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A review by portybelle
A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone
4.0
A Dark Matter is the latest novel from Doug Johnstone and was partly inspired by his time as writer in residence at a funeral directors in Edinburgh. It begins with three generations of the Skelf family attending the cremation of Jim Skelf, in a rather unorthodox send-off. As well as owning and running the Skelf family funeral directors, Jim had a sideline in private detective work. With Jim gone, the women of the family soon find themselves getting involved in various investigations. In days gone by, funeral directors often were joiners or cabinet makers too so it could be said that the Skelf family are keeping up tradition by having a second line of business.
Is 'skelf' a Scottish word? I have a feeling that it might be. So just in case you aren't familiar with the word, let me explain that it's a word for a small splinter of wood, something that gets stuck under your skin and can be painful and irritating. Now I definitely didn't find the book irritating but the characters and plots definitely got under my skin.
I loved the Edinburgh setting and Doug Johnstone's mentions of so many places familiar to me really brought the city to life for me. Ironic perhaps given the undertakers theme! This is a distinctly Scottish book from its setting, to the characters and to the way they spoke. I had a smile when reading that the Meadows were hoaching one warm evening. Does everyone know what hoaching means? The language used and the places mentioned were just spot on. I admit to being a little unnerved though at what was going on one dark night at the cemetery just up the road from where I live...
I thought writing about three generations of women and having the chapters narrated from each one's point of view worked really well. Dorothy was the grandmother and Jim's widow and perhaps rather surprisingly an excellent drummer! Jenny was her daughter, somewhat down on her luck and finding that getting involved with the family business was just what she needed at that point in time. Hannah was Jenny's daughter, a student at Edinburgh university with a close connection to one of the investigations. There was something of interest about each of these strong women and I found the cases they were working on really intriguing. The Skelfs really were a fascinating family.
What I like about Doug Johnstone's books is that they are all quite different. This book isn't just a crime book, isn't just a straightforward murder mystery, isn't just about running a funeral director business, isn't just a family drama but includes elements of each (and dare I suggest the tiniest hint of romance?) and the different parts all complement each other really well. I am pleased that A Dark Matter is the first in a series to feature the Skelf women and I'm looking forward to finding out where their next investigations lead.
Is 'skelf' a Scottish word? I have a feeling that it might be. So just in case you aren't familiar with the word, let me explain that it's a word for a small splinter of wood, something that gets stuck under your skin and can be painful and irritating. Now I definitely didn't find the book irritating but the characters and plots definitely got under my skin.
I loved the Edinburgh setting and Doug Johnstone's mentions of so many places familiar to me really brought the city to life for me. Ironic perhaps given the undertakers theme! This is a distinctly Scottish book from its setting, to the characters and to the way they spoke. I had a smile when reading that the Meadows were hoaching one warm evening. Does everyone know what hoaching means? The language used and the places mentioned were just spot on. I admit to being a little unnerved though at what was going on one dark night at the cemetery just up the road from where I live...
I thought writing about three generations of women and having the chapters narrated from each one's point of view worked really well. Dorothy was the grandmother and Jim's widow and perhaps rather surprisingly an excellent drummer! Jenny was her daughter, somewhat down on her luck and finding that getting involved with the family business was just what she needed at that point in time. Hannah was Jenny's daughter, a student at Edinburgh university with a close connection to one of the investigations. There was something of interest about each of these strong women and I found the cases they were working on really intriguing. The Skelfs really were a fascinating family.
What I like about Doug Johnstone's books is that they are all quite different. This book isn't just a crime book, isn't just a straightforward murder mystery, isn't just about running a funeral director business, isn't just a family drama but includes elements of each (and dare I suggest the tiniest hint of romance?) and the different parts all complement each other really well. I am pleased that A Dark Matter is the first in a series to feature the Skelf women and I'm looking forward to finding out where their next investigations lead.