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The Skeleton Key

A family reunion ends in murder; gripping psychological suspense from the Sunday Times top ten bestselling author

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The Skeleton Key

By: Erin Kelly
Narrated by: Helen Keeley
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About this listen

 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 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 . . .

'An intricately plotted thriller, full of detail and invention, with impeccably realised settings and characters as monstrous as they are believable. Above all it is a completely addictive story of two families destroyed by success. Erin Kelly is a genius' JANE CASEY

'Moody, propulsive, and one of the most intriguing set ups I've read in years. Erin Kelly doesn't put a foot wrong in this atmospheric, original thriller' GILLIAN McALLISTER

'A feat of real ambition and imagination - original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page, this is Erin Kelly at her finest' LOUISE CANDLISH

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2022 Erin Kelly trading as ES Moylan Limited Crime Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Mystery Crime

Critic reviews

An intricately plotted thriller, full of detail and invention, with impeccably realised settings and characters as monstrous as they are believable. Above all it is a completely addictive story of two families destroyed by success. Erin Kelly is a genius
Moody, propulsive, and one of the most intriguing set ups I've read in years. Erin Kelly doesn't put a foot wrong in this atmospheric, original thriller
A feat of real ambition and imagination - original, suspenseful, and with complex characters that spring irresistibly to life on the page, this is Erin Kelly at her finest
Erin Kelly excels at twisted family dynamics and toxic, compelling characters, and this glorious slice of bohemian gothic showcases all her strengths
Scary, eerie, moving and compelling: a beautifully-plotted, gorgeously-written triumph of a thriller
A twisted treasure hunt with a fatal family secret at its heart. Powerful, playful and deeply disturbing. I loved it
A blisteringly good read. I simply couldn't put it down
A unique storyteller; impossible to predict, impossible to put down
Such a clever, intriguing read . . . There's layer upon layer of mystery in this frankly brilliant read
Gloriously gothic - a richly layered, utterly compulsive read. I completely lost myself to this book for a few days. This is Erin Kelly at the height of her powers
I adored this novel. Treasure hunts, an old book, puzzles & clues, and bone hunters. What more could you want? Gothic, complex, character-driven, addictive and intense. The PERFECT bookclub thriller for 2022
A highly imaginative time-slip novel about vanity, arrogance, murder and deceit . . . Highly entertaining, in spite of the vividly described distress of many of the characters, this is an excellent psychological thriller
Like all Kelly's novels, it's pacy, brilliantly plotted, and full of complex characters and relationships . . . One of my favourite writers is back with a gripping thriller about two families connected by a devastating secret
Although this is the kind of dark and twisted thriller we've come to expect from Erin Kelly, The Skeleton Key is also a delicious deep dive into the secrets and grievances of one of the most dysfunctional families you're ever likely to meet
A richly imagined, multi-layered story, asking some though-provoking questions about family, art and privilege along the way
Fascinatingly original
Spearheading a new wave of Succession-esque fractured family tales . . . Erin Kelly's The Skeleton Key is the ultimate entertaining thriller
Kelly's deftly etched depiction of human relations shows how our nearest and dearest often spark in us the most intense of emotions
All stars
Most relevant
What a great listen and first five star listen of 2023. Erin Kelly’s best novel by far.

Great 5* listen

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Really enjoyable. I was leaning towards 4.5/5, but I think it is more close to a 4/5 the first 1/3 was amazing, the rest was still great but not quite the same. It’s quite an original plot which is one of the reasons I liked it so much… the ending was good but I wanted something a little bit more, ingrid, the bone hunters, Eleanors bones reunited something felt slightly unresolved. I’d definitely recommend it.

Original

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I loved this, I think it’s probably in the running for my favourite book of the year. Compelling characters and who can’t relate to totally crazy family set up?! I love how the perspectives changed later on in the book and you were drawn into each characters version of events. It is also artfully narrated by Helen Keeley. Highly recommend!

Totally gripping

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My favourite book in some time, really enjoyed the story and the performance was perfect.

Loved It

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launch.

Loved "Watch her fall", "The Poison Tree" was so nearly fabulous and could not get into "He Said/She Said" - so I was not sure how this one would go and I did manage to finish it, though at times it was hard work as so many unlikeable characters and general dreariness in what could have been a sparkling thriller.

Narration was OK though a quick trip to Youtube would have allowed the narrator/producer to realise that Oisin is pronounced Ushh- eeean not O-sheen - Saoirse Ronan has a great clip where she pronounces all those tricky Irish names for anyone interested.

The idea was fabulous but while I am well used to the "Then/Now" format this time I found myself zoning out and getting a bit lost as really an editor should have gone about cutting out a lot of the deadwood and weaving it into a tighter, faster flowing more compulsive read/listen as at times it was meandering and just a bit dull.

I did not like any of the characters and found it hard to picture Nell and ended up seeing her a bit new-age travellerish which probably was way of the mark. Previously I thought living on a narrow boat sounded romantic but after reading this it just sounds grim.

Good story though and a shame as it could have been tightened up and tweaked into a fabulous thriller but as it stands, just a bit meh!

Great premise, so much potential but failed to ...

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