A heart attack at a funeral, blackmail, murder, grief bots, affairs, the power of music and ghosts of every kind, who threaten the Skelfs' very existence. The Skelfs are back in another gripping, heartfelt and irresistible mystery.
"The persistence of love in the Skelf household, no matter what fate flings at it, is reassuring and life-affirming" - The Times
"The Skelfs feel like family - their joys are my joys, their pains are my pain … Edinburgh's favourite family, bringing darkness and delight" - Val McDermid
"AI remain a happily hopeless Skelfaholic" - Mark Billingham
______
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…
______
**SHORTLISTED for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year**
**SHORTLISTED for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel**
| ISBN: | 9781917764377 |
| Publication date: | 13th August 2026 |
| Author: | Doug Johnstone |
| Publisher: | Orenda Books |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 276 pages |
| Series: | The Skelfs |
| Genres: |
Crime and Mystery |
A heart attack at a funeral, blackmail, murder, grief bots, affairs, the power of music and ghosts of every kind, who threaten the Skelfs' very existence. The Skelfs are back in another gripping, heartfelt and irresistible mystery.
"The persistence of love in the Skelf household, no matter what fate flings at it, is reassuring and life-affirming" - The Times
"The Skelfs feel like family - their joys are my joys, their pains are my pain … Edinburgh's favourite family, bringing darkness and delight" - Val McDermid
"AI remain a happily hopeless Skelfaholic" - Mark Billingham
______
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…
______
**SHORTLISTED for Theakston Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year**
**SHORTLISTED for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel**
Ghost Notes features in the following genres: Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Comic (humorous) crime and mystery, Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Thriller and Suspense
Ghost Notes is available in Paperback
Ghost Notes was written by Doug Johnstone and published by Orenda Books
Ghost Notes has 276 pages
Yes it is part of The Skelfs series
£8.99