It took me almost one year until getting to continue my story with the Skelfs. The fifth installment in the series, The Opposite of Lonely, published by the always surprising Orenda Books continues the adventures of the women behind the mortuary company with a sweet spot for real (not after)-life detective investigations. For me, it was the second book, but felt somehow that I may need to start from the very beginning in order to figure out the roles the author assigned with the characters, as well as the continuity of the cast and the changes to the scenery.
Set in Edinburgh, the story is developed in different directions, centered around the personality of one of the Skelf women: matriarch Dorothy trying to figure out what happened following a fire at a traveller´s site; daughter Jenny still under the shock of the disappearance of the sister-in-law and recovering after the life with a murderous ex-husband and last but not least Hannah, busy with both some detective work aimed at revealing some strange conspiracies and her PhD in astrophysics.
The novel advances in short chapters, featuring the women characters, as precise as scenes of a movie - hope someone would think one day to create some series based on the Skelfs adventures. The brevity is smartly used in the advantage of the story, as the characters and the actions balance perfectly well, adding ambiance and suspense, curiosity and also a bit of humour.
Personally, I loved even more The Opposite of Lonely than Black Hearts, but I still have to go through the entire series until being able to issue an informed literary verdict. As usual, there is so much to read and discover and Orenda is way too generous with its exquisite offer of titles and authors.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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