This is my first Erin Kelly and I loved it. The great thing about reading an author new to you is that you have a fabulous back catalogue of books to dive in to and I can't wait.

The Skeleton Key tempts you with a little bait in the early pages then gently draws you in until before you know it, it's got you hook, line and sinker and you're staying up past bedtime to finish it.

#NoSpoilers This is a real epic of a story with lots of twists and turns. Only downside of this type of intricate book is reading it on a Kindle it can be difficult if you need to flick back and check a detail or plot point. Not the author's issue but a general niggle.

A cracking good book.
Highly recommend.

So excited that this has links to my local area with the Kit Williams link, and as a kid who inherited a Masquerade book myself (way after the event) I have always found it fascinating and intruiging - I really enjoyed reading this and loved the local twist it felt like it had for me!

What a rollercoaster this book was. It combines an all-consuming treasure hunt, family secrets and murder. I found the Churcher and Lally families (apart from Nell and Billie) to be awful but you can't help but keep reading.
My only 'negative' was the book could have been shorter, it really dragged in some places.
I enjoyed how it all came together in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book was so different to anything else I've read and I loved it!

I did feel that the book was a little bit slow to get going, but it needed to be. There's a lot of information to take in on what has happened before our story starts, and I loved that you get the history before you are thrown in.

There were so many twists in this book and I just couldn't stop reading as the story kept evolving.

I absolutely loved the way this story was told, can't wait to read more from Erin Kelly!

I’ve read He said/She said by this author and enjoyed it so when I saw this one coming out, I was excited to read it. The premise of this book sounded great and drew me in. I loved the idea of a treasure hunt/mystery. I loved the scenes focusing on the real-life treasure hunt and thought this was an awesome idea that I kind of wish was real. I’d have loved to be a bonehunter. I liked the character of Nell and the past sections were my favorite where we got to see how Nell was impacted by the book and the hunt. Overall, the only thing that I felt fell a little flat was the pacing. I enjoyed the rich characters, histories and backstory but I’d have liked to had a bit more action or mystery throughout the book. I skimmed a bit of the middle but I couldn’t put it down until I found out how it ended. Overall, it was an intriguing read. The author writes very well and I would read other books by her.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot of characters and a lot of stories running in parallel, but it wasn't hard to follow. It was compelling and a very enjoyable read and kept me guessing until the very end.

A family reunion to celebrate an anniversary of a strange book. Things are about to be revealed and all hell breaks loose. I found the story too poetic and a bit sinister.

Wow, what a prologue! If you weren't jazzed about reading this book because of the hype, you will be after reading the prologue.

Erin Kelly has a well-crafted authorial tone; as a reader, I felt very confident and safely held as she dealt with some very difficult subject matters. I can see this novel might be triggering for many people, but I read it in a relatively short time and when taken as a whole, although the plot may be harsh and punchy in places, everything within the novel deserves to be in the novel. 'The Skeleton Key' flaunts an assured cohesion. Kelly's writing is without contrivance or earnestness. She swaps between time periods and switches in perspective with adeptness and conviction.

I'm withholding the final star of five stars in my review because I felt the novel, somewhere between 80% and 90%, started to slump in the face of the climax's predictability. As soon as I had realised the only destination where we could end up, given the revelations of past events that define the family at the centre of the narrative, the pace flagged.

However, the momentum until that point had been compulsive; I couldn’t wait to get back to the book every time I had to put it down. The characters in ‘The Skeleton Key’ are sympathetic, though often detestable, yet Kelly advocates convincingly for each perspective whilst writing the individual point of view between chapters and sections. The most distinctive voices are certainly the two siblings Nell and Dom, although Dom doesn’t come to the fore until a significant amount of plot development has taken place. His scintillating storyline is well worth waiting for!

‘The Skeleton Key’ is very similar to one of my favourite novels to be published this year: 'The Birdcage' by Eve Chase, and if I had to pick one of them, I’d say that Chase’s version of dysfunctional-family-discover-artist-father’s-skeletons-in-the-closet trope was more thrilling. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend Erin Kelly’s latest novel to fans of, say, Liane Moriarty. My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton.

Striking, interesting, as good as one would expect from this author. Kelly always explores new territory (it's something that distinguishes her from some of her contemporaries) and this one certainly doesn't disappoint.

Skeleton Key

The Skeleton Key is a compelling, intricate and bizarre murder mystery thriller.
There is so much to this story I cannot begin to imagine how Erin Kelly was able to 1 - create such a plot and 2, how she was able to keep track of every little detail. It’s remarkable and brilliant.
I felt, at one stage, it started to drag a little, but it wasn’t long before I, once again, became a bone hunter. I read every word, searching for clues, wishing to unravel (much like the characters themselves) the mystery myself, although the characters and their lives begin to unravel quite differently.

When I first started, I never expected to feel the range of emotions that this book was able to pull out of me, from suspicion, confusion and anger to heartbreak and sadness. This book has it all.

Please check for Trigger Warnings.

Thank you so much, Hodder & Stoughton & NetGalley, for the eArc in return for my honest review.
This story is going to stay with me.
Erin Kelly is now an auto-buy.

I feel quite conflicted by this story, told mainly from the point of view of Nell whose life has been difficult because of a book/treasure hunt/mystery written by her father many years ago with the main character sharing her name (although with an alternative spelling). Having distanced herself from the family for many years Nell is called back to the family to celebrate an anniversary of the book and to revitalise interest from fans. As the story is told through the past and present both the family dynamics and the book's fan base bring more complications again for Nell.
I found the story quite confusing at the beginning and I found it difficult to get involved. Many of the characters are quite unlikeable and the two families are unhealthily closely involved. But as the story evolved and various events were recounted from different characters' points of view it became quite a compulsive read.
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Erin Kelly/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love books by Erin Kelly so I was so excited to start this. Although the premise of the story was very clever and original I found this story very slow going and hard to follow. I also didn’t really connect with the characters. The story picked up for me in the second half and I did enjoy it more. I enjoyed delving deeper into the dysfunctional family and their secrets. Overall though I'm afraid I struggled to get through this one. Erin Kelly is a brilliant writer so I'll be keen to read her next book. This one just wasn't for me!

I'm a bit on the fence as I thoroughly enjoyed the part about the book and the treasure hunt, a bit less the family drama.
It's a book that starts very strong and then changes direction nth times.
I think that the author is a good storyteller but I would have preferred a more consistent and compact story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This started out as a five star read. I was absolutely drawn in by the mystery of The Golden Bones, and the old folk tales and obsessed fans. But half way through, the book decided to give up on the cool and interesting mystery and just become a generic crime/family drama.

The whole concept that pulled me in to the book to begin with was essentially just a Macguffin. It didn't actually have any real bearing on the plot except to misdirect from the far less interesting story that ultimately got told. Because of this, the last half of the book really dragged. There was a really great and interesting book hidden within the pages of The Skeleton Key, but it was buried under an ultimately run-of-the-mill crime story.

Elements of this book sparkled with perfection - I loved Nell’s relationship with Billie and the love between them. I loved how the worldwide mystery dominated proceedings for the first 1/3 of the book.. but there were so many threads and so many characters that it all got a bit too crowded at points. I found myself slogging through most of the Lal/Frank flashbacks in order to get back to what was happening with Nell and Billie, or to find out what Richard was playing at. Overall, a relatively enjoyable read and a successful change of tone for Erin Kelly, but not one I’ll be rushing back to in a hurry.

Well, I could not put this book down! It is the perfect combination of family drama and puzzling mystery that had me drawn in from start to finish.

The legend of The Golden Bones surrounded and haunted Nell and her family for years. Obsessed fans were a threat Nell thought was behind her. But with the final piece of the puzzle about to be revealed, the past Nell thought was behind her is very much part of her present.

A definite five stars from me!

Thanks to the author, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

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With a strong focus on two dysfunctional families, The Skelton Key exposes the secrets and deceits of the Churchers and the Lalleys - two families joined at the hip, who's lives have been turned upside down by the unsettling success of a fictional picture book.

'The Golden Bones' tells a tale of Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. With puzzling clues, a treasure hunt plot and the promise of hidden bone-shaped jewels to unearth, the story takes centre stage within Erin Kelly's newest novel. We learn of the obsessive hold it has on it's readers and the trouble they bring to the families, convinced the book conceals something much more sinister - let's just say, things become messy!

Alongside the intensity of 'The Golden Bones' phenomenon, character development is a HUGE part of what makes this novel work. There's plenty of morally grey characters with much to hide, and understanding each and every one, is pivotal to the book's storyline. As a reader, you'll begin to get an understanding of the twisted Churcher/Lalley family dynamics, curtsey of a duel timeline that slowly reveals disturbing details about their pasts. However, the writing cleverly conceals the families biggest secrets AND Erin Kelly's big reveal by setting down false trails throughout - leaving questions left unanswered, right up until the very last second.

All of this, builds suspense and a continuous feeling of unease. The unique and cleverly constructed plot, digs deep with a playful yet intense and disturbing manner, which kept me invested and feeling suspicious the whole way through. I found myself reading *just one more chapter* as I struggled to put it down - boy was it good!

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A well written book but it was missing something for me as it fell a bit flat midways through it but I did still enjoy it, the story of two influential families and all the secrets and lies and mysteries that have fuelled their lives..

Amazing!! I literally couldn’t put this down I was a walking zombie for days cause I just wanted to keep reading! Will be looking out for more from Erin

A masterpiece of gothic family saga, which transcends genres and gets into your very bones!

I’m a big fan of Erin Kelly’s beautiful writing, her mastery of character and her impeccably plotted narratives. I am always transported to the world within the pages and there’s something extra-sensory about her novels: I feel all of the emotions, taste and smell what the characters do. I love submerging myself in the dark layers of an Erin Kelly novel. Needless to say, I had high expectations for The Skeleton Key before I’d even turned the first page. These were exceeded immediately and I don’t say it lightly when I say that this book is a true masterpiece! It transcends genres and eras, giving readers a sweeping family saga on the one hand and a macabre murder mystery on their other. Kelly perfectly blends the gothic, mystical, folklore elements of The Golden Bones (the book within the book) with the psychological elements of an imploding family, hell bent on siphoning off the toxicity that has been simmering below the surface gleam for many years. I throughly enjoyed the multifaceted nature of the plot and was equally invested in the hunt for Elinore’s bones, the intergenerational impact of this on the family and the discovery of a human pelvis at the announcement in celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Golden Bones. So many different elements of the novel progress and run alongside each other, until through a series of shocking twists, they all converge and draw to a breathtaking conclusion. I particularly enjoyed how the plot organically ebbs and flows between timeframes to reveal elements crucial to the plot and how key moments are retold through different lenses, mimicking the retelling and ever evolving folklore of Elinore and Tam’s story in To Gather the Bones.

One aspect of Kelly’s writing that draws me to her stories every time, is her incomparable ability to draw fascinating, emotionally complex and ultimately humanly relatable characters. The Skeleton Key has a cacophony of such characters at its heart. This novel is resplendent with characters you loathe, characters you want to fight for, characters you want to grab by the shoulders and shake and characters you can’t quite grasp a handle on. All of the characters are exceptionally constructed and Kelly breathes life and plausibility into all of them, whether they are a lead or supporting player. Nell is a brilliant central character and I really felt drawn to her, rooting for her throughout. I really enjoyed how her layers are peeled back and readers really get to know her over the course of the plot. This novel is such a journey for her, travelling from a place of fear and invisibility to a new sense of freedom and stability, via some serious enlightenment and a form taking of control. This blended so well with her relationship with Billie, which was another aspect of the wider plot that I was fully invested in. The characterisation is so rich in this novel that it’s possible to write a whole essay on them! Refraining myself from doing that, I’ll just mention some of the themes that are so brilliantly explored through the characters. You can expect to ruminate on: guilt, privilege, competition, wealth, mental health, abuse, greed, loyalty, obsession, love, hatred, revenge, morality and trust. It’s the rich tapestry of character and plot that makes The Skeleton Key such a unique and mesmerising read.