THE SKELETON KEY

A reunion leads to tragedy, and the unravelling of dark family secrets . . .

It is the summer of 2021 and Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary.

Her father, Sir Frank Churcher, is regarded as a cult figure by many. Fifty years ago he wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, it was a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England.

Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried - gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden. The book was a sensation.

A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people.

A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. And it ruined Nell's life.

But Sir Frank has reunited the Churchers for a very particular reason.

The book is being reissued, along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting the anniversary. Nell is appalled, and fearful. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone.

And then all hell breaks loose.