainly made me smile - but they will stick in the mind long after you have finished the book.  

2) In the Skelf women - Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah - you have three characters who are full of anxiety, passion, melancholy, determination, resignation and loyalty and everything in between. The characters are infused with a touch of the author's own love of family, science and music which adds such authenticity to their personalities that you become completely invested in their lives. Who could help but love drumstick wielding rock-chick Gran Dorothy, or admire Hannah's absolutely love for all things scientific, or Jenny's dedication to her family.   

3) The stories are a perfect blend of tension, emotional depth and honesty which will have you on the edge of your seat one moment, laughing out loud the next and then experiencing the trembly bottom lip as Doug Johnstone skilfully plays with your emotions. Trust me, there are scenes in this book that will get that pulse thumping and others where you will be wiping the tear from your cheek, the one you really didn't want to have to shed. Each story has an element within that is socially relevant, so representative of modern life, that it will in turn make you more aware of things and people around you. And the author does not skimp on putting these women through the mill - each time I wonder just how much further he can push them. Apparently, a long way ...  

4) The scene setting and narrative skill of the books put you right at the heart of the action. I can picture each setting perfectly, find myself salivating over the thought of a lovely Söderberg pastry every damned time, and almost feel the biting wind as it blows its way across the city of Edinburgh.  

Are you tempted yet? I could tell you more about the story itself, about the missing person case, the unexpected family reunion, the Beast of Bruntsfield with its surprisingly emotional conclusion, or Hannah's foray into the world of alien communication - yes really - but I think to understand and to feel the powerful emotions that the story elicits, you need to read it for yourself. So yes, I'm sad to see the end of this trilogy. We are brought pretty much full circle in this story, ending as we begin, the Skelfs a little more battle scarred and world weary than when we first met them, but I kind of love them all the more for it.   

If you'd told me two years ago that a story of three generations of Edinburgh women - Funeral Directors-come-Private Investigators, would come to be one of my favourite crime series, I may have looked at you kind of funny. But, you know what? You'd have been right. Honest, gritty, socially relevant, powerful, emotional and just bloody good fun, this is a series and a book I would heartily recommend. Immerse yourself in the world of the Skelfs. You won't regret it.

5 people found this helpful

Jacob Collins

Dark, intriguing and so, so original!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2021

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The Skelf family are back in Doug Johnstone’s latest book, The Great Silence. This is such an original crime series, and this is one of my favourite books of the year so far. I couldn’t resist starting it as soon as my copy arrived. I have heard that this is the last book in this series, but I am really hoping that the Skelfs will return.

It’s fair to say that the Skelf family have been through a lot over the three books. There is intrigue right from the start in the latest book in this series, and Doug Johnstone certainly knows how to hit the ground running. When Dorothy is out walking her dog, Einstein, he comes across an embalmed human foot in a local Edinburgh Park. Hannah, her granddaughter, is asked to help out a friend of hers, who may or may not be in contact with aliens, as part of his research into possible life elsewhere in the universe. He thinks someone is deliberately targeting him. Things take an even darker turn when the daughter of Jenny’s violent ex-partner goes missing. And big cats are also stalking the city.

The Skelf women are still reeling from the events at the end of the last book. This doesn’t stop them from carrying on investigating the strange events that are taking place. Only the Skelf family could come across an embalmed human foot and not be particularly perturbed. I wanted to know just what was going on in Edinburgh, particularly with the reports of the big cats as well. It makes for a very chilling atmosphere which Doug Johnstone writes so well.

This story really gets dark as the events which are happening in the city are explored further. It is perhaps their most challenging case to date. In the Skelf family, Doug Johnstone has created a unique set of characters. They’re what makes this series so good and so original. I think Dorothy, in particular, is my favourite. You can see how they have developed over the course of the series and I have really grown attached to them.

What I loved particularly about this book and the last book in the series are the discussions Hannah has with her friends about exoplanets, which is a topic I am fascinated by. The nerdy part of my brain was buzzing when they talked about Seti and the exoplanets discovered so far in the universe.

This is a series which you really must read if you haven’t read it already. It’s dark, intriguing, and so, so original. Doug Johnstone is such a brilliant writer and he knows how to create unique and unforgettable characters. I highly recommend it.

One person found this helpful

Bindu

.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 August 2021

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God I love the Skelfs. ‘The Great Silence’ is a level above some of the crime fiction out there at the moment. Doug is a writer at the top of his game. The stuff he comes up with is genius. Only a Skelf book would have the following - messages from aliens, a big cat on the loose, random body parts appearing on the Links, children thinking their mother's lover is killing her, and also Craig is still on the loose! Phew, that's a lot of plot points but it definitely works. It more than works - it is sublime. I seriously get excited when I realise a new book is coming out.

The Great Silence is the third of the Skelfs series of books and you could read this one as a standalone, but I heartily recommend starting at the beginning as this series is seriously good. All three women of the family are such strong female leads that you can't help falling in love with the family and their madcap adventures. Scratch that - all the recurring characters are just as devilishly good.

You can see so much of Doug as a person in the Skelf books. He is a keen drummer and even plays in a band with Val McDermid, has a degree in physics and a PhD in astrophysics. The scenes where Dorothy is playing the drums are magic, as you can feel the passion pulsating through the page. Btw Doug or Orenda you should set up a Spotify playlist for all the songs which are referenced in each book!

A moot point here - if you mess around with Hannah and Indy at any point in this series I will stalk Edinburgh until I find you! 🤣 Their relationship fills me with hope and a feeling of light when I am reading their sections. A genuinely profound couple.

I really hope that there are many more Skelfs books to come as I adore them! This is where I need to praise Orenda books. Karen is not afraid to take a risk on what other publishers would be terrified to touch. But it's their loss as I don't think there has been an Orenda book that hasn't been amazing. Imagine rocking up to your publisher or agent going ‘yeah I want to set it in a funeral parlour and they are also private eyes!’ They would think you are crazy. But Karen embraces that and let's writers imaginations run wild and due to that you get exceptional books like the Skelfs. Roll on the next one!

One person found this helpful

Kate

Review

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 July 2021

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I have been looking forward to reading The Great Silence for ages and it did not disappoint! I love the Skelf ladies: their determination, their compassion and their brilliant relationship with each other is something you don't quite get in the same way in other novels. This series is obviously matriarchal and I love the way Johnstone uses this to reflect on societal conventions, most of which these ladies subvert in a wonderful way.

There is so much going on in The Great Silence but I never felt overwhelmed and I had equal interest in each subplot - I wanted to know how each part of the novel would work out. Through the different subplots, Johnstone has the opportunity to explore so many different themes that there will be something in this novel to resonate with everyone and I love that it covers so many elements of humanity.

Since reading The Great Silence, I have found out that the Skelf series will not be a trilogy as I originally thought and there will be more to come from these characters. I was delighted to hear this, and I can't wait to see how the series continues.

One person found this helpful

Mr. R. Mackinnon

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2022

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Have so enjoyed the full series of books, and all the family characters with there different personalities, yes, some of the story line bit far fetched, but overall, I found it a very humorous book, like the rest of them well written

Sorry to hear that there will be no longer any more written.........................started to read his other books but not the same as the scelff family!!

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