Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

27 reviews

kbio's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Stalking

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, Abortion, and Abandonment

taylorfield's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Long Story Short: 50 years ago, Sir Frank Churcher published The Golden Bones, an illustrated treasure hunt that took the world by storm and led to obsession, death, and attempted murder. The 50th anniversary is the perfect time to reintroduce the hunt with a modern twist, but much more is revealed than the location of the final hidden bone.

The Skeleton Key is set in 2021 with flashbacks to previous moments in the characters' lives. Speaking of characters - there are many and they are so intertwined with one another that my Long Story Short summary can't begin to scratch the surface of the full plot. The book starts off at a snail's pace as a consequence of the amount of characters and complexity of the story, and by a quarter of the way in I found myself double-checking that I was listening to a mystery/thriller. The pace picks up as the search for the Golden Bones restarts, but this moment is short lived and the treasure hunt plays only a minor role. As flashbacks reveal character dynamics, shady intentions, and abuse, discoveries in the present are filtered through a whodunit lens that ultimately leads to a dysfunctional group of people proving just how far they'll go to protect themselves.

I'm left with mixed feelings, but I suppose that's to be expected considering the cast of unlikable characters (save one or two) and their questionable decisions. It was hard to grasp the magnitude of the effect The Golden Bones had on the world when told through Nell's perspective; her dramatics and holier-than-thou attitude made it really hard to take her perception of danger seriously, especially when literally nothing comes of it. One thing that really stood out to me is how much these characters yell at one another, but I suppose that's another layer of the dysfunction. I guess my final takeaway is that the whole lot need intensive therapy.

Enjoyment: 3/5
Craft: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion

playfulplatypus's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was an ambitiously complex story with many characters, but it was written so artfully that I rarely felt lost in the complexity. The exposition of the twists was literally jaw dropping. So much so that I found myself circling back to earlier parts of the story to try to find the clues I must have missed. This was a work of art to read and I’d highly recommend it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Stalking

bonestheartist's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really loved how the mystery took you down different theories, as if you were with the main character Nell trying to uncover the secrets held close within her two families. Absolutely loved this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

imogenlj's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

3.75

A deftly plotted and complex multi-generational mystery. It feels modern and realistic in post-covid London. I wouldn’t reread but a good holiday thriller.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Infidelity, Stalking, and Murder

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

emmadobson_2812's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is an outstanding book. I absolutely loved it. A gripping, at times painful story, full of cleverly crafted twists and reveals. The best crime thriller I've read in a long time

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This absolutely drew me in straight away. My lovely in-laws had the Masquerade book that influenced The Skeleton Key, and I love the concept that a treasure hunt book could cause an entire generation of damage, obsession and trauma.

The Golden Bones is a creepy concept for a picture book, with its basis in folk songs from the early 20th century. The folksy side of things and the almost commune feel to the Churcher-Lally houses gave me The Family Upstairs vibes. Both books have huge mysteries surrounding these houses, with random clues all over the place.

As I got nearer the end I was even more reluctant to put the book down. It's tense and mysterious, but more than that it gets so twisty that I was desperate to keep unraveling. And in that the story definitely doesn't disappoint; there are so many reveals at various points that it was impossible to guess how things would end up. The dual timeline is great for fleshing out the story, and gradually adding connections throughout.

By the end I can't say that any of the characters were painted in the best light, but I understood their motivations; for most, protecting their families was at the heart of everything. There's one character with absolutely no redeeming qualities, but the rest are so complicated and morally grey, it's a lot to get your teeth into.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Murder

Minor: Child abuse and Suicide

noxtem's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

dia_ls's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

wrenl's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m not sure why I thought this would be like the 39 Clues series, aka a hunt for the bones, but I did. I didn’t expect a family drama, although I probably should have given the blurb. Regardless, I was engrossed. I was along for the drama. There were moments when I gasped out loud. The scandal! The tea!

It was really interesting that the story was across timelines and multiple perspectives. I understand why it uses multiple perspectives and timelines, but they muddy the story. It is a bit hard to get attached to any character, especially the parents Lal, Bridget, Frank, and Cora because their perspectives are so one-sided and blatant about their meaning. There were a few times I liked this structure, though. I did like the multiple perspectives for the Intimacies exhibit section because it ramps up tension with each person’s tiny bit of the story. The tension doesn’t really pan out when someone is straight up told what happened, though.

The actual plot is just okay. It is a very twisty and dramatic story, but there aren’t strong emotional moments like you’d expect from an intergenerational trauma story.

But honestly I just wanted a hint for bones.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault