Doug Johnstone

Ooft, always good to get to this stage. A ton of work still to do, but the first draft of the sixth Skelfs book is finished. Now to start tearing it to bits on Monday. Out in September!

I’m delighted to be heading to the Ennis Book Club Festival on 1st March, where I’ll be chatting with Denise Mina, Andrea Marra and Andrea Carter. Can’t wait!

I am delighted to announce there will be MORE SKELFS! I’ve signed a contract with Orenda Books to write two more in the series. The first of them has the working title Living is a Problem (from a Biffy Clyro song). Hopefully out by the end of 2024. Better go write it!

I am thrilled to officially launch The Opposite of Lonely at my local bookshop in Porty on Tuesday 19th September. I’ll be chatting to pal Mary Paulson-Ellis about life, death and everything in between. And I’ll be subjecting everyone to some tunes as well. Tickets here.

And you can check out the book’s trailer here:

As well as terrific reviews in the likes of The Scotsman and The Times, The Opposite of Lonely is in the middle of an amazing blog tour – check out the bloggers below for their reviews. Spoiler – they love it!

In The Opposite of Lonely Dorothy is finally in a band! She’s formed a band called The Multiverse made up of local musicians and refugees who play at charity gigs and funerals. They have a setlist which includes some of my favourite music at the moment, from The Avalanches to Sufjan Stevens, Lorde to Mavis Staples. Check out all the bands and artists mentioned in the book in this Spotify playlist.

My sixteenth novel is out today, published by the wonderful Orenda Books! You can get the paperback here or ebook here, or pick up a copy at your local independent bookshop. Or you can order signed and dedicated copies from my local shop, The Portobello Bookshop.

The Opposite of Lonely is the fifth outing in my Skelfs series, and I have to say that the early response to the book so far has been absolutely incredible, so I want to say a massive THANK YOU to the authors, bloggers, reviewers and readers who have connected with the book and taken the time to write, post or talk about it. 

As I’m sure you know, these are tough times for authors and publishers as much as anyone else, and word of mouth is more important than ever these days, so if you’ve read it and liked it – please tell someone, write a review, spread the word. Thank you!

Even death needs company…

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The Skelf women are recovering from the cataclysmic events that nearly claimed their lives. Their funeral-director and private-investigation businesses are back on track, and their cases are as perplexing as ever.

Matriarch Dorothy looks into a suspicious fire at an illegal campsite and takes a grieving, homeless man under her wing. Daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister-in-law, who disappeared in tragic circumstances, while grand-daughter Hannah is asked to investigate increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut … putting her own life at risk.

With a body lost at sea, funerals for those with no one to mourn them, reports of strange happenings in outer space, a funeral crasher with a painful secret, and a violent attack on one of the family, The Skelfs face their most personal – and perilous – cases yet. Doing things their way may cost them everything…

Tense, unnerving and warmly funny, The Opposite of Lonely is the hugely anticipated fifth instalment in the unforgettable Skelfs series, and this time, danger comes from everywhere…

Holy shit I LOVE this cover by Mark Swan. The new Skelfs book, THE OPPOSITE OF LONELY, coming in September from Orenda Books!

Pre-order here:

Print – https://geni.us/jPQXvu
Ebook – https://geni.us/LoBLS6

Pre-orders REALLY matter so don’t be shy!

Black Hearts is longlisted for the Theakston Award, alongside some absolute belters. Please vote for it here!