Nell Churcher was an object of obsession since her birth. Her father and his best friend created a popular book, The Golden Bones, that included detailed artwork that led the readers on a scavenger hunt all over England. The hunters called themselves the Bonehunters and many of them dedicated their lives, at the detriment of everything else, to solving every puzzle in the book. Now, fifty years later, the family has reunited to celebrate the anniversary of the book that changed so many lives. The v and Nell must reinvent her life to escape their clutches.
I loved how contemporary this book felt. Set in the summer of 2021, the references to COVID shutdowns and masking mandates felt like a not-so-distant past. While it dragged on in a couple of areas, that time was spent developing complex characters and the author did an excellent job holding me in suspense. Each twist and turn is intentional, propelling the mystery to a crashing end I didn’t see coming.
The Skeleton Key ultimately demands honesty and loyalty from the characters, which sets the reader in a certain perspective. They are left to decide innocence and guilt for themselves. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and The Bird Cage by Eve Chase.