Review - The Skeleton Key
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The Skeleton Key is a mystery/thriller set in England. It’s narrated by Nell, a 40-something artist who was raised in a very famous family. Her father authored a notorious picture book that led many readers on a treasure hunt that spanned decades. The family’s life has revolved around this book for longer than Nell and her brother Dom have been alive, and it has caused more than its fair share of trauma and grief for the family.
Now it’s the 50th anniversary of the book and Nell’s father Frank has some publicity in the works to put an end to the treasure hunt once and for all. It doesn’t go as planned and the family winds up entangled in a murder mystery.
The Skeleton Key kept me interested to the very end. The characters are well-developed and vibrant, even if their actions are not always sensible. The family dynamics are one of the most interesting parts of the book, seeing how the parents’ actions have shaped their children’s lives.
The mystery in this book is built upon an intriguing premise and the reader sorts through the clues (both past and present) right along with Nell. The stakes are high for her as she works to find a balance between learning the truth and protecting her family.
The solution to the mystery is ultimately explained in detail by one of the characters near the end of the book. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and instead of the solution feeling satisfying, it was uncomfortable and upsetting.
The solution to this mystery is not neat and tidy. The author seems determined to spread the guilt as widely as possible, and that felt like a bit of a cop-out. But perhaps the author’s point is that nobody is blameless in this tangled mess of a mystery? Or maybe the author is trying to show that nobody is perfect, and the wrong combination of imperfections within a group can lead to extremes. Or maybe she just didn’t want to pin it all on one person to make it harder to guess.
Whatever the reason is, the solution to the mystery left me unsatisfied, so I ultimately gave this book 3 stars.
The Skeleton Key is available now (released September 1, 2022), so check it out and let me know what you think!
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