Published 23rd January 2020 by Orenda Books.
From the cover of the book:
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...
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A Dark Matter is the most wonderfully compelling and tense thriller that paints a darkly comic portrait of three generations of Skelf women trying to get along in the world, and with each other. This is the first part of a new family series by Doug Johnstone and is is an absolute corker. I could not put this book down once I started reading it and simply devoured it.
The lives of our Skelf protagonists have been turned upside-down by the events following Jim's death and trying to maintain a working relationship while dealing with their personal grief, suspicions and the strains of their new careers (and at the same time still be Grandmother/Mother/Granddaughter, with all that entails) is far from easy.
Dorothy is the unconventional matriarch - Californian born, with a gift for helping lost souls and a talented drum player to boot! The bottom has fallen out of her world with the loss of her husband and the discovery that he may not have been the man she thought he was. Dorothy may be old school in many ways, having lived on Scottish soil for most of her life, but her upbringing on the West Coast USA has given her a free-spirit at heart. She is complicated and acknowledges this, but she is also determined to see things through to the end.
Jenny, the daughter is also a complex character and having a hard time coming to terms with the loss of her father, Jim. She has been badly affected by her past experiences and is feeling untethered and unsure of the role she needs to play. Can she be relied upon to help her mother now she needs her? Can she be a good mother to her own daughter, even though she does not seem to need her? Does she have any answers...?
Hannah, the granddaughter, once so level-headed, so sure of herself and her relationship with her partner Indy. Uncovering the dark side of her missing friend's life, has shaken her to the core. Can you ever truly count on someone or really know them? Hannah may have more of her mother in her that she thought and her determined side is about to show.
All three are asking some pretty big questions of themselves and those they hold dear and Doug Johnstone steers us skillfully through their trials and tribulations as secrets and lies are uncovered along the way. The pace of the story is just right and the tension builds beautifully as the threads of each separate story-line are brought to satisfying and, in some cases, totally shocking climaxes. Our wonderful Skelf women are reeling by the end of the book, but at the same time, have discovered a lot about themselves and found a way to work together.
Alongside great characters and a cracking story, I really enjoyed the way Edinburgh is portrayed in this book. Our three Skelf women are from different generations and the city they know and love is individual to each of them. The changes that have come over the city of Edinburgh are acknowledged by Doug Johnstone in the way each of the Skelf women describe and interact with their surroundings and this really brought the city alive for me. I was particularly struck by the way Jenny harkens back to the Edinburgh of her youth, as she is closest in age to me. Edinburgh becomes more than just a backdrop for the events that are taking place in these pages - it becomes a character itself, and adds a depth to the whole story that is tantalising.
Reader, you will be won over by the way that the Skelf women discover that they are stronger than they ever thought possible, as they cope with everything that A Dark Matter can throw at them, and I have totally fallen in love with them all. There is something here for everyone! What a start to the series...
A Dark Matter is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.
**Review originally published January 2020.
Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his first science fiction novel, The Space Between Us, was a BBC2 Between the Covers pick.
He’s taught creative writing, been writer in residence at various institutions, 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.
He lives in Edinburgh.
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