#BlogTour The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone

 The Third book in the bestselling McIlVanney - shortlisted Skelfs series! From the discovery of a human foot in a park, to the missing daughter of Jenny’s violent ex-husband… the stakes have never been higher for the Skelf family.

(Author pic credit - Duncan McGlynn)

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone.

About the Author

Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve previous novels, most recently The Big Chill (2020). 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 decade – including at a funeral parlour ahead of writing A Dark Matter – 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 and visit his website: dougjohnstone.com.

About the book

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.

Daughter Jenny and grand-daughter Hannah have their hands full too: the mysterious circumstances of a dying woman have led 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 a 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.

Review

Am I the only one that thinks the way Dorothy handles the whole 'finding a foot' business is kind of odd. I know in their profession they are used to dead bodies, death and much more due to the Skelfs little side business, but honestly anyone would think she found a Roman coin and stuck it in her pocket to take home. How many body parts is she used to finding whilst walking the dog? Everyone else - Jesus weeps, Dorothy - ah a foot.

Unfortunately, much like a bad smell, the psycho Craig is lingering in the background again. Just there on the periphery of their lives to make sure they never feel completely safe, which is exactly what he wants. Fear equals control. 

Reading The Skelfs is a little bit like watching improv Comedy done by the local AmDram society - you just never know what you're going to get next, sometimes it is completely out of left field. Johnstone has written the story in a way that gives it a multi interlinked story feel. Each character has their own mystery or problem to solve, and how that is done effectively by supporting and trusting each other.

I am surprised this series is being brought to a conclusion and only presented as a trilogy, but perhaps the author will bring them back in a spin-off or a special Skelf extravaganza. It's a quirky dark domestic series with a cosy crime feel, subtle sharp humour and the kind of premise that promises an entertaining read - even when it gets serious.

Buy The Great Silence at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Orenda Books , pub date 19 August 2021 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books.

#BlogTour The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone. It's the second book in The Skelfs series.

About the Author
Doug Johnstone is the author of more ten novels, most recently Breakers (2019), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and A Dark Matter (2020), which launched the Skelfs series. 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 – including a funeral home, which he drew on to write A Dark Matter – 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.

Follow @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks on Twitter, Follow Doug on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit dougjohnstone.com,  Buy The Big Chill

About the book
Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a quieter life. But running both a funeral directors’ and a private investigation business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open grave at a funeral Dorothy is conducting, she can’t help looking into the dead driver ’s shadowy life.

While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own struggles. Jenny’s ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the Skelf women’s lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.

But something even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy’s disappears, and
suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves immersed in an unbearable darkness – but could the real threat be to themselves?

Review
Seems like an odd career combination, private investigators and funeral directors at the same time. The Skelfs however do it with a certain eccentricity, wit and pinch of darkness at times.

This is the second book in The Skelfs series, the first is A Dark Matter. Both can be read as standalone novels, although there is one storyline from the first that flows into this one. I would recommend reading it to get the gist of the series. Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah are three generations of women worth getting to know.

The book starts out with a car chase that ends where the Skelfs do the majority of their business. The incident sets Dorothy on the path to find the truth. Jenny finds that the tables can be turned quite quickly when you aren't paying attention and Hannah is dealing with the aftermath of a dark revelation in the first book.

It's a mystery and crime read that mixes aspects of contemporary women's fiction into it, because the women at the helm of this story aren't willing to be squeezed into one genre or category. They are strong and determined to overcome whatever comes their way or is an obstacle in their path.

Johnstone has a knack for infusing his work with a tinge of noir, the absurd and often teeters on the boundaries of uncomfortable topics. It's what I would call a melded reading experience. He draws from every avenue to create a mosaic like story, with all threads eventually leading back to the origin of the piece - the strength of women.

Buy The Big Chill at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books: pub date 20 AUGUST 2020 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books.

Read my reviews of A Dark Matter, Breakers and Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone.

#BlogTour A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone.

About the Author
Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. 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 – including a funeral home – 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.

Follow @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks on Twitter, Follow Doug on Goodreads, on Amazon,
Visit  dougjohnstone.com, Buy A Dark Matter

About the book
After an unexpected death, three generations of women take over the family funeral-home and PI businesses in the first book of a brilliant, page-turning and darkly funny new series.

The Skelfs are a well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators. When patriarch Jim dies, it ’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another women, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything… It ’s a compelling and tense thriller and a darkly funny, warm portrait of a family in turmoil.

Review
When it comes to this particular author I find it fascinating how his stories have a chameleon like tendency to them. It's almost as if settling on one genre is simply not fulfilling enough, especially when inspiration takes one in a completely different direction every time. You just never know where a Johnstone story will take you next.

I loved the way this story began. It's slightly morbid and yet at times wonderfully entertaining. It's also exactly what my father said to do in the event of his demise, and he wasn't joking either. Meet the remaining stronghold of the Skelf family - Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah. The grandmother, mother and daughter funeral parlour and private investigator team.

When the patriarch of the family dies each of them is drawn into a mystery of sorts, which in a way helps them overcome the grief of his passing. Dorothy wants to know why her husband has been paying a stranger a lump sum of money every month. Hannah believes something has happened to her close friend, and Jenny gets dragged into murky personal issues.

It's a domestic noir - a story of death, love and betrayal.

There were a few moments or scenes in the book when I thought the author was crossing the line. Inappropriate, crude and violent behaviour. Then I took a step back and thought about the point he was trying to make. Johnstone isn't one for gratuitous violence or scenes - there is usually a subtle message, although one could argue about the subtlety.

The question of double standards arises in regards to sexual assault. Women and girls of all ages grow up dealing with the reality that they will become the victim of some type of inappropriate transgression towards them. It is systemic and has become the norm. Not all men fall into that bracket, but those that due have a lack of comprehension when it comes to consent.

What happens when the tables are turned. Do two wrongs make a right? There is a sentence in the book about the #Metoo era -  it is quite poignant in regards to the way Jenny acts. Whether the uprising against the systemic abuse nullify the validity of men as victims.

There is also a scene with Hannah, which is sort of waved away as if it were merely a moment of female hysteria. If she were a man the reaction to her violent response would be completely different. In that respect I think Johnstone makes some valid points about the way we as a society view gender in regards to violence, assault and inappropriate behaviour.

I wonder if the Skelfs will return again to solve crimes and bury the dead.

Buy A Dark Matter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books; pub date 23 January 2019 | Paperback Original | £8.99. Buy Kindle edition. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Breakers and Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone.

#BlogTour Breakers by Doug Johnstone

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Breakers by Doug Johnstone. It's a captivating fast-paced thriller that has the brusque authentic feel of life and not of fiction.

About the Author
Doug Johnstone is an author, journalist and musician based in Edinburgh. He’s had nine novels published, most recently Fault Lines. His previous novel, The Jump, was a finalist for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his other novels have been award winners and bestsellers, and he’s had short stories published in numerous anthologies and literary magazines.

His work has been praised by the likes of Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Irvine Welsh. Several of his novels have been optioned for film and television. Doug is also a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow. He’s worked as an RLF Fellow at Queen Margaret University, taught creative writing at Strathclyde University and William Purves Funeral Directors.

He mentors and assesses manuscripts for The Literary Consultancy and regularly tutors at Moniack Mhor writing retreat. Doug has released seven albums in various bands, and is drummer, vocalist and occasional guitarist for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He also reviews books for The Big Issue magazine, is player-manager for Scotland Writers Football Club and has a PhD in nuclear physics.

Follow @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks on Twitter, Follow Doug on Goodreads, on Amazon,
Visit  dougjohnstone.com
Buy Breakers

About the book
Seventeen-year-old Tyler lives in one of Edinburgh’s most deprived areas. Whilst trying to care for his little sister and his drug-addicted mother, he’s also coerced into robbing rich people’s homes by his bullying older siblings.

One night whilst on a job, his brother Barry stabs a homeowner and leaves her for dead. And that ’s just the beginning of their nightmare, because they soon discover the woman is the wife of Edinburgh’s biggest crime lord, Deke Holt.

With the police and the Holts closing in, and his shattered family in terrible danger, Tyler is running out of options, until he meets posh girl Flick in another stranger ’s house. Could she be his salvation? Or will he end up dragging her down with him?

Review
As far as I am concerned this is Johnstone's best book yet. Absolutely, without a doubt, hits the nail on the head, and he has just uncovered his own literary deposit of gold.

This story takes place predominantly in one of the most deprived areas of Edinburgh. Seventeen-year-old Tyler is forced to take part in break-ins and robberies with his two half-siblings. His brother Barry is violent, abusive and high the majority of the time. The only reason Tyler participates is because he will do anything to keep his younger sister Bean safe, and out of the the grasp of social services.

There is no support coming his way, as he navigates being both mother and father to Bean. Taking her to school, feeding and dressing her, and making sure she sleeps at night. His, their mother, the drug and alcohol addict can't even take care of herself let alone any of her children.

This story follows Tyler after a simple enter-grab-scarper turns into a deadly nightmare, when they pick the wrong house and people to steal from. Barry goes too far and Tyler finds himself stuck in a nightmare in the midst of his own personal daily one.

I came away from this read thinking about the overall feel of it and a possible comparison to be able to describe it to other readers. I'm not sure these pop culture references will make sense to non-Brits, but perhaps a few will get where I am going with this.

There are Brit films that achieve a certain status of fame, because they hit and portray the reality of life in such an authentic way that the audience connects and never forgets, hence achieving cult status at some point. Think Trainspotting, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and even Rita, Sue and Bob Too.

Each of those capture a certain element of life on the front-line of economic depravity and or the criminal Brit gangster world, which Johnstone brings together in this story in a perfect collusion of truth meets fiction.

It's urban crime with a strong message about socio-economic deprivation and its impact on our young people and children. It's a captivating fast-paced thriller, urban crime that has the brusque authentic feel of life and not of fiction.

Buy Breakers at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books; pub date 16 May 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone

#BlogTour Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone

Today it is my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour for Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone. In this tale the earth beneath our feet plays a big part in the crime scenario. It is always in the background, whilst the story is happening, and perhaps it also influences the outcome of events, even if it is just via the visceral connection the main character has with her surroundings.

About the Author
Doug Johnstone is an author, journalist and musician based in Edinburgh. He’s had eight novels published, most recently Crash Land. His previous novel, The Jump, was a finalist for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish CrimeNovel of the Year. Doug is also a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow.

He’s worked as an RLF Fellow at Queen Margaret University, taught creative writing at Strathclyde University and been Writer in Residence at Strathclyde University and William Purves Funeral Directors. He mentors and assesses manuscripts for The Literary Consultancy and regularly tutors at Moniack Mhor writing retreat. Doug has released seven albums in various bands, reviews books for the Big Issue, is player-manager for Scotland Writers Football Club and has a PhD in nuclear physics.

Follow @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks
Visit  dougjohnstone.com
Buy Fault Lines

About the book
In a reimagined contemporary Edinburgh, where a tectonic fault has opened up to produce a new
volcano in the Firth of Forth, and where tremors are an everyday occurrence, volcanologist Surtsey
makes a shocking discovery.

On a clandestine trip to new volcanic island The Inch, to meet Tom, her lover and her boss, she finds
his lifeless body, and makes the fatal decision to keep their affair, and her discovery, a secret.
Desperate to know how he died, but also terrified she’ll be exposed, Surtsey’s life quickly spirals into
a nightmare when someone makes contact – someone who claims to know what she’s done…

Review
Although this is a fictional scenario of an island in Scotland caused by a volcanic eruption, it is more a case of bringing the historical and geological context of Scotland and volcanoes back with a modern day scenario.

Surtsey finds herself drawn into the middle of a murder mystery when her lover is found dead on a remote island only certain people have access to. To be more specific it looks like she might have had something to do with it, and it doesn't help that her first instinct is to lie, hide the truth and get defensive. Not exactly the behaviour of an innocent woman.

Surtsey feels connected to the land, earth and country. At times she thinks the land she walks on is speaking to her, especially the tremors and the earthquakes. Perhaps in a way she even thinks it is warning her. Warning her about the web being drawn around her, a web of deceit and a web filled with corpses. Or is Surtsey playing a her own game of murder, betrayal and duplicity?

Johnstone writes a compelling crime with a fascinating connection between the main character and the living breathing being called earth. It's as if they are walking hand-in-hand and communicating with each other or is the earth merely showing us who the more powerful player is, in this game of survival.

The subtle underlying message is a warning, that if we continue to ignore the obvious repercussions of our greedy and ignorant behaviour, we may one day be consumed by the earth we are contaminating. In a way the author draws a parallel between the instinctual human behaviour patterns, especially in regards to violence and destruction, and the companies who put money before survival of humankind.

In this tale the earth beneath our feet plays a big part in the crime scenario. It is always in the background, whilst the story is happening, and perhaps it also influences the outcome of events, even if it is just via the visceral connection the main character has with her surroundings.

Fault Lines is an intriguing crime story, which is strengthened by the imagery and vivid descriptions. Johnstone makes you feel the earth move under your feet, convinces the reader that the tremors are reaching up and travelling through your body. You may never feel the same way about certain areas in Scotland again.

Buy Fault Lines at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher Orenda Books orendabooks.co.uk
Paperback release 22 May 2018  Kindle release 28 Feb 2018