Monday, May 20, 2019

The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths


First Lines: 12 February 2016. DCI Nelson, Well, here we are again.

Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson and Dr. Ruth Galloway both receive anonymous threatening letters allegedly written by the same person. Why would Ruth's former mentor be trying to draw them both back into a murder case from years past? The more Nelson investigates, the more dangerous it becomes for everyone involved.

Elly Griffiths has done it yet again. Am I surprised? Not at all. She's one of the most gifted crime fiction writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Most writers either concentrate on crafting the best mystery they possibly can or on creating vivid characters, both in the attempt to keep readers coming back for more. Griffiths does both with style.

In The Stone Circle, there is a mystery that draws the two main characters back into the past. It's filled with excellent misdirection and lots of tension. As the mystery draws closer to its conclusion, readers know something is going to happen, but it's impossible to determine in which direction the threat is going to strike. Along with interesting nuggets of archaeological information, there are perfect drops of humor-- like someone gifting Ruth with a Fitbit or Harry imagining that Cathbad hangs from the ceiling like a bat when he sleeps. When the suspense keeps building, it's nice to laugh occasionally.

As always, the lives of the characters play a huge part in the book. The relationship between Ruth and Harry keeps evolving, and secrets are divulged. One of the things that sets Griffiths' books apart from so many others is the fact that she doesn't forget her secondary characters. Judy, Cathbad, Shona, and Dave are all woven deeply into the rich tapestry of life in this series of books.

The Stone Circle is one of those books that, once I started reading, I didn't want to come up for air until I was finished, and where Elly Griffiths is concerned, that's par for the course. I love reading the Dr. Ruth Galloway books for their mysteries, for the knowledge they impart about Norfolk's ancient past, and for their wonderful cast of characters. This is a series that I highly recommend... and I urge you to start at the beginning with The Crossing Places. You have some marvelous reading ahead of you!
 

The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
eISBN: 9781328974655
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2019
eBook, 368 pages

Police Procedural, #11 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.


 

20 comments:

  1. I find these RG books completely addictive. As you say, once I start I can't stop! It's ridiculous. I think this is my next one, just read The Dark Angel. Love Ruth and Harry but have a very soft spot for Cathbad.

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    1. I agree with you, Cath-- they are totally addictive!

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  2. I couldn't agree more, Cathy, about Griffiths' talent. She really does create such strong characters, and she builds atmosphere, too. I also really like the way she crafts setting. I'm not at all surprised at your rating for this one...

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  3. I've got one of her books on my Kindle and looking forward to reading it after seeing this review.

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  4. I started reading this series because of your recommendation and absolutely love the characters. I am now waiting to read The Stone Circle. Looking forward to it but also sad because I will have to wait until the next one is published and who knows when that will be. Thank you for suggesting this series!

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    1. You are so welcome, Judy! I'm glad you're enjoying the series.

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  5. I completely agree with all you said, Cathy. I highly recommend this series as well. I enjoyed the peek at the past and one of the things I love about Elly Griffiths' writing is that she lets us visit with the characters, reminds us what went before, makes us curious about what's to come, and somehow makes Ruth and Nelson's relationship OK with me. I guess that was actually more than 'one thing' - ha!

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    1. Who's counting? Griffiths does have some magic in her writing because, normally, Ruth and Harry's relationship would not be at all palatable to me.

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  6. This is the only one in the series that I gave four instead of five stars. Looking forward to the 12th in the series, however.

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  7. Well, I spent my weekend reading "The Stone Circle," instead of doing a writing assignment. Sitting here with frozen yogurt, no phone, TV or email I sat in New York, but was virtually in Norfolk, England, with Ruth, Harry and the gang.

    This was such an enjoyable book that I'm sure I had a smile of contentment on my face. I hated to put it down when it was finished.

    Quickly, I went to Elly Griffiths' Twitter and found she is writing book 12. I can't wait. But that relationship is driving me to drink (figuratively). And now wondering if Ruth will make big changes in her life or not.

    So many things to concern an addicted reader.

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    1. I think she should make some changes, don't you?

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  8. I don't know if she should make changes. Where would Harry, Judy, Cathbad, Clough and all of the other characters be? Maybe Ruth would meet new people, but isn't much of the enjoyment based on her friendships and the police team?

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    1. Just because Ruth makes changes doesn't mean the rest of the cast gets tossed out the window. I have the feeling that Griffiths is going to shake things up a little bit, and I'm looking forward to it.

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  9. I got the same feeling because Ruth is thinking about changing her job. But she is looking at Harry and his daughters playing with Kate and thinking that they are a nice family. Does she want to separate them? And I like the Saltmarsh, too, as a location. Interesting to see in about a year. I'm now 35 pages into Perveen's second adventure. I don't want to do anything else but read. But tasks are calling.

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    1. The Satapur Moonstone is another book I got lost in. Enjoy your time in India!

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  10. And then there's Frank who was left up in the air in The Stone Circle. That is another plot line left unsettled.

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    1. There are all sorts of plot lines Griffiths can work with.

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