The Skelf women have been keeping their heads down, running the family’s funeral directors and private investigation businesses. But when a woman collapses at her husband’s funeral and is saved by Dorothy, she finds herself drawn into the murky world of ‘grief tech’ – a booming new industry that creates digital avatars of the dead.
Jenny’s latest case – a simple blackmail job for an old school friend – quickly spirals into chaos as the woman’s tangled love life pulls Jenny towards dangerous old habits.
Meanwhile, Hannah and her wife, Indy, are confronted by the unexpected arrival of Indy’s ex-boyfriend, claiming to be dying and eager for the Skelfs to arrange his funeral. But his arrival uncovers more ghosts from the past, and threatens to upend everything they’ve built.
As their cases collide and their personal lives spiral, the Skelfs face danger from all sides. How far will they go to protect one another, and what will it cost to finally silence the ghosts?
Warm, tense and full of heart, Ghost Notes is another masterful instalment in Doug Johnstone’s award-winning, addictive Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever…
It is such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Ghost Notes by Doug Johnstone today. Many thanks to Orenda Books for my advance copy of the novel and to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me.
I always look forward to being reunited with the Skelfs with such anticipation; each book is tense, profound and poignant and Ghost Notes, the seventh instalment in the series is no exception. It is possible to read this as a standalone but you will miss the rich backstory Doug Johnstone has created and there are spoilers to previous events, so I'd recommend starting with A Dark Matter if possible – trust me, you won't regret it!
Life has moved on for the three Skelf women and their friends and family since Living is a Problem and their funeral business in particular has seen some significant changes. One of the many things I love about this series is the way it encourages readers to perhaps reconsider the finality of death. Without ever minimising grief, Doug Johnstone sensitively explores the subject and as the Skelfs move away from traditional funerals to offer more eco-friendly options, there's a comfort to be found in being reminded of our interconnectedness to one another, the past and the natural world.
The 'ghost notes' of the title refer to soft notes played between the main beats but there are other ghosts haunting the Skelfs – just not the supernatural kind. It's the ghosts of the past that cause such disruption here, particularly for Hannah and Indy. When Indy's ex-boyfriend, Yannis unexpectedly turns up, Hannah realises she doesn't know her wife's history as well as she thought and it leads to her questioning their relationship. Having previously always seemed so solid together, it's fascinating to see them negotiate this challenge to their togetherness, especially after they are threatened by another old face from Indy's past. Yannis claims he is dying of cancer and wants the Skelfs to organise his funeral but Indy doesn't trust him – with good reason, it turns out – and it's not revealed until late in the novel as to whether he has been telling the truth. In the meantime, Hannah has to confront her confusing, tumultuous feelings about Indy.
Jenny's ghosts are her own memories of her wild youth and the risky excitement she is still drawn to, despite finding love with the kind, dependable Archie. The Skelfs are also private investigators, of course, and she is approached by an old school friend, Robin, who has been having an affair with a younger colleague. She clearly hasn't been as discreet as she claims because somebody is trying to blackmail her. Now a successful property developer, Robin offers to pay four times the Skelfs usual fee and Jenny accepts, not realising what a traumatic turn the case will take. Jenny has always been the most unpredictable of the Skelf women but this emotionally draining, convoluted investigation forces her to make some difficult decisions about her own future too.
Meanwhile, Dorothy is being ghosted by her former lover, Thomas but she has a more pressing issue to contend with after she is given little choice but to investigate a recent suicide. This is the most moving strand of Ghost Notes but although the topic is heartbreaking, Doug Johnstone's empathetic writing is never mawkish or judgmental. I've seen adverts on social media that offer to make photos come to life and having lost my parents and brother, it has briefly crossed my mind to try one of them. However, I've ultimately felt it's better for the grief process to accept their deaths rather than to ask AI to produce facsimiles of them. Dorothy discovers a far more unsettling development to the grief industry here, however, when she learns that a bereaved father was able to communicate with the digital avatar of his dead daughter. Whether through cynical profiteering or wilful naivety, the dangers of encouraging grief-stricken people to try to artificially hold on to their loved ones is disturbingly examined before the tense, emotive climax.
The geography, history and architecture of Edinburgh combine to ensure it almost becomes a character in its own right but Doug Johnstone reflects upon the increasingly darker side of the city too – most notably with regards to the asylum seekers and refugees attempting to build new lives for themselves there. It's not a situation unique to Edinburgh of course. but seems especially sad for a place so renowned for being welcoming and inclusive. However, hope is found here too and in a world that often seems fractured and unforgiving, Ghost Notes is that rare gritty crime novel that reminds and reassures us of the communities of people who support and look out for one another.
With its pitch-perfect mix of light and shade, Ghost Notes is a starkly honest yet beautifully written novel from start to finish. Captivating, thought-provoking and thrilling; I highly recommend it.
Ghost Notes is published by Orenda Books and can be ordered from their website. Further purchasing links can he found here.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
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Doug Johnstone is the author of twenty novels, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted – and The Big Chill longlisted – for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year.
Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral home. He’s also been an arts journalist for 25 years. He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club and lives in Edinburgh with his family.
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