The Skelf women are back on an even keel after everything they’ve been through. But when a funeral they’re conducting is attacked by a drone, Jenny fears they’re in the middle of an Edinburgh gangland vendetta.
At the same time, Yana, a Ukrainian member of the refugee choir that plays with Dorothy’s band, has gone missing. Searching for her leads Dorothy into strange and ominous territory.
And Brodie, the newest member of the extended Skelf family, comes to Hannah with a case: Something or someone has been disturbing the grave of his stillborn son.
Everything is changing for the Skelfs … Dorothy’s boyfriend Thomas is suffering PTSD after previous violent trauma, Jenny and Archie are becoming close, and Hannah’s case leads her to consider the curious concept of panpsychism, which brings new danger … while ghosts from the family’s past return to threaten their very lives.
Funny, shocking and profound, Living Is a Problem is the highly anticipated sixth instalment of the unforgettable Skelfs series – shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year – where life and death become intertwined more than ever before…
After re-sharing my reviews of the previous books in Doug Johnstone's Skelfs series for the #SkelfSummer celebrations in anticipation of the release of Living is a Problem, I'm thrilled to finally reach the main event. Many thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
There was a time when it looked as though the Skelfs series was going to be a trilogy. Thankfully, Doug Johnstone couldn't let his remarkable characters go and so we've continued to be treated to this piercingly insightful series which consistently manages to devastate and console us – often on the same page. It isn't completely necessary to have read the previous novels in the series as the most pertinent aspects of prior storylines are unobtrusively included to bring new readers up to speed. However, the emotional weight of what takes place here will probably be felt more keenly by those who have read the previous books. I would particularly recommend reading The Opposite of Lonely as it's the consequences to events in that novel which have such an impact here.
As the series has progressed, the funeral director side of the Skelf's business has evolved; they now describe themselves as natural undertakers, no longer embalm bodies and instead of providing expensively wasteful non-sustainable wood and brass coffins, they offer resomator water cremations and mushroom-suit burials. However, while it's customary for each new Skelfs book to open with an unorthodox funeral, what takes place at the service for local gangster Fraser Fulton has nothing to do with the new direction of the family-run undertaking firm. When a drone attack leaves both mourners and those attending in an official capacity in tears, Jenny suspects a gangland feud is to blame. Jenny has, with good reason, been the most troubled of the three Skelf women for much of the series but she is finally on a more even keel and thanks to her friendship with Archie, ready to chance trusting another person. She is still a natural risk-taker, however, and persuades the Fulton family to allow her to investigate whether a rival family of gangsters is to blame.
The truth isn't as straightforward and this time it's the previously almost indefatigable Dorothy who reaches her nadir. Although a missing Ukrainian woman who sings with the refugee choir that performs with Dorothy's band provides her with a case to investigate, it's her personal life which is particularly significant. This is the most melancholic we've seen the nonconforming matriarch of the family but as her boyfriend, Thomas's PTSD drives a widening breach between them, she starts to question everything she believes in. Male mental health is an important theme in Living is a Problem, especially regarding the reluctance of some men to seek help – sometimes with tragic circumstances.
On a related theme, Hannah is asked to investigate who might be disturbing the grave of Brodie's stillborn son. Brodie has only recently started working for the Skelfs after struggling to come to terms with his tragic loss in The Opposite of Lonely. As Hannah learns more unsettling revelations about Brodie, she begins to wonder whether he is more damaged than they believed but after attending a lecture on Integrated Information Theory given by a visiting professor and practising Buddhist priest, she begins to re-examine her beliefs about consciousness. One of the most enjoyable features of this series are the existential discussions and challenging theories explored, often with Hannah as our conduit. It's clear that she is struggling to find her place after finishing her PHD but she remains open to new concepts, even something as perplexing to Western minds as panpsychism.
It eventually leads to one of the most moving moments in the book, in a scene which emphasises another of the many admirable aspects of Doug Johnstone's writing. He never belittles death but through his empathetic, non-judgemental portrayal of different people going through the grieving process, he reminds us that death is universal and a topic we should be able to discuss openly and positively. Of course, Living is a Problem is still an exciting crime thriller and all three of the Skelf women find themselves facing danger before the twisted need for bitter revenge culminates in a tense, heartbreaking confrontation.
Even at its most shocking though, Living is a Problem is imbued with hope and the coming together of people at a communal funeral is a touching, uplifting conclusion to a book which is a rollercoaster of emotions throughout. This is character-driven crime fiction at its most intelligent and perceptive; Living is a Problem is another outstanding novel by an author who never fails to deliver.
Living is a Problem is published by Orenda Books and can be purchased directly from their website. Further purchasing links can be found here.
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