Review of A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry

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Most families have skeletons in their closets…

Moving back into her parents’ house with her teenage daughter had not been Georgia Thackery’s “Plan A.” But when she got a job at the local college, it seemed the sensible thing to do. So she settled in and began reconnecting with old friends.

Including Sid. Sid is the Thackery family’s skeleton. He’s lived in the house as long as Georgia can remember, although no one, including Sid, knows exactly where he came from and how he came to be a skeleton.

Sid walks, he talks, he makes bad jokes, he tries to keep Georgia’s dog from considering him a snack. And he manages to persuade Georgia to let him leave the house. But when she takes him to an anime convention—disguised as a skeleton, of course—he sees a woman who triggers memories of his past.

Now he is determined to find out how he died—with Georgia’s help. But their investigation may uncover a killer who’s still alive and well and bad to the bone…

Available on Amazon.

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Maybe I’ve found my favourite new to me series for 2019….

The mystery: This was a good one. I really enjoyed how the mystery of finding out Sid’s origins starts out like a vast open sea almost impossible to traverse but bit by bit clues are uncovered and details come to light to narrow down the search. Suspects are varied, motives too, and opportunities are all tied to figuring out exactly who Sid ‘was’ and what his life was like. The pacing was good and the ‘big reveal’ scene works. I didn’t figure out who the culprit was but looking back, some good hints were laid out.

The characters  are very endearing. Sid the Skelton is hilarious, self-deprecating, sarcastic and a loyal friend. The use of this type of character lends itself to some very entertaining and innovative situations.

Georgia  is one determined woman who knows when to turn the other cheek and when to dish out the attitude. Her work life as an adjunct professor is very relatable for me. As a professor in a resource-strapped college, I identified with many of her work issues. Maybe that’s one of the main reasons I enjoyed this book so much. 

The theme of friendship is so strong in this story. Yes it’s between an animated skeleton and human woman… wow, now there’s a sentence you can only find on a book blog 😄… anyway… the friendship between these two could just as well belong to two regular people. Friends look out for each other, support each other when even those closest to them may not and above all, friends protect each other any way they know how. That spirit comes through in spades and shot this book straight to my heart.

And the ending… oh my goodness, it was just the sweetest and made me go straight to Amazon to buy the second in the series.

I give this story 5/5 meaty (not skeletal) espresso shots.

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Oh… Happy Valentine’s Day!!!! May your day be filled with friendship, love and light.

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