Loved the idea and description of this book but it just didn’t work out for me. Plot was a bit scattered and the characters were extremely hard to connect with. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read review this book.

A treasure hunt of bones centered around a book? I'm in! I loved this cleverly crafted books and its cast of characters!

This book was a lot. I was thrown when the daughter was given the same name as the character in a book about bones. Maybe that is my issue, but I was not a fan of the parents. You are almost asking for problems when you associate your kid so closely with something so gruesome. I tried to move beyond my feelings concerning the name, but the die was cast. I found myself judging everything and everyone. I had lots of ammo. Ultimately, this is a really interesting book. There is much to unpack and enjoy about this book. I'm sure this novel will resonate with many.

An e-arc was provided by NetGalley and the publisher for an unbiased review.

This was such a great mystery read - I thought I knew what would happen at least a dozen times, but kept getting surprised by twists and turns and new realizations. I also love books that have others books are the core of their narrative and complex families so there is a mystery (or really multiple mysteries in this book) with family relationship ups and downs intertwined. It was so hard to stop reading this book - I definitely stayed up way too late because I kept allowing myself another chapter.

Thank you for the arc.

There are a lot of moving parts in this lovely story of family dysfunction and love. I loved Nell's bond with Billie.
She's just being a mom in the way that she is and trying to untangle the mess her family made too.
This was twisty and complex and I loved it.

I expected this to be one of my favorite books based on the review quotes given. It’s not the best book I’ve read but I really did enjoy it. I liked the characters and the way the mystery unfolded and developed. I wasn’t shocked by anything so if you’re looking for the incredible twists mentioned in some reviews you’ll be disappointed. I really liked the ‘twists’ even if they weren’t a surprise. I do recommend the book - just know it won’t make your top ten list of the year.

The ARC copy was hard to read on my kindle. But, I was so intrigued and engrossed in the story that I purchased the published version and am so happy I did! Such a great read!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Uhh.. I think I've been catfished by a book?? This was horrible. I don't think I've read a cast of characters so unlikeable, the drama droned on, the details were overly complicated, and when all that wasn't going on it was BORING. Full transparency: I DNF'd at 20% and I absolutely refuse to read further. It's so sad because the synopsis sounded amazing and you get...not that.

2.5 stars

This sounded so interesting and I was so excited to get an arc. However, it was overly complicated and felt like too much work and not really the story that was advertised. It had a lot more drama and than I was expecting.
That being said, I think this book is just not for me personally as a reader. I do think it will have an audience that loves it.

The Skeleton Key had a beautiful cover and a synopsis that drew me in. Unfortunately, this was not at all what I expected. I loved the idea of this treasure hunt of a picture book that gets out a hand. I was so excited to read this and the first chapter really brought me in. But the rest was all family drama that I was not at all interested in.

I was pulled out of the story quite a bit with the time jumps and it was very hard to be in the mind of the main character. I really struggled to want to continue reading from her.

I think there were some very interesting twists that made me want to keep reading but I kept losing interest when it was overshadowed by other plot lines.

Thank you for netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This is a gritty family drama built on a real life mystery book/treasure hunt. The characters were very unlikeable and it was a lot more dramatic and drama centered than I thought it would be. A bit disappointing but very well-written and as long as you know you’re getting a family drama instead of an adventure mystery you’ll probably enjoy this.

A twisted mystery surrounding The Golden Bones, a treasure hunt picture book, that leads to a skeleton and the two intwined families involved. The Golden Bones was written by Frank and Cora Churcher and had a cult following with readers trying to locate the golden skeleton mentioned in the book, but led to the death of a treasure hunter and the stalking and stabbing of their daughter. Then, on the 50th anniversary of the book's publishing, a human pelvis is discovered and past secrets start to come out. The book unfolds in multiple timelines with multiple characters and with multiple viewpoints. At times it's a bit confusing trying to keep track of who did what and most of the characters are not very likeable or their actions are inexcusable, which will lose some readers. It starts off a slow, but the last quarter of the book really speeds up the pace and a lot of information is given to tie up all the plotlines.

DNF @ 10%
It took me forever to get where I did. Even though the whole thing felt like an info dump, I still don't really know what the book is about. It seems like an interesting concept but didn't pull me in. I read a lot of great reviews for the book and really want to be one of them. But I can't get myself to continue reading it right now.

This was a really fun enjoyable read. The chapters jump around in time, leaving the reader unsettled and never knowing what’s coming next. I loved the plot about the treasure hunt and the two families behind it all. This was a unique thriller and I recommend it.

Had a hard time following the time jumps in the beginning but I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. I loved how it was all woven together and really loved the SM feeds!

Very unique plot line which I thought was refreshing! Aren’t all families messed up? Yes, some more than others.

I loved the gothic suspense vibes from this book. Erin Kelly is one I haven’t read before but will be checking out her other work, too. From the beautiful and intriguing cover to the different time lines, it all flowed. The characters were not always likable but I like that was where Kelly was going with it.

Nell, the daughter of a man who wrote a book with clues to a treasure hunt that lead to pieces of a jeweled skeleton throughout Great Britain which became a phenomena and obsession to many, returns home to reunite with her family 50 years after the book has been published. There is about to be a relaunch of the book with a tie-in online game and Sir Frank Churcher promises to reveal the location of the last missing piece of the skeleton people have tried to uncover for years. Nell, who was attacked by a rabid fan, carries the physical and psychological scars of her father's legacy. But so do the others in her family and the next-door-family who was integral to the book's success. During the filming of the documentary around the relaunch, secrets are revealed and two families must reevaluate who they are and what their relationship to each other is.

This a psychological thriller told with some flash backs from different pov. It has so many twists that kept me guessing to the very end. These are two dysfunctional families that don't appear that way at first, but as the story goes on it is revealed. The author does a great job of creating very different characters and the reader has to reinterpret how the events happened as things are revealed from different pov. I was very impressed.

I thought Nell was a little naïve at the end thinking that people were really going to risk their futures and possibly go to jail just to uphold the ideal of justice. Particularly when the person to be cleared was not a very nice person. But that is the sign of the writer being able to craft very different personalities that all ring true.

I would definitely recommend people to read this. A good mystery with twists that keep you guessing and a very well written psychological study of the impacts of fame. two dysfunctional families and the pursuits of a legacy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

50 years ago the most popular picture book/treasure hunt source, "The Golden Bones," was written by Sir Frank Churcher and a sensation ensued. A community of obsession was formed called The Bone Hunters and only one piece of the puzzle is missing before the treasure is found. Now 2021 the Churcher family gathers back together for a documentary and to launch a video game to help everyone find that final puzzle piece. But on the day of filming, the piece goes missing. Instead of a golden bone piece, a real human pelvis is found and now instead of a treasure, there's a murder mystery on our hands.
One of the things I liked about this novel is that it's not clear who the bad guy or the villian is - at least for a while. Over time as you get to know the Churchers and their close friends the Lallys, it becomes clearer and clearer who the villain is. It might not be who you think.
I also enjoyed the emotion this book evokes. I think a good book makes you feel - from the plot line or from the characters. There were characters I felt scared for, others I wanted to slap, and others I very much disliked. There were some I felt disappointed with and others glad for. I remember covering my mouth in shock for a few scenes too.
My only disappointment was that I thought this was a book about the treasure hunt, but it isn't really. It's a book about a whole different kind of competition - one between characters. It's a story behind the ones who made the book possible and their families.
I would recommend this book for those who like obsession, betrayal, secrets, and a little insanity. You don't have to like treasure hunting to like this one.

Erin Kelly's The Skeleton Key focuses on a hunt. With plenty of gothic elements, the story is full of dark twists and turns.

The story was interesting, but moved very slowly for a novel focused on something so fast paced.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book! I absolutely loved this engaging, twisty novel. I was constantly guessing (and almost never got it right) and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping, fast-paced read.