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The Skeleton Man

The gripping mystery series set against the Cambridgeshire fen
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( 294 ratings, 40 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Skeleton Man by Jim Kelly is a crime thriller that explores a long-held mystery in a quaint village. It follows a determined detective as he unravels the secrets behind a skeleton discovered with an enigmatic past linked to an infamous heist. As the investigation deepens, buried truths emerge, intertwining the past with present repercussions.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by intricate crime puzzles woven with history and character depth. Its gripping narrative and well-developed plot twists will keep you guessing until the last page, making it perfect for fans of atmospheric mysteries and thrillers.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Following on from Allison & Busby's extremely popular Nighthawk series of Jim Kelly crime novels set in Cambridge during World War II.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

For seventeen years, the Cambridgeshire hamlet of Jude's Ferry has lain abandoned, requisitioned by the Government for military training. In its thousand-year-old history, it had been famous for one thing, never having recorded a single crime.

But when local reporter Philip Dryden joins the Territorial Army on exercise in the empty village, its spotless history is literally blown apart. For the Territorial Army's shells reveal a hidden cellar beneath the old pub. And inside the cellar hangs a skeleton, a noose around its neck...

Series: Dryden Mysteries

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  • The Coldest Blood
    A man lies hidden in an abandoned boat. Stifling screams, he draws a knife across his arm, letting the blood flow free. Soon he'll be dead and life can begin again. Three decades later, Declan McIlroy, a 39-year-old loner, is found frozen to death in his flat as Arctic temperatures grip the cathedral city of Ely. His is not the...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Skeleton Man
    For seventeen years, the Cambridgeshire hamlet of Jude's Ferry has lain abandoned, requisitioned by the Government for military training. In its thousand-year-old history, it had been famous for one thing, never having recorded a single crime. But when local reporter Philip Dryden joins the Territorial Army on exercise in the empty village, its spotless history is literally blown apart. For...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Water Clock
    In the bleak, snowbound landscape of the Cambridgeshire Fens, a car is winched from a frozen river. Inside, locked in a block of ice, is a man's mutilated body. Later, high on Ely Cathedral, a second body is found, grotesquely riding a stone gargoyle. The decaying corpse has been there more than thirty years. When forensic evidence links both victims...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Skeleton Man by Jim Kelly is praised for its intriguing plot and well-developed characters, blending historical mystery with gripping suspense. Reviewers commend Kelly's atmospheric writing style and the novel's ability to keep readers engaged with its twists and turns. Some mention the compelling setting and the rich detail that brings the story to life.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780749030605

Publisher: Allison & Busby

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 22 June 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Allison & Busby

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 416

About the Author

Jim Kelly was born in 1957 and is the son of a Scotland Yard detective. He wentto university in Sheffield, later training as a journalist and worked on theBedfordshire Times, Yorkshire Evening Press and the Financial Times. His firstbook, The Water Clock, was shortlisted for the John Creasey Award and he hassince won a CWA Dagger in the Library and the New Angle Prize for Literature.He lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Also by Jim Kelly

View all
  • The Coldest Blood
    A man lies hidden in an abandoned boat. Stifling screams, he draws a knife across his arm, letting the blood flow free. Soon he'll be dead and life can begin again. Three decades later, Declan McIlroy, a 39-year-old loner, is found frozen to death in his flat as Arctic temperatures grip the cathedral city of Ely. His is not the...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Cambridge Siren
    Autumn, 1941. The third year of war and still the siren sounds, driving the people of Cambridge from their beds to trudge to one of the city's crowded bomb shelters. At dawn, the body of a young man is found in a shadowy corner. Everything points to suicide, but Detective Inspector Eden Brooke has his doubts given the unidentified man...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Water Clock
    In the bleak, snowbound landscape of the Cambridgeshire Fens, a car is winched from a frozen river. Inside, locked in a block of ice, is a man's mutilated body. Later, high on Ely Cathedral, a second body is found, grotesquely riding a stone gargoyle. The decaying corpse has been there more than thirty years. When forensic evidence links both victims...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Mathematical Bridge
    Cambridge, 1940. It is the first winter of the war, and snow is falling. When an evacuee drowns in the river, his body swept away, Detective Inspector Eden Brooke sets out to investigate what seems to be a deliberate attack. The following night, a local electronics factory is attacked, and an Irish republican slogan is left at the scene. The...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The American Suspect
    May 1942. Thousands of American GIs are stationed across eastern England building airfields to bomb Germany. Cambridge is a 'liberty town' - a hot spot for 'Yanks' on leave. DI Eden Brooke is called to the aerodrome five miles east of the city when the remains of an airman, identified by his dog tag, are uncovered as workmen extend the...
    Hardback
    Sold Out

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