Ghost Notes
Will be published approx. on 13. August 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
276 pages
978-1-917764-37-7 (ISBN)
Description
A heart attack at a funeral, blackmail, murder, grief bots, affairs, the power of music and ghosts of every kind, who threaten the Skelfs' very existence. The Skelfs are back in another gripping, heartfelt and irresistible mystery.
'The persistence of love in the Skelf household, no matter what fate flings at it, is reassuring and life-affirming' The Times
'The Skelfs feel like family - their joys are my joys, their pains are my pain ... Edinburgh's favourite family, bringing darkness and delight' Val McDermid
'AI remain a happily hopeless Skelfaholic' Mark Billingham
______
The Skelf women have been keeping their heads down, running the family's funeral directors and private investigation businesses. But when a woman collapses at her husband's funeral and is saved by Dorothy, she finds herself drawn into the murky world of 'grief tech' - a booming new industry that creates digital avatars of the dead.
Jenny's latest case - a simple blackmail job for an old school friend - quickly spirals into chaos as the woman's tangled love life pulls Jenny towards dangerous old habits.
Meanwhile, Hannah and her wife, Indy, are confronted by the unexpected arrival of Indy's ex-boyfriend, claiming to be dying and eager for the Skelfs to arrange his funeral. But his arrival uncovers more ghosts from the past, and threatens to upend everything they've built.
As their cases collide and their personal lives spiral, the Skelfs face danger from all sides. How far will they go to protect one another, and what will it cost to finally silence the ghosts?
Warm, tense and full of heart, Ghost Notes is another masterful instalment in Doug Johnstone's award-winning, addictive Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever...
__________
Praise for The Skelfs series:
**SHORTLISTED for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year**
**SHORTLISTED for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel**
'Some of the best female characters in crime fiction' Sarah Hilary
'If you loved Iain Banks, you'll devour the Skelfs series' Erin Kelly
'An addictive blend of Case Histories and Six Feet Under' Chris Brookmyre
'Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave' Sunday Times
'Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become' Daily Mail
'Johnstone never fails to entertain whilst packing a serious emotional punch' Gytha Lodge
'An engrossing and beautifully written tale' Herald Scotland
'One of the greats of Scottish crime fiction' Luca Veste
'Gripping and blackly humorous' Observer
'A must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists' Publishers Weekly
'The persistence of love in the Skelf household, no matter what fate flings at it, is reassuring and life-affirming' The Times
'The Skelfs feel like family - their joys are my joys, their pains are my pain ... Edinburgh's favourite family, bringing darkness and delight' Val McDermid
'AI remain a happily hopeless Skelfaholic' Mark Billingham
______
The Skelf women have been keeping their heads down, running the family's funeral directors and private investigation businesses. But when a woman collapses at her husband's funeral and is saved by Dorothy, she finds herself drawn into the murky world of 'grief tech' - a booming new industry that creates digital avatars of the dead.
Jenny's latest case - a simple blackmail job for an old school friend - quickly spirals into chaos as the woman's tangled love life pulls Jenny towards dangerous old habits.
Meanwhile, Hannah and her wife, Indy, are confronted by the unexpected arrival of Indy's ex-boyfriend, claiming to be dying and eager for the Skelfs to arrange his funeral. But his arrival uncovers more ghosts from the past, and threatens to upend everything they've built.
As their cases collide and their personal lives spiral, the Skelfs face danger from all sides. How far will they go to protect one another, and what will it cost to finally silence the ghosts?
Warm, tense and full of heart, Ghost Notes is another masterful instalment in Doug Johnstone's award-winning, addictive Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever...
__________
Praise for The Skelfs series:
**SHORTLISTED for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year**
**SHORTLISTED for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel**
'Some of the best female characters in crime fiction' Sarah Hilary
'If you loved Iain Banks, you'll devour the Skelfs series' Erin Kelly
'An addictive blend of Case Histories and Six Feet Under' Chris Brookmyre
'Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave' Sunday Times
'Underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become' Daily Mail
'Johnstone never fails to entertain whilst packing a serious emotional punch' Gytha Lodge
'An engrossing and beautifully written tale' Herald Scotland
'One of the greats of Scottish crime fiction' Luca Veste
'Gripping and blackly humorous' Observer
'A must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists' Publishers Weekly
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-917764-37-7 (9781917764377)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve novels, most recently The Great Silence, the third in the Skelfs series, which has been optioned for TV. In 2021,The Big Chill, the second in the series, was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. In 2020, A Dark Matter, the first in the series, was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Independent Voice Book of the Year award. Black Hearts (Book four), will be published in 2022. Several of his books have been best sellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He's taught creative writing and 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, a band of crime writers. He's also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.