Can we just appreciate the cover!! 😍 Beautiful

I really enjoyed The Skeleton Key! It had everything: Fantasy, treasure hunts, drugs, alcohol, murder, mystery and dysfunctional families. It had a lot going on and I loved it!
The writing and characters are well written.

This was such an interesting and incredible read, there was such depth and intrigue. I found myself completely entranced by the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I was attracted to this book by the blurb describing the puzzle / search for Elinor's bones. The early pages of the book give explanations of the clever clues and solutions, but I found it difficult to believe the madness that arose from the fans. The narrative swaps around in different times, and the 2 men, Frank and Lally, seem to be enemies more than close friends. By 25% through I disliked every character and nothing seemed to have happened other than Eleanor becoming increasingly paranoid. I stopped reading as I had no iinterest in seeing how the story ended.

A gripping book that I struggled to put down. Brilliant plot with a host of interesting characters, I will definitely read more by this author.

I was immediately drawn to this, both from the cover and the description - treasure hunting? Check! Book writing? Check! Family mystery? CHECK
I honestly loved it, the suspense was brilliant and kept me turning every single page as fast as I could. It’s good that you weren’t sure who you could trust or what was going to happen. It incorporates fame, fortune and success and the drama and family ties that surround it. Very very good!

Nell's family meets up to celebrate the upcoming publication of the 50th anniversary edition of her father's book and its new treasure hunt. With trepidation Nell arrives at her parents’ home which brings back all the memories she has tried to bury. All her family is there. As well as a camera team filming an exclusive documentary. Meanwhile, outside the house, the hard core fans are gathering.

A story of a woman who has hidden herself from the public because of the decisions of her parents. She’s trying to protect her foster daughter as much as herself from the events and the repercussions of the past.

A page-turner with an MC that has scars on her body and soul. Solving the decades old riddle, unearthing several family secrets on the way, is the only way for Nell to keep her foster daughter and make peace with the past.

A thoroughly enjoyable read! I have my own recollections of, as a child, poring over the beautiful illustrations of Masquerade, and remember how it gripped the country during that time. And today, with the power of social media and the increasing number of conspiracy theorists this novel is entirely believable in its premise. The overarching ego of the man behind the book, secrets, passion, bitterness and envy - a great recipe for disaster, Beautifully written, you're drawn into the world of the families caught up in the drama (whether they wish it or not) and will very much have your own ideas on just how you really want it to all work out...

i had a phase of my youth where i was utterly compelled by armchair treasure hunts like forrest fenn, masquerade and the secret. to get a book that's basically a distilled interrogation of that culture is an absolute hoot. loved it.

I’ve never read Erin Kelly so grabbed this one when I saw it appear. The premise of finding clues to fulfill a skeleton, is convincing - it balloons out of control so the family are being stalked to see if the clues can be winkled out. The violence and deceit underlying the entire endeavour begins to corrode the family as they are all drawn in. As the years go by, murders, pedophilia and betrayals mount up as the money rolls in.

The story is told us by the daughter who was born after the treasure hunt/book began to take off in their lives, and was named for the central character - all based on an ancient tale of betrayal and murder too. As she grows up, she is targeted and incited to attack in retaliation. The original friends who married each other’s brothers, or sisters, or daughters, have a fractious relationship and this is inherited down the generations. All plausible like crazy and I was gripped. Okay it is long, and some of the characterisations are thin - and who is this Billie that has been taken in by our narrator? No real personality just professed need by our narrator - who has removed herself from the family.

There is a deeply buried crime from years ago, eating away, which is resolved by the end - and entails more cover up to keep everyone intact in the family. My only complaint is that characterisations are sometimes fleshed out in order to make the plotting work … but I am convinced by the driver of the Pokémon game playing style with its fierce advocates, etc. really great fun, adept and well written - and i am someone who dislikes flashbacks normally!

This is unlike any book I've read! Before I knew it I was hooked, and couldnt put it down! The characters were fascinating, and I felt fully invested in Nell and Billie. Brilliant!

This was a really interesting novel; I was intrigued by the dynamics of the family and also the tale of Elinore who had become a curse for the Churcher family. There's a lot going on but but I was gripped; a fantastic 4 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Skeleton Key shows Erin Kelly at her best; an enthralling tale with a nod to the real life treasure hunt sparked by Kit Williams’ Masquerade. In the novel, Frank Churcher’s book, The Golden Bones, incites similar levels of frenzy and obsession. And when the book’s 50th anniversary edition is released, old wounds reopen and murder and mayhem ensue.

I am so annoyed at myself for taking so long to get around to this! I loved Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly, and now I've given another of her books 5 stars, I desperately need to check out her backlist.

The Skeleton Key is a slow-building family saga and I think the author did a fantastic job of showing these messy and toxic relationships. The atmosphere was impeccable.

From the synopsis, I expected this to have more action but I'd say this leans more towards being a mystery rather than a thriller. It was a little too long at 500+ pages but once I was past the halfway point I flew threw it.

The Skeleton Key is a thrilling mystery novel that captures the reader's attention with its intricate puzzle and obsession. The family elements in the story are engaging, and readers will find themselves deeply invested in the characters' lives. The author's ability to make readers understand the characters and their motivations is impressive. Overall, The Skeleton Key is a well-written and captivating read that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.

Such a unique set up for a book, I don’t thing I have read one like this before.

A lot of work has gone into the plot to make is so unique. Praise to Erin Kelly for this.

If you love twists and turns this one is for you

The premise of this is fascinating and really clever - a dysfunctional family with the backstory of a treasure hunt book. I loved the world-building. The characters felt so real and the setting is fantastic. This was my first Erin Kelly book. I hadn't realised what a good writer she was!

It captured me from the very first page and continued to draw me in throughout it's entirety. I savored reading it because I didn't want it to end. There are a lot of characters and a lot going on but all weaves together into a really good plot - did not expect the ending - Thoroughly enjoyed it !

The Skeleton Key is full of myths, mysteries, family secrets and quirky characters.


Not my favourite Erin Kelly book, but one I believe many others will really enjoy.


The story is based around a treasure hunt and set across different timelines. It’s a story within a story.


I had never heard of the original treasure hunt sensation that Erin Kelly took her inspiration from, but I loved the detail given about it in her authors note and couldn’t wait to look it up for myself. Fascinating piece of history and made reading “The Skeleton Key” that little bit more special.


3 Stars – A Magical Read With A Nod To Past History!


Publication Date: 1st September 2022


Thank you to #NetGalley, #HodderandStoughton and #ErinKelly for an ARC of #TheSkeletonKey in exchange for an honest review.

I love the way Erin Kelly writes and this book was no exception. It was wonderfully written and I really enjoyed it. Her thrillers are always so fun and twisty and they just always manage to grip me. Such a great book.

I have heard so many good things about The Skeleton Key that I decided that I had to find out for myself and I am so glad that I did. This is a book that packs in so much mystery, that the reader gets one hell of a ride from start to finish.
Nell Churcher has been hounded by the book The Golden Bones written by her father all her life so it was with some hesitation she returned home for the 50th celebrations where the hunt for the final piece of Elinore. With the “Bonehunters” back out in force it was always going to be questionable if everything was going to go to plan, but nobody expected what actually happened.
The Churchers and the Lallys are a close group. They live next door to each other and two of the children even married. On the face of it the friendship seems very close but in reality there are secrets and lies that always bubble under the surface that over the course of the book are revealed to the reader and the realities of what tie them together are not quite as nice as you would expect and you could only describe the relationships as totally toxic.
The book flits between the past and the present which I love as it always seems to make the story move quickly. I like dipping in and out of the backstory as it explains the events of the present perfectly. I loved the characters (even the ones that really didn’t have any redeeming qualities). The self-centeredness of Frank Churcher was believable to the point that you wondered why his family stuck with him and put up with his behaviour. The more I read the more I understood why Nell had distanced herself from them all and the baggage they brought with them even if it looked like it may cost her the one thing she truly wanted.
I will admit that I didn’t want to put this book down and resented every single interruption from my family. As the truth was revealed and just how many people had a hand in the outcome was a surprise although when you get to know each character and the lengths they will go to in order to protect themselves maybe it shouldn’t be. The Skeleton Key has got to be one of my favourite books so far this year and was just the different kind of book from what I have been reading that I needed.