The Skelfs series

Get the FIRST SIX books in Doug Johnstone's addictive, darkly funny and unmissable The Skelfs series in one GREAT-VALUE Box Set.

When family patriarch Jim dies, three generations of Edinburgh women – widow Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah – take over the family funeral directors and PI businesses. From missing people and faked deaths to gangland vendettas and graveyard secrets, their investigations pull them into danger in a series of tense, warmly funny and unforgettable mysteries.

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'The Skelfs feel like family – their joys are my joys, their pains are my pain' Val McDermid

'Tense, funny and deeply moving' Mark Billingham

'Some of the best female characters in crime fiction' Sarah Hilary

'Gripping and blackly humorous' Observer

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A Dark Matter (book 1)

Jim's death leaves Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah in charge — but a vanished friend, a cheating husband and hidden affairs soon make their first cases lethal.

The Big Chill (book 2)

A car crashes into an open grave, an elderly professor grows dangerously obsessed and old enemies plot revenge.

The Great Silence (book 3)

A severed foot, a dying woman's secret and a missing girl tied to Jenny's violent ex push the family into deadly territory.

Black Hearts (book 4)

A possible faked death, a stalker threatening Hannah and ghosts from Jenny's past bring peril to all three.

The Opposite of Lonely (book 5)

Suspicious fires, conspiracy theorists and a missing sister-in-law test loyalty and survival closer to home.

Living Is a Problem (book 6)

A funeral attacked by a drone, gangland violence and graveyard intrusions force the Skelfs to fight for their lives.

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'Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become' Daily Mail

'Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave' Sunday Times

'A unique brand of crime fiction boasting rare heart and depth' Ambrose Parry