The Last Summerville by Annabelle Lewis #VirtualBookTour #TheLastSummerville @alewisauthor @randomthingstours #AuthorInterview

 

A vulnerable woman. An irresistible man. And a love story twisting into a nightmare.

Twenty-two-year-old Georgia Parker already carries more regret than most people twice her age. Practically an orphan, she’s reeling from the death of her grandmother, Mimi—the one person who made her feel safe from the chaos of her mother’s world. Alone in Carson City, Nevada, Georgia is determined to start over, to stand on her own. Yet Mimi’s final words echo in her mind: Take risks. Trust people again. Be brave.

Then Heath Summerville steps into her life—charming, magnetic, protective, and so perfectly attuned to her needs it feels like fate. But the closer Georgia gets, the more she feels the pull of something she can’t name—something just beneath the surface of his charm.

Strange silences. Half-truths. High-society circles and an ancestral house that feels more like a trap than a refuge.
Lies are waiting to unravel. And by the time Georgia sees the truth, it might already be too late.

The Last Summerville by Annabelle Lewis was published on 1 September 2026. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour, I am delighted to welcome the author here. She's answered some questions for us. 

Interview with author Annabelle Lewis 

•  The Last Summerville explores trust, grief, and psychological manipulation. What first sparked the idea for Georgia and Heath's story, and what did you most want readers to experience as the mystery unfolded? 

I wanted readers to become invested in Georgia’s survival as the story is revealed, and to root for either a happily ever after and/or some serious revenge. I had some broad ideas of what might happen during the story, but as a writer, I’m more of a ‘pantser’, and going in, I didn’t know how the story would develop nor what would happen. Having the story reveal itself to me was the fun part. I had some inspirations, but for fear of spoilers, it’s difficult to share them here. 

•  Georgia is trying to rebuild her life after tremendous loss, while Heath seems almost too perfect. Without giving away spoilers, what was the biggest challenge in creating characters that readers would both love and question? 

I have a goal of creating fully fleshed-out characters, whether they are the heroes or the villains. Their compulsions, needs, desires, and character traits have to have depth with reasons behind them that explain how they got to be who they are. For Georgia, before I began writing the story, I spent quite a lot of time filling out personality profiles, answering questions as if I were her, which helped cement in my mind how she would react and behave given the challenges she would encounter. I believe that research time was well spent as it truly helped me ground the character by understanding who she is.

•  Your author bio is refreshingly funny and self-deprecating; from flunking out of college to raising a family before becoming a novelist. How much of your real-life personality finds its way into your writing, even in your darker suspense novels? 

Thanks for picking up on my snark. 😊 I use humor in all of my books and thoroughly enjoy the wry grin it sparks in me while writing. I’m having fun, and I hope it comes through on the page. Irony and satire help me mold my characters as well as their storylines and outcomes. For example, The Carrows Family Chronicles are really revenge capers, with a hearty wink of dark humor. Life is hard, and irreverence and anarchy help lift my mood. I’ve survived by breaking the rules, challenging the norms, celebrating the absurd, and throwing it back into the face of life when she inevitably throws a wrench in our well-laid plans. 

•  You've written more than a million words across multiple series before releasing The Last Summerville. How has your writing process evolved over the years, and what lessons have stayed with you from those early books? 

What a journey. I’ve learned that I didn’t know what I was capable of and that I should have tried writing fiction earlier, trusting myself to find a story. I believe everyone has a story in them, but writing is a disciplined process of actually sitting in a chair and doing the work. The challenges writers experience, are numerous and I wish I had had more people in my life to navigate the process, supporting me, assuring me that the struggles are real for everyone. The business side of the craft is extremely daunting too, with so many critical decisions to make, and of course, learning from those mistakes. But it’s all doable; you just have to persevere and believe in yourself. All easy words to say.

•  You describe yourself as someone who always had 'a lot to say.' Was there a particular moment when you realised writing wasn't just a creative outlet, but something you wanted to pursue seriously as an author? 

I don’t think that moment came to me until after I completed writing my first book of fiction – Charlotte McGee, Book 1 of the Carrows Family Chronicles. After I finished, I sat back, pretty proud of the story and what I’d accomplished, but then sad that the story was over. What was going to happen next to the characters I’d had fallen in love with? I realized I would have to write the stories to find out! And so, I did. For a couple of years, without input or influence from others, I wrote the first six books in the series and really lived with the characters. I’m glad that I had that time alone with them, because I solidly knew who they were. And when it was time for others to read my work (critique group, beta readers, editors), I knew what decisions to make to retain the character’s emotional arc and pathways while still accepting the numerous changes and edits that needed to be made.

•  For readers discovering Annabelle Lewis for the first time through The Last Summerville, what do you hope they'll remember most after they turn the final page, and what can they look forward to next? 

In addition to the feeling of having been thoroughly entertained, I hope they’ll heave a heavy sigh while wearing a smile as they muse through the arc of the story and the character outcomes. I also hope they’ll discover some of my other books and series and dive in for more. My characters are just waiting to regale them with their tales and to embrace them into their worlds.

Annabelle Lewis—a pseudonym for the author—lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Regrettably?
Perhaps. She still believes she’s a Texan even though the math no longer supports that. Nor her birthplace. Nor her residence. No offense, Minnesota. You’ve got your good points too, but only about six months of the year.

In her youth, Annabelle was a complete failure. Ask anyone who knew her. Any of her teachers and family would tell you this. High school graduation was a sad day for all when Annabelle walked proudly off the high school stage, her thoughts consumed with boys, beer, and after-parties, and later into the arms of her parents. Her father’s laughter and singular remark? “I didn’t think you’d make it. Get a job at the post office, they have a good retirement plan.”

A high bar and words to live by, but Annabelle wanted more. She needed to flunk out of college too. But damn, she sure did have a good time. Trivial arrest records not-withstanding, it was a growth period for our girl. And if you look closely, you’ll see a bit of what was to come when she majored in criminal justice. Her lifelong aspiration was to become a judge. Hmm.

For better or worse, Annabelle didn’t graduate from college but did find gainful employment and a fulfilling career. This path ended when she became a mom. Married to her wonderful George, who to this day can hardly remember an actual proposal, Annabelle finally became a mother. She didn’t have a clue how hard she would need to work to keep those self-imposed requirements of Downey-fresh, iron-pressed sheets, home-baked meals, and mom-of-the-year awards arriving. She composed a small self-affirmation song and made her children sing it to her for money. She was a very good mom.

After clearing the largest hurdles of motherhood and regrettably, begrudgingly, and not-without-tears, launching her children onto the world, she looked around and realized she had a lot to say. Picking up a laptop, she got to work.

Annabelle spends her days continuing to tackle the challenges of motherhood, for both her humans and canines. She also writes. And reads. And cleans. And cooks. And bakes. And cleans again. She also supports her husband, George, in an administrative capacity for their small business. She’s in charge of payroll and cuts George’s checks. This leads to no marital acrimony.

In the beginning, with the blank page staring at her and possibly in a hostile mood after being literally mauled by a dog and by the world in general, she had an idea. What if she could wield a force of good upon unsuspecting evil-doers? What if she had the resources to get the job done without dealing with committee and anyone else’s whiney-ass opinions?

It was gold. It took off. Annabelle sat down and began to write and couldn’t stop. To date, having written over a million words in the Carrows Family Chronicles and her second series on the Boston Clairvoyants, several items have become quite clear. Annabelle had a lot to say. Annabelle really enjoys writing. And although she hates all things technology, she begrudgingly pounds her head on her desk daily as obstacles are thrown in her path. Almost a hero.

Since entering her world of make-believe, she has rebelled against all intrusion of real-world responsibilities. Her house is a mess, but she tries. Her family is fed, but more often than not, on takeout. She vows to shower every day, but no, it’s a vow she’ll never keep. Her friends are neglected, but not in her heart.

Read her mordacious blog! Read her books! Follow her on social platforms! Sign up for her newsletter! These are all good things. What are you waiting for? Jump into bed with Annabelle. She’s having a swell time. You should join her. theannabellelewis.com  IG and Twitter: alewisauthor

The Thin Green Wedge by Katy Varley #thethingreenwedge @katy_varley999 #bookreview #paramedic

 

WHERE SAVING LIVES MEETS SURVIVING YOUR OWN

Lucy Whiteheart is the woman everyone depends on.
A frontline paramedic in the Northeast.
A single mum to three boys.
The calm voice in chaos. The capable one. The strong one.
The one who keeps going.
Through blue lights and broken bodies. Through impossible decisions, night shifts, caffeine and dark humour. Through motherhood, heartbreak and the relentless pressure of holding everything, and everyone, together.

But behind the uniform, Lucy is unravelling.
Years of giving too much of herself and asking for nothing in return have left invisible scars. The kind you hide well. The kind nobody notices until coping becomes performance… and survival becomes routine.

Then her health begins to fail.
And for the first time in her life, Lucy is forced to stop running from the one person she’s spent years trying to ignore:

herself.

Set against the raw and unpredictable world of frontline emergency healthcare, The Thin Green Wedge is a darkly funny, deeply honest and emotionally charged story about burnout, motherhood, grief, identity, resilience and the quiet ways women lose themselves while trying to save everyone else.

Perfect for readers who love emotionally powerful contemporary women’s fiction with flawed characters, sharp humour and real heart.

Because sometimes the people trained to save lives are the very ones silently crying out to be saved themselves.

The Thin Green Wedge by Katy Varley was published on 29 May 2026 by Sheildmaiden Press. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review. 

The Thin Green Wedge is a book that feels incredibly personal. Katy Varley writes in such a natural, chatty style that at times I had to remind myself that this is fiction. There’s an almost autobiographical quality to Lucy’s story; her voice is convincing and often very funny, even when life is anything but.

Lucy Whiteheart is a frontline paramedic, a single mum and everyone expects her to cope. She deals with emergencies, difficult shifts and all the unknowns of ambulance work whilst also attempting to keep her own family life on track. The author does an excellent job of showing how exhausting it can be to continually be the capable one, especially when nobody thinks to ask whether that capable person might be struggling too.

The ambulance scenes bring plenty of drama, but this isn’t just a novel about the emergency services. Lucy’s life away from work is just as important, and the mixture of motherhood, friendships, relationships and everyday domestic chaos gives the story real warmth. There’s humour too, sometimes quite dark, and the banter between colleagues feels very authentic.

It’s a long book, very long, and I do think it could have benefited from a stricter edit. There are places where the narrative wanders and some scenes could have been shorter without losing anything important, and may have made some of the emotional moments hit harder. 

However, Lucy is great fun and it’s very easy to become immersed in her world. The Thin Green Wedge is warm, messy, funny and often very moving. It's really human story about what happens when someone who spends her life looking after everyone else finally has to consider herself.

Katy Varley is an NHS paramedic, single mother of three, and author based in Wallsend, Northeast England.

With over 18 years of experience in emergency healthcare, Katy uses her unique frontline perspective to craft authentic, emotionally resonant fiction blended with regional wit. 

The Thin Green Wedge is her first novel.

Eleven Days by Laura Thompson #bookreview #elevendays #laurathompson @bedfordsq.publishers #agathachristie #nonfiction

 

In December of 1926, Agatha Christie vanished. Eleven days later, after frenzied media speculation, she was discovered alive and well. A century on, there are questions that have never been answered.

Now Christie biographer Laura Thompson seeks to penetrate the story of the greatest mystery ever created by the greatest ever mystery writer. ​​ In a new approach, Thompson undertakes a re-enactment of Christie’s movements: from the moment of driving away from her marital home, to the abandonment of her car and her arrival the following night at a Harrogate hotel. Based on conversations with people close to Christie – including her interviews with Christie’s only child, Rosalind – Eleven Days includes entirely new information about Christie’s first marriage.

Eleven episodes examine every aspect of the famous disappearance, seeking – as far as is possible – to penetrate the blank space in Agatha Christie’s long and brilliant life, which leaves her ever more emblematic of the genre that she defines.

Eleven Days by Laura Thompson was published on 27 August 2026 by Bedford Square Publishers. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

THIS REVIEW WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE SEPTEMBER EDITION OF THE MATURE TIMES

Very few literary mysteries have captured the public imagination quite like Agatha Christie’s disappearance in December 1926. 

In Eleven Days, biographer Laura Thompson revisits this mysterious episode with such sensitivity, real insight and careful research.  This is a fascinating account that is as compelling as the fiction Christie created for her readers.

The author carefully reconstructs Christie’s movements during those missing days. She draws on contemporary accounts, personal interviews and some fresh material, including conversations with Christie’s daughter, Rosalind. The result is a wonderfully absorbing expose that shines new light on a story which, almost a century later, continues to intrigue readers around the world.

Elegantly written and beautifully paced, this is a book that can easily be enjoyed over an afternoon, and it leaves a lasting impression. It’s such an accessible narrative,  whether you are a lifelong Christie admirer or discovering this remarkable story for the first time. She presents the evidence with fairness and allows readers to reach their own conclusions, and never loses sight of the woman behind the headlines.

More than just a recounting of a famous disappearance, Eleven Days is a thoughtful portrait of Agatha Christie at a pivotal moment in her life. The reader is reminded why she remains one of Britain's most enduring literary figures and why the mystery surrounding those eleven days refuses to fade.

Stylish, intelligent and so engrossing, this is a rewarding read for anyone who enjoys biography, literary history or true-life mysteries. Highly recommended.

Laura Thompson won the Somerset Maugham Award with her first book, The Dogs. 

She wrote a biographical study of Nancy Mitford, Life in a Cold Climate, and a group biography of the Mitfords, Take Six Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller. 

She has also written two books about real life murders: A Different Class of Murder, about the Lord Lucan case, and the CWA Dagger-nominated Rex V Edith Thompson. 

Her memoir of her publican grandmother, The Last Landlady, was nominated three times as a 2018 book of the year. 

She lives in southwest London.

Split Second by R C Bridgestock #splitsecond @rcbridgestockauthor @orendabooks @randomthingstours #virtualbooktour #dylanandmann

 

What if one moment – one split second – changed everything?

When a firearms officer shoots a suspect dead and wounds another, who later dies in hospital, the official line is that the sun was in her eyes. Her body cam failed. Known only as Officer X, her anonymity is meant to protect her – until a judge releases her name and a media storm erupts.

Detective Superintendent Jack Dylan and DI Charley Mann are called in to determine whether it was a justifiable use of force – or something darker. And when it's revealed that Officer X knew the victim, and her brother died of a drug overdose linked to the same woman, the case becomes charged with personal and political tension.

As pressure mounts, a vulnerable witness dies and a lost phone surfaces with a photograph and a message that could unravel everything – and reveal the truth about what happened that day.

Split Second brings Dylan and Mann together for the first time, in an investigation that will test their instincts, their loyalties and the limits of justice itself, as both detectives must decide how far they'll go – and what they're willing to sacrifice – to uncover the truth.

Split Second by R C Bridgestock is published today; 27 August 2026 by Orenda Books and is the first in a new series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Virtual Book Tour 

It's been quite some time since I last read a book by R C Bridgestock, I've enjoyed their books in the past. This husband and wife writing as R C Bridgestock bring such a wealth of knowledge to their writing. I was delighted to hear that they were pairing up DS Jack Dylan and DI Charley Mann; characters from their previous two series, to begin a brand new, Yorkshire based police procedural series. 

I have enjoyed every single page of this tense, fast moving and original novel. The premise is really intriguing. A police firearms officer shoots dead the driver of a car, the passenger later dies in hospital. All incidents such as this have to be investigated internally and Dylan and Mann are put on the case. 

Officer X, the female officer claims that the sun was in her eyes, she had no idea who was driving the car. Further investigations discover that there is a link between X and the dead woman driver and this adds more layers into what should have been a straightforward case. When a judge identifies Officer X as Abi, the threat of revenge is large. 

The characters are created with such care; from the school children who bunked school and witnessed the shooting, to the vulnerability of Abi and the care shown by Kat; the officer tasked with supporting her. Each and every one of them are realistic, playing such an important part of the story. 

Split Second is a tense, thought-provoking police procedural that explores the difficult line between justified force and personal motive.  Bringing Detective Superintendent Jack Dylan and DI Charley Mann together for the first time is a brilliant move.  The investigation develops into a compelling examination of justice, loyalty and the pressures facing those tasked with policing the police. The authors steadily introduce new evidence and conflicting motivations, keeping the truth tantalisingly out of reach.

A combination of police procedure, moral dilemmas and personal stakes, Split Second offers plenty for crime-fiction readers to get their teeth into. It’s an absorbing investigation that asks whether one split-second decision can ever truly be understood once everyone has their own version of what happened.

Former Head of CID Bob Bridgestock is now an international best-selling author, along with his wife Carol, who also worked for West Yorkshire Police. 

The couple, who write under the pen name of R.C. Bridgestock, were voted the eight best crime writers of all time by WHSmith Readers. 

The writing duo created the character DI Jack Dylan, a detective from Harrowfield, with nine books in the Dylan series. 

In 2020, they launched a new series featuring a strong Yorkshire female, Detective Inspector Charley Mann. 

The couple were the storyline consultants/police procedural on BAFTA winning BBC1 police drama Happy Valley,Scott & Bailey and The Beast Must Die, as well as other police dramas.

The Maternal Element by Kate Nicholls #VirtualBookTour #TheMaternalElement @kate_nicholls_official_ @saltpublishing @randomthingstours #BookReview

 

Siberia 1833.

Forty-one-year-old Maria Mendeleeva is enduring her seventeenth pregnancy. Her husband Ivan has lost his sight, and her brother Vasily has left their grandfather’s glass factory in ruins. The factory Maria hungered for as a child. On the brink of poverty and her family’s only remaining hope, Maria must find a way to make the factory viable. She must find the power to bring her grandfather's dreams back to life. She must make the glass sing.

The Maternal Element is a sweeping, gripping epic with an extraordinary woman at its heart. Maria Mendeleeva – mother of Dmitri Mendeleev, who devised the Periodic Table of the Elements – is a heroine like no other. A woman who refuses to be quashed by circumstance, Maria fights against the strictures of her time to gain an education for herself and for her children as she traverses the Urals of Russia seeking opportunity and safety for her family. A vivid and visceral portrait of a woman history has long since forgotten, The Maternal Element is a manifesto for truth, female empowerment and defying societal expectations.

The Maternal Element by Kate Nicholls was published by Salt on 15 June 2026. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

I've been really enjoying historical fiction recently and The Maternal Element is another wonderful read that has taught me so much. There are some historical figures whose names are everywhere, yet the names of the people who supported them are unknown. In The Maternal Element, Kate Nicholls turns her attention to Maria Mendeleeva, mother of Dmitri Mendeleev, who devised the Periodic Table of the Elements and gives this remarkable woman the recognition that she really deserves.

This is a fabulous, immersive novel. Maria is a woman living in a society that has very definite ideas about what women should and should not do. She is a wife and mother, she has had seventeen pregnancies. She is also extremely intelligent, curious and determined. When circumstances threaten her family, Maria refuses to simply accept what fate appears to have decided for her.

The author brings Maria  to life so vividly. She is formidable, certainly, but she is never presented as some impossibly perfect heroine. There are frustrations, difficult decisions and moments when the demands placed upon her feel almost overwhelming. Her complexity makes her so compelling. Her determination to secure education and opportunity, both for herself and for her children, is particularly powerful.

The setting is really so  impressive. The cold, the distances, the isolation and the sheer physical effort required to keep a family and a business going are wonderfully described. I was especially fascinated by the glass factory and the descriptions of the craft itself. There is something almost magical about the transformation of raw materials into something beautiful.

This is a substantial, sweeping historical novel, but at its heart is a very intimate story about motherhood, ambition, sacrifice and the hunger for knowledge.

I knew Dmitri Mendeleev's name before opening this book. I didn't know Maria's. Thanks to Kate Nicholls, she is not a woman I will easily forget.

Kate Nicholls was born in the UK in 1954. 

Raised in a theatrical family, she had a successful acting career but gave it up to study evolutionary biology. 

She raised and homeschooled her five children while researching lions in the Okavango Delta. 

A passionate believer in liberal arts education she founded a homeschool company in 2011. 

She lives happily in Rome where she studies, teaches and writes overlooking the Tiber. 

She is the author of Under the Camelthorn Tree (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2019).

What The Ocean Keeps by Laura Wilkinson #VirtualBookTour @laura_wilkinsonwriter @randomthingstours #WhatTheOceanKeeps #BookReview

 

The war’s over but for Alma and Jack the fight for love and freedom has only just begun

North Wales, 1918

The guns in Europe have fallen silent but for Alma peace brings only hardship in the Welsh seaside town she calls home. After welcome independence as a munitions’ worker, she is trapped by a painful arrangement with Bron, the man who saved her family from destitution. And for Jack, a Canadian soldier who fought for Britain, it means degradation in the overcrowded, feverish repatriation camp where thousands wait for the chance to sail home.

When Alma and Jack meet in the shanty town which serves the camp, they fall passionately in love – and their romance becomes the one chance of escape. But dreams are fragile. Bron wants Alma for himself. Ships across the Atlantic are delayed time and again, Spanish ‘flu spreads and the men – their sacrifice and bravery in the trenches ignored – are rebellious.

Inspired by the true events of the Kinmel Park mutiny, What The Ocean Keeps is a heart wrenching, unforgettable love story that weaves a woman’s search for freedom with a soldier’s struggle to return home as the world reels in the aftermath of World War 1 and pandemic.

What The Ocean Keeps by Laura Wilkinson was published on 7 August 2026 by Ginger Sky. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

There are some books that sweep you so completely into their world that, for a few hours, everything beyond the pages just disappears. What the Ocean Keeps by Laura Wilkinson was one of those books for me. Beautifully written, so very moving and atmospheric, this is wonderful historical fiction.

Set in North Wales in the aftermath of the First World War, we are introduced to Alma and Jack, two people longing for freedom in very different ways. Alma felt independent once; through her wartime work in a factory, but this changed once peace arrives. Jack, a Canadian soldier waiting at Kinmel Park for the seemingly endless journey home, has survived the horrors of war but discovers that peace brings its own indignities.

Oh, how I loved these two.

The author makes their relationship feel so believable. There is tenderness, and also passion, and some uncertainty. I became really invested in them and their hopes, while being painfully aware of just how this may not turn out well. 

This is so much more than a love story. The historical backdrop is fascinating and, at times, deeply upsetting. I knew nothing about the events surrounding the Kinmel Park mutiny, and the author brings this neglected piece of history vividly to life but the the research never overwhelms her characters. The overcrowding, frustration, illness and growing anger among men who had already sacrificed so much are almost tangible.

Alma is a particularly wonderful creation: spirited, intelligent and determined to have some say over the direction of her own life. I kind of fell in love with Jack too, and the supporting characters give the novel additional richness and depth.

What the Ocean Keeps is tender, immersive and enormously compelling. A story of love, freedom, sacrifice and hope in the uncertain aftermath of war, it really is so moving. Historical fiction at its most absorbing, and a novel I won’t forget in a hurry.

Laura is a novelist, creative writing tutor, and structural editor with a career spanning
fifteen years. 

She is the author of seven contemporary novels for adults (two published under a pseudonym) including That Night in New York, Crossing the Line, The Family Line, Redemption Song, and Skin Deep, published by Headline Accent and Legend Times. 

Her short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies throughout her career.

Ghost Notes by Doug Johnstone #virtualbooktour #ghostnotes @writerdougj @orendabooks @randomthingstours #theskelfs #scottishcrimefiction

 

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…

Ghost Notes by Doug Johnstone is published today, 13 August 2026 by Orenda Books and is book seven in the Skelfs series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Virtual Book Tour 

I really enjoy crime fiction series, I'm a huge fan of fiction set in Scotland and Doug Johnstone is one of my all time favourite authors. Just the thought of a new Skelfs book is fabulous, but actually getting my hands on a copy and reading it is one of the best experiences ever. There are crime fiction series and then there's the Skelfs - with apologies to all of my other beloved series, but this one is my firm favourite. 

I remember clearly, reading the first chapter of the first Skelfs book; A Dark Matter, in 2019 and getting hooked. I am still a Skelfs addict, a Skelfaholic 

Once again, there are multiple turned down corners in my proof copy of Ghost Notes. This author can see right into the heart of me, as a reader. Some of his observations, especially from a woman's point of view are astonishingly sharp. Jenny's middle-age invisibility was one that really resonated with me, I really love the fact that his female characters are strong, forward thinking and empathic, but also with flaws and issues that shape them.

So, to the plot.  The opening scene is at a funeral, as it often is, and as is common with the Skelfs, an incident happens at that funeral that sparks off an investigation that plunges Dorothy into a whole new world.  There's a new industry - powered through AI - and providing digital avatars of dead people. This is supposed to be soothing, a way to deal with grief, but Dorothy discovers that, like most things, it's a murky, dark, dangerous place and needs to be stopped. 

Whilst Dorothy is dealing with tech giants and a grief stricken family, her daughter Jenny has taken on what seems to be a pretty simple case of blackmail. However, she too stumbles into something far bigger and before long there are dead bodies and also incredible temptation. 

And then there's Indy and the mysterious arrival of a blast from her past.  Her wife Hannah begins to wonder if she actually knows Indy at all, as more and more about her past is exposed.

This is not a long book, yet it contains so much. The author cleverly layers each plot by having each chapter narrated by one of the women. This works incredibly well, keeping the reader on their toes and maintaining interest in each strand of the novel. 

It's hard to find new words to describe this incredible series, after all, we are on book seven now so I've talked about it seven times.  It's fair to say that I have never ever been let down by this series and this author. His handling of modern day issues; the social injustices of the world, the realities of advanced technology,  and also the love and warmth of family is second to none. I adore this series and heartily recommend it. 

Doug Johnstone is the author of twenty novels, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted – and The Big Chill longlisted – for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year.

Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. 

Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral home. He’s also been an arts journalist for 25 years. 

He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. 

He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club and lives in Edinburgh

with his family.