the skeleton key book review guardian

The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith; The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly; The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman; Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson; Marple: Twelve New Stories by Val McDermid and others

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (Sphere, £25) At 1,024 pages, the sixth outing for private investigators Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott is the longest yet, but although there are longueurs, this tale of internet pile-ons repays the commitment. Edie Ledwell, co-creator of popular YouTube cartoon The Ink Black Heart, approaches the agency hoping to discover the identity of her online persecutor, Anomie, but is turned away because of an already heavy workload. Shortly afterwards, Edie is found murdered in Highgate Cemetery in north London, with her collaborator and former boyfriend lying seriously wounded nearby. He is unable to name the assailant, but Anomie, who has invented a game based on the cartoon, claims to be responsible. Strike and Ellacott attempt to unmask Anomie, entering the game and interacting with The Ink Black Heart’s obsessive fans. This novel could certainly be seen as Galbraith AKA JK Rowling’s riposte to the treatment meted out to her online, but I suspect it’s not a coincidence that it’s set in 2015, the time of the #Gamergate campaign of misogynistic harassment which, as here, included doxing, rape and death threats, as well as conspiracy theories. This is a cautionary tale of the virtual world’s impact on real people’s lives.

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly (Hodder & Stoughton, £16.99) A different type of fandom is examined in Erin Kelly’s latest: armchair treasure hunters, such as those obsessed over Kit Williams’s 1979 puzzle story book Masquerade. Here, the inspiration is the similarly successful The Golden Bones, created by artist Frank Churcher: the tale of murdered Elinore, whose bones, made from gold and precious stones, are buried in sites across England. Now only one remains undiscovered. Churcher has grown in wealth and stature, while his family, who enjoy a bourgeois boho existence in Hampstead in London, have become increasingly dysfunctional – and some of the treasure hunters haven’t fared too well, either. The clan meet to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the book’s publication, and a film crew is on hand to make a documentary – but when the “big reveal” of the final bone goes disastrously wrong, metaphorical skeletons begin cascading out of cupboards. With rich characterisation and intricate yet propulsive plotting, Kelly is at her considerable best as she mercilessly fillets monstrous egos and toxic relationships while ramping up the tension.

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (Viking, £20) The third book in the bestselling Thursday Murder Club series sees the denizens of the upmarket Kentish retirement village embark on another investigation. This time, former spy Elizabeth, retired nurse Joyce, psychiatrist Ibrahim and former trade unionist Ron are looking into the disappearance of Bethany Waites, 10 years earlier. Waites, a journalist who had been investigating a massive VAT fraud, was presumed to have died when her car plunged off a cliff at Dover. The body was never found but the circumstances were suspicious, and as the pensioners begin to investigate the cold case becomes red hot. Kidnapping, blackmail and murder ensue, but the quartet take it all in their stride, just as they do the vagaries of ageing. Warm, witty and – despite the body count – soothing as ever, this is peaceful reading for an autumn afternoon.

Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson (Borough, £14.99) Returning to practice in 1999 after being suspended for stealing opioids, a young Scottish doctor takes a job at the only place that’ll have him: St Luke’s, an understaffed, underfunded NHS hospital in London’s East End, which looks “like an asylum that a distracted child had amended with half a dozen unmatched Lego sets”. As he struggles to fight a bewildering array of diseases he’s only read about in textbooks – dengue fever, scurvy, rare genetic syndromes – often consulting via an interpreter, a growing number of unexpected patient deaths create an atmosphere of paranoia. The police bumble about ineffectually; one staff member after another becomes the prime suspect; a colleague takes their own life, and our unnamed narrator has a relapse … Written with an Adam Kay-style sardonic wit and interspersed with descriptions of the real-life careers of murderous medics, it’s certainly engrossing, although crime aficionados might wish for a more focused, less picaresque plot.

Marple: Twelve New Stories by various authors (HarperCollins, £20) Although crime writer Sophie Hannah has written novels featuring Hercule Poirot, this is the first time the Agatha Christie estate have allowed a reintroduction of Miss Marple, reimagined here in a hugely enjoyable collection of 12 new stories by female writers ranging from Naomi Alderman and Jean Kwok to Dreda Say Mitchell and Leigh Bardugo. The spinster sleuth who, in Christie’s own words, “expected the worst of everyone and everything, and was, with almost frightening accuracy, usually proved right”, can be found solving crimes in Manhattan (Alyssa Cole), the Amalfi coast (Elly Griffiths) and Cape Cod (Karen M McManus), as well as on her home turf of St Mary Mead (Val McDermid and Ruth Ware) or the equally outwardly respectable Meon Maltravers (Lucy Foley). Some offerings may be more in the golden age tradition than others, but there’s enough beady, tweedy Marple ingenuity here to satisfy the most fastidious Christie fan.

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The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

Today I am delighted to share my thoughts on The Skeleton Key , the brand new thriller from Erin Kelly, which is out today. Happy publication day. My thanks to publishers Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy of the book. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

THIS REUNION WILL TEAR A FAMILY APART … Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family’s insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried – gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. From the bestselling author of He Said/She Said and Watch Her Fall, this is a taut, mesmerising novel about a daughter haunted by her father’s legacy . . .

My Thoughts

I really loved this book. Packed with mystery, an undulating tension and characters who were not always likeable, let alone trustworthy, it captured my imagination and my attention from the very opening scenes and did not let go. I love a book that can do that. I was suckered in from the off, desperate to know the fate of the victim from those first few pages, and wanting to understand what had driven someone to do something so shocking and seemingly insane. The simple answer? Obsession, that and a very fragile state of mental health, the latter of which only fed the former. The cause of that obsession? A children’s book inspired by an old folk song, and a belief that what was contained within it was based entirely in reality and not the author’s imagination. In The Skeleton Key , Erin Kelly introduces us to two families, tied together by history, success and, more recently, marriage. The Churchers, led by patriarch Sir Frank Churcher, author of The Golden Bones, and the Lallys, have a history spanning back decades, one which is to be brought back into the media spotlight by the release of a 50th anniversary edition of the book, and a tie in computer game. The book, a kind of treasure quest picture book, led its original readers to search for the hidden bones of Elinore, a search which grew out of control, with devastating consequences for many searchers and for the Churcher’s daughter, Nell. I loved the suspense that fed through this book, the constant feeling of the truth being just out of reach. The depiction of the kinds of obsession and addiction, both healthy and otherwise, that fed the long term readers and fans of the book, as well as those at the heart of its creation, had a real ring of authenticity. The danger and threat posed by those most ardent, and deranged, amongst the fans was palpable. We’ve all seen it, the way some people turn the love of something, be it a book, a film or even idolising an actor, into something dark and twisted, and when such an overwhelming fascination is matched by declining mental health the results can be catastrophic. Erin Kelly has captured perfectly in the sometimes manic, always overbearing nature of some of the characters and the often excessive lives led by the two central families. Speaking of the characters, with the possible exception of the narrator, Nell, there was just something under the surface that stopped me from ever trusting any of them completely. You got a sense that both households, no matter how close they appeared to be, were nursing secrets, some toxic, all with the potential to see the whole fragile ecosystem they had built up, tumble. There was an inherent toxicity that threads through the familiarity of the two families, some tiny element that I couldn’t put my finger on but that you could feel festering. Throughout the book there is a very common theme – the silencing of the women who live at the heart of the story. Their feelings, their emotional well-being always seemed secondary to that of patriarch Frank Churcher, and to a lesser degree, Lal, but at what cost? Layer upon layer of deception and duplicity is stripped away, but as the speed at which revelations occur towards the end increased, I was both shocked by the turn of events, and yet not remotely surprised. But one thing that couldn’t be called into question was how intertwined their lives all were, or how far any of the characters, with one notable exception, would go to protect those they loved. It forces us as readers to consider how far we would go in similar circumstances. This is a mystery within a mystery. A story of life lived to excess. Of fame, fortune and obsession. Of the abuse of power and status and of the power of lies to destroy lives. Most of all it is a story of family and unquestioning loyalty, even in the face of absolute betrayal. Action moves seemlessly back and forth in time, mostly set in the present day but with scenes that are set in the families pasts that serve to give clarity and context to what comes to pass. Erin Kelly has written a perfect mystery, one that kept me completely absorbed to the very last page. Textured, multi-faceted in both story and character, if you have not read Erin Kelly yet, this would be a very good place to start. I loved Watch Her Fall , and I love this just as much, Erin Kelly is definitely heading right onto my must read author list. And, my word, is that cover not just gorgeous? Totally befitting such a gothic tale. Do yourselves a favour and grab a copy now. It’s the kind of book I can imagine on TV with a nice adventure game/app tie in to boot. So I’ll give it one of these too:

About the Author

Erin Kelly is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said/She Said, Stone Mothers/We Know You Know, Watch Her Fall and Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. He Said/She Said spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier crime novel of the year award, and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. She has worked as a freelance journalist since 1998 and written for the Guardian, The Sunday Times, Daily Mail, New Statesman, Red, Elle and Cosmopolitan. Born in London in 1976, she lives in north London with her husband and daughters.

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2 thoughts on “ the skeleton key by erin kelly ”.

Excellent review Jen. This is going to be my first read by this author. Your review has me anticipating it with glee!❤📚

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#BlogTour #BookReview The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly @mserinkelly @Mobius_Books #TheSkeletonKey #ErinKelly #MobiusBooksUS

THIS REUNION WILL TEAR A FAMILY APART…

Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family’s insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried – gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden.

The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse.

But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.

From the bestselling author of He Said/She Said and Watch Her Fall, this is a taut, mesmerising novel about a daughter haunted by her father’s legacy…

Intricate, twisty, and tragic!

The Skeleton Key is a dark, compelling tale that takes you into the lives of two families, Churcher and Lally, who have been tied together over the last fifty years by the successful publication of the treasure quest book, The Golden Bones . A book, whose success is now being honoured with a documentary film and a special edition release which has prompted the resurgence of all the crazed obsessive fans, also known as the “bone hunters” who are determined to discover all of the bones scattered across England, led to all the family members being reunited under one roof in a very long time, and caused all the secrets and skeletons that have been buried under lies and deception for many years to finally be unearthed and uncovered.

The prose is rich and tight. The characters are selfish, deceptive, and troubled. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth style, unfolds briskly into a murky tale full of twists, turns, surprises, familial drama, secrets, greed, resentments, deception, scandal, wickedness, tragedy, and murder.

Overall, The Skeleton Key  is another sophisticated, vivid, creepy tale by Kelly that does a fantastic job of delving into all the complex, dysfunctional dynamics that can occur between family members and reminds us just how toxic and evil, and yet somehow still loyal some of these relationships can truly be.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to Mobius Books US for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Erin Kelly

Erin Kelly is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Poison Tree, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said/She Said, Stone Mothers and Broadchurch: The Novel, inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013, The Poison Tree became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011. He Said/She Said spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier crime novel of the year award and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. She has worked as a freelance journalist since 1998 and written for the Guardian, The Sunday Times, Daily Mail, New Statesman, Red, Elle, Cosmopolitan and The Pool. Born in London in 1976, she lives in north London with her husband and daughters.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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Review: The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

A reunion leads to tragedy, and the unravelling of dark family secrets . . . It is the summer of 2021 and Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Her father, Sir Frank Churcher, is regarded as a cult figure by many. Fifty years ago he wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, it was a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of TheGolden Bones led readers to seven sites were jewels were buried - gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. And it ruined Nell's life. But Sir Frank has reunited the Churchers for a very particular reason. The book is being reissued, along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting the anniversary. Nell is appalled, and fearful. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. From the bestselling author of He Said/She Said and Watch Her Fall, this is a taut, mesmerising novel about a daughter haunted by her father's legacy . . .

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive,’ is already deceptive – as it turns out are ALL the members of the combined, misaligned, co-dependent Churcher and Lally families.

The saying is deceptive because it sounds so much like Shakespeare – but it isn’t. It’s a quote from Sir Walter Scott’s Marmion that is OFTEN attributed to the Bard. The many, many interwoven deceptions of the Churcher and Lally families are a whole lot more intertwined – and that much more difficult to untangle.

The Skeleton Key begins in the summer of 2021, just barely post-pandemic – or at least post the pandemic lockdowns, which adds a whole ‘other layer to pretty much everything. Frank Churcher, now in his 70s and starting to feel his age, has decided to have one last hurrah over the thing that made him famous 50 years ago and is still wrecking the lives of his entire family – even as it made their privileged lifestyle possible.

Frank, now Sir Frank, created an armchair treasure hunt puzzle phenomenon combining creepy, Celtic myths and a touch of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with gorgeous imagery into a book titled The Golden Bones . It wasn’t just a best-seller, it became a worldwide obsession. An obsession that some people still haven’t gotten over.

One of those people is his daughter Nell. Not that she was obsessed with The Golden Bones , but that more than a few of the fanatics who called themselves Bonehunters conflated the woman in the story, Elinor, with Frank’s daughter Eleanor and stalked her. With knives.

The prize of The Golden Bones was a literal set of golden bones which were worth lots of money to motivated – or crazed – Bonehunters. By the time Eleanor was 15, all the bones had been found except one – the pelvic girdle. As obsessions and conspiracy theories went, the idea that Eleanor’s pelvic bone was actually Elinor’s pelvic bone wasn’t that far a stretch. At least not for someone who had lost touch with reality.

Eleanor, who is now reaching middle age, left her family behind with all its messiness – including Frank Churcher’s massive ego. She still sees them, but she’s steadfastly refused any money or help no matter how much she might need it. She owns a narrowboat and lives on England’s waterways with a surrogate daughter she’d adopt if she could. Her living situation can sometimes be a bit dicey but it’s safer away from her family’s mess and the media spotlight that seldom leaves them alone for long.

But the 50th Anniversary celebration of The Golden Bones brings Nell back home – if only for the celebration itself. Frank was supposed to retrieve that last piece of the original skeleton from a tree behind the house. He does uncover a pelvic girdle, but not the tiny jeweled piece that was part of the original prize skeleton. What comes out of that tree hollow is a real human pelvis from a long-dead woman who is about to unravel all the secrets that everyone has been keeping for more than 50 years.

Those revelations and the events that precede them will melt the thin ice of Nell’s precarious safety. She’s never really been safe. She just didn’t know how unstable the web of lies that kept her family afloat truly was.

Escape Rating A : It’s all too easy to comprehend the obsessions of the ‘Bonehunters’ while reading The Skeleton Key , because the complex, twisted nature of the puzzle – and the people at its heart – sinks its teeth into the reader and does not let go until the end.

Second thing is that even from the beginning of the story, it’s pretty obvious that there are multiples of things wrong in this semi-combined, utterly co-dependent, joined at the hip double household. It’s tempting to say that the family is a hot mess, but even from the initial glimpses we get into the family dynamic it’s all too clear that a hot mess would actually be a step up. The Churchers and the Lallys are not putting the fun in dysfunctional, but there’s plenty of dysfunction to go around.

We see this family through Nell’s adult eyes as she observes these people she knows, loves and even sometimes hates through a perspective that is not exactly that of an outsider but still has more than a bit of distance. They may not recognize that the family is not healthy, but she knows that living in their midst is not healthy for her and never has been. That her parents named her after the dead woman in their famous story and never even thought that it might inspire the crazies is just the tip of a very ugly iceberg of parents behaving very badly indeed.

Because, as we see the incidents in the past that brought them all to this mixed-up present, the center point of the family is Frank Churcher and his ego – and he’s never cared or taken care of anyone but himself. Everyone else just enables him and lives off the proceeds – whether they see it or not.

And what Frank is, at the center of that massive ego, is rotten to the core. And that his rot has seeped into all of them. The best thing Nell ever did was to walk away. And it’s the best thing she can do now, too. Even if she has to let herself be smeared with just a little bit of that rot to escape from the rest.

While it is easy – and cathartic and filled with oodles of schadenfreude – to get caught up in The Skeleton Key for its story of rich people behaving very badly indeed, what made it fascinating for this reader was the way that the story wove backwards and forwards in time to reveal that everything that existed between all of them was founded on a web of lies that burned away once the truths started coming out – leaving them all blinking in the light of an unforgiving new day.

Just as I sat blinking when I turned the last page, because WOW! what a ride!

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The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly Review

An exciting psychological thriller

A story that captures the imagination from reading the opening pages, for me, is either going to lose momentum and fall flat on its face or is going to keep the reader engaged, excited and entertained to the very end pages. I have just finished reading The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly and this is a book that falls into the later of those two categories – an exciting and thrilling read that blends the mystery of a puzzling 50 year old treasure hunt and sinister obsessions with a family legacy packed with secrets and lies.

In the late 60s / early 70s, Frank Churcher, an artist, wrote a book. This was no ordinary book; The Golden Bones was part picture book filled with his artwork and part treasure hunt. It was a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried: one by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden.

An interesting concept that really took off and was a worldwide sensation which resulted in the formation of a community of treasure hunters called The Bonehunters. Whilst most of The Bonehunters were simply harmless armchair treasure hunters trying to solve the clues in the book, some took it to new levels obsessing to a very dangerous, murderous degree. The book made Frank a rich man, but with consequences – his daughter Nell was stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, eventually causing her to become somewhat of a recluse.

In 2021, the 50th anniversary of The Golden Bones, things are about to be stirred up again. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. With the Churchers reunited, Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.

Overall, I loved this novel – it was extremely intriguing and exciting, packed with thrilling twists, turns, suspense and secrets. It is a story of two families ultimately destroyed by success and the pursuit of fame, obsession, arrogance and control.

The Skeleton Key is a dark and intricate psychological thriller featuring armchair treasure hunters that will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, crazed fans, conspiracy theories, dark family secrets, obsession and manipulation. The story covers different timelines to tell the tale, going back and forth from 1969 to 2021, focusing on two families: Churcher and Lally – best of friends, later joined together through marriage. It spans 50 years and the writing of a fairytale treasure hunting book that has serious consequences for both families.

The storyline is wonderfully plotted with some excellent plot twists that just make this such an intriguing story and one that is extremely hard to stop reading. The characters are wonderful with great depth that is slowly revealed the more you read – they all have their baggage, making some more likable than others, some becoming more despicable the more that is revealed about them, but all written with such expertise that you can’t help wanting to know more about each and every one.

I thought that The Skeleton Key was a fantastic read. A sophisticated and intriguing story, narrated mostly by the character Nell, that has been expertly written and one that keeps the reader engaged with the characters and plot. With many different layers to the plot, it never feels rushed to a conclusion, only revealing secrets when absolutely necessary to progress the story. A complex story of two very intertwined families that is easy to read and get caught up in.

I found The Skeleton Key to be a very exciting read with many layers. It started with a bang and only got better. An excellent storyline with excellent well fleshed out characters that you will either love or hate the more you discover about them.

An exciting mysterious thriller that you won’t be disappointed to read.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £16.99 (Hardback) / £9.99 (Paperback) / £0.99 (Kindle)

For more information, visit www.erinkelly.co.uk . Available to buy from Amazon here .

DISCLOSURE:  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  This review uses an affiliate link which I may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the link.

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“The Skeleton Key” by Erin Kelly – Book Review

Frank and Cora Churcher live in one side of a Victoria semi-detached house in the Vale of Health, London. Frank’s best friend Lal lives with his wife Bridget on the other side. Their relationship is a complicated, twisted, and co-dependant disaster waiting to happen. To further connect the two families, the Lally’s daughter Rose married the Churcher’s son, Dom . And so it goes… The two families are intrinsically enmeshed in such a way that proves toxic for all involved.

Family is the core of this novel, albeit a complicated, dysfunctional, and almost incestuous one. “It is this ping-ponging between irritation and sympathy and what I suppose is probably, despite everything, love, that makes spending time with my family so exhausting.” I love that quote, because who, if they’re honest, hasn’t felt that way at one point?

This was a character-rich novel and many of them were unlikable. I really liked Nell Churcher and was enthralled when reading of her life with teenager Billie. The Churcher/Lally extended family, not so much…

I enjoyed the writing style, and the vividly rendered descriptions. I did struggle with the first third or so of the book, and wondered if I would become more engaged in the narrative – but never fear… I did!

Treasure hunts, artistic temperaments, duplicity, crowd mentality, deception, betrayal, and familial dysfunction are all themes running throughout the novel. And if I wanted to be a bit facetious, I’d say there were some family ‘skeletons’ as well.

The ‘bonehunters’ were at times brilliant and at other times scarily moronic. Aristotle said that “No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.” The influence of the power of social media on the obsessive mind was frightening – and all too credible.

Note: The collective noun for bones is a ‘humility’ – I learned something new from reading this book.

Publication date: January 24, 2023 Publisher: Mobius Books

Connect with Erin Kelly via her website , Twitter , Instagram or Facebook .

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11 responses to “the skeleton key” by erin kelly – book review.

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Awesome. This is a longer-than-average book that kept me enthralled. It made me look for opportunities to read just a few more pages throughout the day. I found it exceedingly well-written and well-paced.

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So glad to hear you got pleasure from reading this book James. 😊📚👍

Thanks for the review. I have not yet started this one.

Hopefully you will enjoy it Joyce 😉

What a stunning cover and looks like a good read.

Interesting that you find it hard going in the beginning Lynne. I started it recently but put it down as it didn’t grab me,but I’ll give it another go.

I did struggle with it at first. I’m a person who only rarely gives up on a book. 🤪📚

Good review, Lynne. Erin has made it big, it seems — Having her works translated into 31 languages is amazing.

So true Neil. An amazing accomplishment 👏

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The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly, book review

I first heard about The Skeleton Key from Sarah’s blog. We often have a similar taste in books.

This reunion will tear a family apart….

Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family’s insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote  The Golden Bones.  Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of  The   Golden Bones  led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried—gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden.

The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. His daughter, Nell, became a recluse.

But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.

From the best-selling author of  He Said/She Said  and  Watch Her Fall , this is a taut, mesmerising novel about a daughter haunted by her father’s legacy….

My Review of the Skeleton Key

I really enjoyed listening to this audio book. It kept me captivated from the start. Families tend to have secrets and so do friends. Families also drift apart. The book that Frank Churcher wrote in the 70s became a real hit and also caused many problems not the least to his own daughter who was attacked on the way home from school.

Determined to live her life privately, Nell and her daughter Billie have stayed out of the limelight, but now it’s time for Frank Churcher to reveal the final part of the puzzle and all the family are summoned to be at the filming.

But it all goes wrong, and that’s when the story is revealed. Past and present all combine, secrets and lies and lots of twists and turns. I did wonder at first where it was all going as it tended to drag out a bit. By the end of it I wondered just how awful could a group of people be, young and old.

The chapters were fairly short which can be handy with an audible book so you don’t have to pause mid chapter.

I’ve not read any of Erin Kelly before but I may try some of her other books now.

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5 thoughts on “The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly, book review”

I’m glad you enjoyed it. I do love how we have such similar tastes! This is the third Erin Kelly I’ve read and for me it was her best, but I did enjoy the others (He Said/ She Said and Watch Her Fall) too.

Wow! This sounds like a real page turner. Adding it to my wishlist!

It’s so wonderful to find a book you enjoy. #MMBC

I love it when you find a really good book. This one sounds interesting. I’ve got quite a few to get through first, but I might try this one at some point. x

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The Skeleton Key

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ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly was published on 1st September by Hodder & Stoughton in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. My thanks to Eleni Lawrence for sending me a copy for review.

THIS REUNION WILL TEAR A FAMILY APART … Summer, 2021.  Nell has come home at her family’s insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote  The Golden Bones.  Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of  The   Golden Bones  led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried – gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. From the bestselling author of  He Said/She Said  and  Watch Her Fall , this is a taut, mesmerising novel about a daughter haunted by her father’s legacy . . .

The Churcher family and the Lally family: inextricably linked, Frank Churcher and Gerald ‘Lal’ Lally being the head of each. Best friends, but somehow always that edge of rivalry. Fifty years ago Frank wrote The Golden Bones, a book with a mystery and a search for a missing golden bone at its heart. Now, the anniversary is being celebrated and Nell has returned home, but events are about to come to a head.

The Skeleton Key is absolutely brilliant and most definitely my kind of read. It’s been described as a slow burner and the gradual unfolding of events past and present fits that description. However, don’t mistake that for a slow read. This is a book that had me completely and utterly gripped, held in its thrall from first page to last.

Whilst primarily told by Nell in the present day, the story does go back into the past to drip-feed key moments. It’s so intricately and expertly plotted and I found myself frantically turning back through the pages to see where the latest plot twist originated, knowing that it was there and that the detail that seemed so benign at first is in fact so very important. The hand over the mouth moments just kept coming right up until the end. There are many tangled family relationships and friendships tied up with a treasure hunt over the years and this leads to numerous revelations and shocking twists and turns which completely delighted me.

A book about a book – bliss! A book about a dysfunctional family dealing with the skeletons in their closet – perfection! A dark and intense story that had my eyes glued to the page – magnificent! The Skeleton Key is outstanding and glorious in every way.

Erin Kelly is the  Sunday Times  bestselling author of  The Poison Tree ,  The Sick Rose ,  The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind, He Said/She Said ,  Stone Mothers/We Know You Know, Watch Her Fall  and  Broadchurch: The Novel , inspired by the mega-hit TV series. In 2013,  The Poison Tree  became a major ITV drama and was a Richard & Judy Summer Read in 2011.  He Said/She Said  spent six weeks in the top ten in both hardback and paperback, was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier crime novel of the year award, and selected for both the Simon Mayo Radio 2 and Richard & Judy Book Clubs. She has worked as a freelance journalist since 1998 and written for the  Guardian ,  The Sunday Times ,  Daily Mail ,  New Statesman ,  Red ,  Elle  and  Cosmopolitan . Born in London in 1976, she lives in north London with her husband and daughters. erinkelly.co.uk twitter.com/mserinkelly

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Well you have definitely sold this one to me. Great review.

That’s great to hear! Thank you Cathy.

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The Skeleton Key: A family reunion ends in murder; the Sunday Times top ten bestseller (2023) Kindle Edition

*** THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER 2023 and TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 2023 *** A TIMES, OBSERVER, DAILY MAIL and LITERARY REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022: 'Flawless' SUNDAY TIMES *** 'A rich and fascinating puzzle' MAIL ON SUNDAY *** 'I completely lost myself to this book for a few days' LUCY FOLEY *** 'A deliciously involving page turner' GUARDIAN Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried: one by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous, murderous degree. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. Inspired by the author's love for Masquerade , this is a taut, mesmerising novel of danger and obsession. 'The ultimate entertaining thriller' EVENING STANDARD 'With rich characterisation and intricate yet propulsive plotting' GUARDIAN 'Sparks the most intense of emotions' THE TIMES * THRILLER OF THE MONTH* 'A gorgeously intricate puzzle of a book' THE OBSERVER 'Pacy, brilliantly plotted, and full of complex characters and relationships' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'A dark treasure hunt, family secrets and plot twists' STYLIST ONLINE 'There's layer upon layer of mystery in this frankly brilliant read' BELFAST TELEGRAPH 'Moody, propulsive, and one of the most intriguing set ups I've read in years' GILLIAN McALLISTER 'Original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page' LOUISE CANDLISH 'Twisted family dynamics and toxic, compelling characters' RUTH WARE 'Scary, moving and compelling: a beautifully-plotted, gorgeously-written triumph of a thriller' NICCI FRENCH 'A completely addictive story of two families destroyed by success' JANE CASEY PRE-ORDER THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS, available Spring 2024, NOW!

• Print length 545 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date 1 Sept. 2022
• File size 3568 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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From the back cover, about the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CGFFX5R
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hodder & Stoughton (1 Sept. 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 3568 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 545 pages
• 971 in Serial Killers (Kindle Store)
• 1,279 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)
• 1,615 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)

About the author

Some stories take longer to 'cook' than others. It's no exaggeration to say that my latest novel, The Skeleton Key, about a family of artists, and a treasure hunt that takes on a life of its own, was a lifetime in the making. As a child, my favourite picture book was the 1979 treasure hunt phenomenon Masquerade, by artist Kit Williams. On every page, riddles were posed and intricate, dreamlike paintings depicted Jack Hare in his quest to deliver a jewel from the moon to the sun. Each picture was bordered by letters that held a clue to the location of a tiny hare, wrought in gold, studded with precious stone, and buried somewhere in England. My favourite page was a double-page spread of a little girl sitting in a field of dog roses while Jack Hare galloped past. I envied her so much: she was in the story, as I longed to be. I thought that if I looked at the picture for long enough, I might fall into it: and in a way, I did. Masquerade became part of me, and forty years later, it has found its way out again in the form of The Skeleton Key.

Aside from The Skeleton Key, I'm known for He Said/She Said, about a young couple who witness a rape and, after the trial, begin to wonder if they believed the right person. It was number one in the kindle charts for six glorious weeks, and spent three months in the Sunday Times Bestseller charts.

My first novel, The Poison Tree, was a Richard and Judy bestseller and a major ITV drama starring Myanna Buring, Ophelia Lovibond and Matthew Goode.

I’ve written six more original psychological thrillers – Stone Mothers, Watch Her Fall, The Sick Rose, The Burning Air, The Ties That Bind.

I had read scores of psychological thrillers before I heard the term: the books that inspired me to write my own included Endless Night by Agatha Christie, The Secret History by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine. My books are atmospheric thrillers, always about people trying to atone for, escape, or uncover a past crime. I’m more interested in what happens before the police arrive – if arrive they ever do - than how murder is solved.

GET IN TOUCH! I LOVE TO HEAR FROM READERS AND ALWAYS ANSWER EMAILS

Email via www.erinkelly.co.uk

Book club www.erinkelly.co.uk/subscribe

Blog www.erinkelly.co.uk/blog

Twitter @mserinkelly

Facebook @erinkellyauthor

Instagram @erinjelly

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 43% 32% 17% 5% 3% 43%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 43% 32% 17% 5% 3% 32%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 43% 32% 17% 5% 3% 17%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 43% 32% 17% 5% 3% 5%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 43% 32% 17% 5% 3% 3%

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Customers say

Customers have mixed opinions about the characters in the book. Some find them fabulous, while others find them annoying. They also disagree on the plot, with some finding it detailed and twisty, while other find it silly and disappointing.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot. Some find the book has a knack for detailed and twisty stories, with an excellent premise. They also say the narrative flows smoothly between the past and the novel's present. However, some customers feel the plot is silly, not clever, and boring.

"...to reading her new novel The Skeleton Key, which has a very intriguing premise . Readers of gothic suspense will really enjoy her latest book...." Read more

"...They are deliciously awful , but also realistically selfish, and the main reason this book is so utterly absorbing...." Read more

"I really loved this book. Packed with mystery , an undulating tension and characters who were not always likeable, let alone trustworthy, it captured..." Read more

"...sister brought it on holiday with her and kept raving about how great the plot was , how great the characters were and how great the twists and turns..." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the characters in the book. Some find them fabulous, while others find them unlikable and stereotyped.

"...them to life so well on the page, making this book a masterclass in characterisation ...." Read more

"...The character flaws all seemed a bit too clichéd and stereotyped to be credible , and the plot was just too bizarre to draw me in...." Read more

"...Kelly writes a wonderfully nuanced web, with characters and clues interwoven throughout ...." Read more

"...All the characters are rich and entitled , and make decisions that make no sense. I see where this book was trying to go, but it just missed." Read more

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The Skeleton Key

A family reunion ends in murder; the sunday times top ten bestseller (2023).

Prior to and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, vehicle access will be restricted in Paris, so orders may take longer than usual to process.

*** THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER *** A TIMES, OBSERVER, DAILY MAIL and LITERARY REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR: 'Flawless' SUNDAY TIMES *** 'A rich and fascinating puzzle' MAIL ON SUNDAY *** 'I completely lost myself to this book for a few days' LUCY FOLEY *** 'A deliciously involving page turner' GUARDIAN Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried: one by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous, murderous degree. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. Inspired by the author's love for Masquerade , this is a taut, mesmerising novel of danger and obsession. 'The ultimate entertaining thriller' EVENING STANDARD 'With rich characterisation and intricate yet propulsive plotting' GUARDIAN 'Sparks the most intense of emotions' THE TIMES * THRILLER OF THE MONTH* 'A gorgeously intricate puzzle of a book' THE OBSERVER 'Pacy, brilliantly plotted, and full of complex characters and relationships' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'A dark treasure hunt, family secrets and plot twists' STYLIST ONLINE 'There's layer upon layer of mystery in this frankly brilliant read' BELFAST TELEGRAPH 'Moody, propulsive, and one of the most intriguing set ups I've read in years' GILLIAN McALLISTER 'Original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page' LOUISE CANDLISH 'Twisted family dynamics and toxic, compelling characters' RUTH WARE 'Scary, moving and compelling: a beautifully-plotted, gorgeously-written triumph of a thriller' NICCI FRENCH 'A completely addictive story of two families destroyed by success' JANE CASEY PRE-ORDER THE HOUSE OF MIRRORS, available Spring 2024, NOW!

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The Skeleton Key

A family reunion ends in murder; hailed as a Book of the Year 2022

Kelly, Erin (author)

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A TIMES, OBSERVER and LITERARY REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR: 'Flawless' SUNDAY TIMES *** 'A rich and fascinating puzzle' MAIL ON SUNDAY *** 'I completely lost myself to this book for a few days' LUCY FOLEY *** 'A deliciously involving page turner' GUARDIAN Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried: one by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous, murderous degree. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse. But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose. Inspired by the author's love for Masquerade , this is a taut, mesmerising novel of danger and obsession. 'The ultimate entertaining thriller' EVENING STANDARD 'With rich characterisation and intricate yet propulsive plotting' GUARDIAN 'Sparks the most intense of emotions' THE TIMES * THRILLER OF THE MONTH* 'A gorgeously intricate puzzle of a book' THE OBSERVER 'Pacy, brilliantly plotted, and full of complex characters and relationships' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'A dark treasure hunt, family secrets and plot twists' STYLIST ONLINE 'There's layer upon layer of mystery in this frankly brilliant read' BELFAST TELEGRAPH 'Moody, propulsive, and one of the most intriguing set ups I've read in years' GILLIAN McALLISTER ' A highly imaginative time-slip novel ... and an excellent psychological thriller' LITERARY REVIEW ' A delicious deep dive into the secrets and grievances of one of the most dysfunctional families you're ever likely to meet' RED 'A richly imagined, multi-layered story' IRISH INDEPENDENT 'Original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page' LOUISE CANDLISH 'T wisted family dynamics and toxic, compelling characters' RUTH WARE ' Scary, moving and compelling: a beautifully-plotted, gorgeously-written triumph of a thriller' NICCI FRENCH 'A completely addictive story of two families destroyed by success' JANE CASEY 'By turns a dysfunctional family drama and a deliciously sinister thriller' i ONLINE

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Book Review of Erin Kelly's The Skeleton Key

Frank’s story The Golden Bones , inspired and illustrated by his wife Cora, wouldn’t exist without her. The reader is first introduced to Frank, his best friend Lal, and Cora in the book’s prologue. This introduction provides valuable context for the events to come, and interestingly, this prologue narrative thread is picked up again at the end of the story , providing another huge plot twist which I hadn’t seem coming at all!

The Golden Bones , as is often the case with fairytales, is chilling. It tells the story of Elinor (after whom Eleanor was later named), a woman whose bones have been scattered across England. The location of these bones presents a puzzle for readers to solve. Adding to the intrigue, Frank, Cora, and Lal visited these locations and buried clues to be discovered. This element transforms readers of the children’s story into ‘bone hunters,’ many obsessive in their pursuit. The narrative takes a dark turn when zealous puzzle solvers mistakenly believe that one of the bones mentioned in the story is a part of Nell’s body. This leads to chilling murder attempts and forces Nell into a life filled with fear, isolation, and resentment.

These actions cast a long shadow over Nell’s family, moulding their lives in unexpected and tumultuous ways. The 50th-anniversary reissue of the book brings it all back to the surface. This reissue, accompanied by a new app spearheaded by Nell’s brother, Dom, further complicates things. Dom happens to be married to Rose, the daughter of Lal and his wife Bridget, who live next door to the Churchers and whose lives are intricately linked with theirs. (It isn’t as complicated as it sounds!)

As the story unfolds, Frank, Nell’s father, is unmasked as a complex and deeply flawed character. The revelations triggered by the filming of a documentary unleash a series of unforeseen and harrowing events that leave readers on the edge of their seats, questioning their initial perceptions of the narrative.

Erin Kelly’s masterful storytelling weaves a mesmerising narrative that skilfully intertwines the complexities of family dynamics, the repercussions of vanity, the desire for fame, alcoholism, and the enduring impact of a haunting legacy. Kelly cleverly ensnares us in this page-turning thriller without us even realising it. The Skeleton Key takes readers on a haunting journey of a daughter tormented by her father’s legacy, immersing them in a world where past and present collide in a symphony of emotions and unforeseen circumstances. Nell’s relationship with Billie, the daughter of a good-for-nothing ex-boyfriend whom she loves as if she were her own, also plays a crucial role in the narrative.

In certain aspects, this book might be compared to Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs , with its links to wealth, large houses, and unexplained histories. However, it carves out its own unique identity with its intricate plot twists and compelling mystery.

While the experience of listening to stories can sometimes differ from reading them, this book works brilliantly as an audiobook. It retains all the elements of a page-turner that you’d expect from the print version, keeping you hooked from beginning to end.

Book Club Questions on Erin Kelly's The Skeleton Key

  Ø Nell  makes certain decisions and keeps secrets for the sake of her own nephews,  nieces, and Lal’s family towards the end of the book. Do you believe she was  correct in her actions? 

Ø Given all we know about Frank, why do you think Nell was insistent on him not being jailed for a crime he hadn’t committed ?

Ø Who, in your opinion, is the most sympathetic character in the book, and why?

Ø How do you feel about the book’s structure, starting and ending with a flashback of the journey’s inception?

Ø Discuss the various representations of feminism that the story explores?

Ø Do you believe the secret of what truly happened, leading to Frank’s imprisonment, will remain hidden, or will it eventually come to light?

Ø How would you classify the genre of the book? Please explain your reasoning.

Ø Compare and contrast the various parenting styles portrayed in the book. Which do you believe was the most effective, and why?

Ø Had you anticipated Lal’s significance in the creation of the story, which is only revealed towards the end?

Ø Spoiler alert – discuss why you think Frank took his own life.

Ø What do you think will happen next to the characters in the book?

Ø Discuss the character of Frank. Was there a moment in the story when you found it

Book Club questions on Erin Kelly The Skeleton Key (for if you haven't read the book)

Ø Nell seems to enjoy her life on a narrow boat with Billie. Is this a lifestyle you could see yourself enjoying?

Ø Nell loves Billie as if she were her own daughter. Do you think you would find it  easy to take a teenage child into your life and treat them as if they were your own?

Ø Bridget  and Lal’s daughter had some additional learning needs and was susceptible to  being extra sensitive when in an unusual or uncomfortable environment. Discuss  how you think awareness of and responses to issues encompassed under the  umbrella term of ‘mental health and learning issues’ have changed and developed  in the last ten years.

Ø If you were in a difficult situation where you had to keep either your mother or father out of jail, what would you do?