Skip Kelly

Skip Kelly is the younger brother of archaeologist Nora Kelly.

Skip was born in New Mexico to Padraic and Liz Kelly, eventually moving with the family to a hobby ranch in Santa Fe that his father named Rancho de las Cabrillas. His father disappeared in a remote area of southern Utah while searching for the lost Anasazi city of Quivira; his mother died fifteen years later.

The younger Kelly sibling struggled with the loss of their father. Once a wild, happy-go-lucky kid, he battled alcoholism as an adult, switching from beer to tequila after Liz Kelly's death. He eventually received a degree in Physics from Stanford University, but was unable to find work, drinking excessively and living in a filthy apartment while trying to convince Nora to sell the long-abandoned ranch.

Having finally found closure for his father's disappearance following the events of Thunderhead, Skip turned a job opportunity that Nora had arranged for him at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute into a successful full-time career. Though he was always a loyal sibling, he became even more protective of his sister when she returned to New Mexico after the murder of her husband during the events of Cemetery Dance.

He is currently a Collections Manager for the Institute and resides in Santa Fe.