Published: 23/01/2020
Darkly funny and deftly plotted, this clever tale of funeral directors turned private eyes is awash with intrigue and brilliantly constructed plot twists.
Shortlisted for the The McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2020
Three generations of women from the Skelfs family take over the family funeral home and PI businesses in the first book of a taut, gripping page-turning and darkly funny new series.
Meet the Skelfs: 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 woman, 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...
A compelling, tense and shocking thriller and a darkly funny and warm portrait of a family in turmoil, A Dark Matter introduces a cast of unforgettable characters, marking the start of an addictive new series.
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 9781912374984
Number of pages: 300
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Deliciously chilling, with a wry humour running throughout ... toxic, unsettling and just perfect' - Random Things through My Letterbox
'A thriller that begs to be read in one sitting. Highly recommend' - The Book Review Cafe
'A Dark Matter is further proof that Doug Johnstone is as versatile a writer as they come ... there's rhythm and music in his words' - From Belgium with Booklove
'This is confident, assured characterisation that carries the story brilliantly well and keeps the reader utterly immersed in the interwoven story strands' - Live & Deadly
'Piercing, wonderfully real and so very readable ... a breath of fresh air' - LoveReading
'I can never get enough of Doug Johnstone's thoughtful, observant, soul-lifting writing' - Louise Beech
'That rare book with heart and smarts to lift it above your average crime novel' - Stuart Neville
'Dark, engrossing, impossible to put down. By turns a crime thriller, a family saga, and a page-turner, this book has everything!' - Luca Veste
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“Fantastic”
An absolute cracking novel which had me hooked with the first sentence. It's about a family of undertakers called the Skelfs. After Jim Skelf dies (he makes an appearance in the first chapter by burning to... More
“A very Dark Matter indeed”
Meet the Skelfs - three generations of Edinburgh women who run a funeral parlour and, by default, a private investigation company from the same room as the coffins are made and displayed (or the upstairs kitchen, on... More
“Intuitive and gripping...”
So, where to begin with A Dark Matter, as Doug Johnstone once again shows the complexity and diversity of his writing, making him one of the most accomplished writers in the crime genre at the moment. You genuinely... More
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