Review: A Dark Matter

A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in Edinburgh, this starts with a funeral pyre in the garden, just as Jim wanted it, melting feet aside!

It is the story of three women, Dorothy, Jim’s widow, Jenny, their daughter and Hannah, their granddaughter. All grieving, but carrying on with their family business, the Skelf funeral directors and private investigators.

When Hannah and her girlfriend, Indy’s flatmate goes missing she is determined to find out what has happened. Did she really know her friend? And what she finds will be devastating……

Meanwhile, Dorothy finds out her husband has kept secrets from her, namely a missing employee and regular monthly payments to an unknown account. So she and her friend, a police officer, try to find out more. Oh and an old man who thinks his carer is stealing from him..

And Jenny, is investigating a potential cheating husband for a client.

Can they find the answers they want and need?

I love this book, it’s full of secrets and a dark humour that makes you laugh and cringe at the same time…there’s love, family, empathy and a spot of gravedigging too. The Skelf’s are just so well developed characters, strong and very likeable, the 70 year old drummer, Dorothy, shows age is no barrier and man, can she wield a shovel!

A tense thriller, but also tells of a family dealing with grief…..heart pounding and heartwarming too. This is a read in one sitting novel and I’m already waiting for the next in this new series. Brilliant.


Thank you to Anne Cater for a free ecopy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

View all my reviews