The Man in Black & Other Stories by Elly Griffiths

 

First Line (from The Man in Black): Ruth loves the bookshop at Jarrolds.

 

There is truly something for everyone in Elly Griffiths' The Man in Black & Other Stories, especially if you're already a fan of her books featuring Ruth Galloway, Max Mephisto, Justice Jones, and Harbinder Kaur. 

Readers will get to experience Harbinder Kaur's first day on the job, Justice Jones as a 21-year-old private detective in London, and a few featuring Ruth and Nelson. There's even a story from the point of view of Ruth's cat, Flint.

The nineteen stories feature Scandinavian traditions, psychological suspense, love and loss, mini cozy mysteries, and some spine-tingling ghost stories. I think I read most of this book with a smile on my face.

My favorite stories? The very first one in the book, The Man in Black. I was enchanted by the very first line: "Ruth loves the bookshop at Jarrolds" and it got even better from there. A nameless forensic archaeologist made me smile in Articulation, and Flint's Fireside Tale was a treat.

If you're already an Elly Griffiths fan, this book is a must-read. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of her books, this may be the perfect introduction. She's one of the best writers of crime fiction today, so don't miss out!

The Man in Black & Other Stories by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781529420494

Quercus © 2024

Hardcover, 320 pages

 

Short Story Collection

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths

 

First Lines: Sunday 24 March 2002. The bonfire is burning brightly now, its heart molten gold.

 

The aftershocks of the pandemic are still being felt. With no overseas archaeology students' money filling the coffers of the university, Dr. Ruth Galloway knows that it's probably only a matter of time before the entire archaeology department is closed down and she's looking for a new job.

 

In the meantime, she's asked to take a look at some human bones uncovered during the renovation of a café in King's Lynn. The bones turn out to be modern-- those of Emily Pickering, a young archaeology student missing since 2002.

 

Suspicion soon falls on an archaeology enthusiast who was part of the group gathered the weekend before Emily disappeared: Ruth's friend Cathbad.

Just as Nelson and his team begin to make progress in sorting out the tangled relationships within the archaeology group, Cathbad disappears. His trail leads Ruth to Neolithic flint mines known as Grimes Graves, but will the truth be uncovered in time to save her friend?

~

Through fifteen books, devoted fans have felt a part of the extended family of Dr. Ruth Galloway, DCI Harry Nelson, and their friends and co-workers. It's sad-- and even a bit traumatic-- to see a cherished series end, but if it has to, it should end on the sort of note that The Last Remains does. 

All the bases are covered here. Life during the pandemic and the NHS phone app that told users when they had to stay home because they'd been in the same place as someone with Covid. Ruth's very real possibility of losing her beloved archaeology department and her job. Nelson's boss constantly harping at him to retire. Cathbad's slow recovery from Covid and his mystifying disappearance. New faces, like a detective constable named Lucy. Ruth's daughter Kate growing up so fast. And-- of course-- a first-rate mystery to solve. 

The mystery surrounding archaeology student Emily Pickering's disappearance and death is excellent and kept me guessing every step of the way. And while the characters were hard at work trying to solve that mystery, author Elly Griffiths was busy tying up loose ends. If there are no further investigations for Ruth and Nelson, I will be sad... yet happy with the way The Last Remains ends. But a little part of me will always hope for Just. One. More.

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781529409710

Quercus © 2023

Hardcover, 384 pages (UK edition)

 

Police Procedural, #15 Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK. 

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths

First Line from Prologue: At first, she thinks that he'll be coming back.

Clearing out her mother's belongings in London raises questions for Ruth Galloway. Why did her mother keep a photograph of Ruth's cottage that was taken long before Ruth lived there? She always hated the place, so it doesn't make sense. Although Ruth's determined to find answers to her questions, all that is put aside when Covid rears its ugly head. Ruth and her young daughter Kate are in lockdown in the cottage, Ruth trying to teach her university courses online while home-schooling Kate. Fortunately, their new next-door neighbor Zoe is quite nice, and they become friendly.

Meanwhile, Nelson is investigating the deaths of women that may or may not be suicides. When he links the deaths to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit Ruth-- where he finds Ruth chatting to her neighbor. A neighbor whom he recognizes as someone who was once tried for murder...

~

The only bad thing about turning the last page on a Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery by Elly Griffiths is knowing that you have an interminable wait for the next one, and The Locked Room is no exception. 

While some readers wish to avoid books that deal with the pandemic, I like seeing how different parts of the world cope. For instance, I wasn't aware that during lockdown the British would stand on their doorsteps at a certain day and time each week to clap and show their support for carers. And that's not the only thing I learned, which is par for the course in an Elly Griffith mystery. I learned the background of the "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" nursery rhyme and was reminded once again that I really want to read more about the historical figure, Julian of Norwich.

There are some serious things happening to the cast members that fans of this series have come to know and love, and the mystery itself is a humdinger, filled with such excellent misdirection that I was led straight down the garden path. (I love it when that happens.) Nelson is investigating a series of deaths that, although initially thought to be suicides, just don't add up. For instance, why was one woman's room locked from the outside? And why would someone kill themselves right after putting dinner in the microwave to heat?

For me, the most chilling aspect of The Locked Room was something that I'd never considered-- how poisons within relationships can rise to the surface during something like lockdown. How fortunate I am to be highly compatible with-- and happily married to-- my husband!

Even if you're new to this series, don't be surprised if you read The Locked Room and have a tear in your eye at the overuse of exclamation points at the end. Among her fans, Elly Griffiths is well known for working her very special kind of magic.

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781529409659

Quercus © 2022

Hardcover, 384 pages

 

Police Procedural, #14 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths

 

First Line: There's so much blood, that's what he always remembers.

 

Dr. Ruth Galloway is now the head of the archaeology department at the University of North Norfolk, and if you want to make her froth at the mouth, just mention metal detectorists. Her opinion of amateur archaeologists couldn't be lower. When she learns that a metal detectorist club called the Night Hawks has uncovered Bronze Age artifacts on a beach, she rushes over to protect the site from their destructive attentions.

But those artifacts aren't the only things to be discovered: the body of a young man has washed ashore nearby. Soon after, the Night Hawks discover the murder-suicide of a scientist and his wife in their home at Black Dog Farm. The property has long thought to be haunted by the Black Shuck, a huge dog that's the harbinger of death.

As DCI Harry Nelson works the case of the dead man on the beach and the murder-suicide on the farm, the two cases start to weave together. The more they weave themselves together, the closer they get to David Brown, the new lecturer Ruth has recently hired, a person who has the annoying tendency to show up wherever Ruth is.

~

The books in Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series always seem to be brushed with a liberal amount of fairy dust, and although the pandemic seems to have knocked off some of that magic this time around, The Night Hawks is still a book capable of making readers forget the outside world.

Ruth is back home and learning just how much paperwork a university head of department has to deal with and how much diplomacy is often required. Her new lecturer, David Brown, has a pet theory that Neolithic immigrants came to England bringing with them a disease that wiped out the native Britons. He'll talk about it at length to anyone who'll listen. Ruth knows that this particular theory needs to be kept under wraps, not only because it will portray Neolithic Britons as people of color (gasp!) but it will also bring out the anti-immigrant nutters. All this could be disastrous for funding.

Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson has his work cut out for him, and it's not just those two cases he and his team are working. The women in his life seem to be expecting a lot from him. Michelle, Ruth, his three daughters... but more importantly the women he works with. Judy is doing her usual exemplary work, but it's his boss, Jo, who's really pushing him to retire-- and Nelson. Does. Not. Want. To. 

Griffiths keeps readers guessing with the two investigations Nelson and his team are working, and I love how she weaves in the legend of the Black Shuck, but for me, the focus is always on Ruth and Nelson. Sometimes it's just tiny details like Ruth watching Young Montalbano on the telly when she's got a spare hour or two to herself. But in The Night Hawks, Nelson grabs a lion's share of my attention. He's finally beginning to wonder how long he can go on living two lives, and he finds advice from a surprising source. 

Now all we have to do is wait to see what he does with that advice. Bring on the next book quickly, please!

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths

eISBN: 9780358237013

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2021

eBook, 368 pages

 

Police Procedural, #13 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

First Line: She had been walking for a long time.

The past two years have been busy for Dr. Ruth Galloway. She has a new job, a new home, and a new partner, and she's no longer the North Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist. But convicted murderer Ivor March is about to change all that.

DCI Nelson has always been convinced that March killed more women than he was charged with. March has now confirmed this and offers to show Nelson where the other bodies are buried-- but only if Ruth will do the digging.

Curious but cautious, Ruth agrees. March tells her that he killed four more women who are buried near a village bordering the fens, an area said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travelers to their deaths. Is Ivor March himself a lantern man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? Just what is he up to and why is Ruth so important to his plan?

There's nothing quite like waiting for each new Ruth Galloway mystery, getting your hands on it, and then sinking into the pages with the utmost pleasure. The Lantern Men is yet another strong addition to this excellent series; I hated it whenever life shouted at me and forced me to put the book down.

The legend of the lantern men is an excellent choice, both suited to the atmospheric landscape of the fens and to making readers look over their shoulders to see if anyone has crept up behind them. I've always said that this series has one of the absolute best cast of characters in fiction, but I felt the mystery was particularly strong with that old legend, serial killer groupies, and a murderer who's up to no good (even behind bars). There's plenty of misdirection, too, and I guessed wrong about which character was being targeted at the end, which is always a good thing due to all the crime fiction I read.

I don't know how Elly Griffiths does it, but she manages to balance her wonderful cast's comings and goings with the mystery so that readers don't feel short-changed in either aspect. Readers just walk into Ruth's new life and learn about all the changes that have occurred during the past two years as she's currently living them. The same with Nelson and Judy and Cathbad and the rest. If you've read other books in the series, you know that it's easy for these fictional characters to become just like friends and family-- you have to catch up with their lives every bit as much as you have to attempt to solve the mystery.

Once the mystery is solved, Ruth is making another change at book's end, but it should come as no surprise. Now comes the hard part: waiting until the next book comes out. Ah, but they're always worth the wait!

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781787477537
UK Edition

Quercus © 2020

Hardcover, 368 pages

Police Procedural, #12 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK.

 

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.


 

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

First Line: "This grave has lain undisturbed for over two thousand years."

The call could not have come at a better time. Dr. Ruth Galloway needs a break from her personal life, so when archaeologist Angelo Morelli asks her to come to the Italian countryside to consult on the identification of some bones he uncovered, she accepts. She and her best friend Shona pack up their two young children and head off to what will be, for Ruth, a working holiday.

Ruth doesn't even have time to get her bearings at the site of the dig when she senses that World War II rests uneasily, barely beneath the surface of the town and that the townspeople are custodians of a long-buried secret. She's thrown completely off-balance when Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson shows up. Then everything is thrown upside down when Ruth's findings tie into a present-day death. From that point on, Ruth and Nelson find themselves trying to solve a murder Italian style.

The Dark Angel, Elly Griffiths' tenth Ruth Galloway mystery, is a little light on the mystery and a little heavier on the personal lives of the characters-- but since I find this particular cast among the very best (and most interesting) in crime fiction, I don't particularly mind.

It was really good to see Ruth in a completely different setting, to see that she did get out and about, see new places, know other people, before settling down in King's Lynn with her work and eventual motherhood. But-- wouldn't you know it-- she overpacks for this holiday and manages to bring her troubles with her.

The mystery, weighted as it is in the Italian Resistance movement during World War II, is an interesting one, but there's so much going on in the characters' lives that it did take a bit of a backseat. There are developments in Ruth's life, and I like how we are now getting another point of view on proceedings, that of Nelson's daughter Laura.

I love Elly Griffiths' atmospheric settings and her mysteries that always have a foundation in archaeology, but if you're a character-driven reader like I am, you're going to love the cast in this series. A Ruth Galloway mystery always feels like a "slice of life" to me. I enjoy this series so much that I can't wait for the US edition to be released; I buy the UK edition so I can get my hands on it quicker. For those of you who have much more patience than I, you'll be able to get your hands on The Dark Angel in mid-May. For those of you who aren't acquainted with Ruth and Nelson and the rest of the gang, please start with the first book, The Crossing Places-- and don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for the rest of the books in the series once you've finished it.

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781784296636

Quercus © 2018
UK Edition

Hardcover, 368 pages

Police Procedural, #10 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen. 

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

First Line: He shouldn't really be driving; they all know that.

Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is called in to take a look at human remains found in one of the countless chalk-mining tunnels beneath the city of Norwich. One of the very first things she notices is that the bones are almost translucent--  a sign that they were boiled soon after death. Once again Ruth finds herself involved in a murder investigation.

Another murder is just what DCI Harry Nelson needs. He's busy trying to find a missing homeless woman who reportedly went "underground." Could she be in one of those chalk-mining tunnels-- and is she still alive?

As Ruth and the police continue their investigations, they begin hearing rumors of secret societies and ritual killings. When a dead body is found with what appears to be a map of "the underground," they all realize that their search has just begun... and that more bodies may be found before a killer is caught.

Yet again Elly Griffiths has woven her magic throughout a story of abandoned mining tunnels, murder, the homeless, and the personal lives of those trying to stop a killer. The archaeology and the history of the old chalk tunnels under Norwich are integral to the mystery, but-- as always with Griffiths-- it's the characters who make her Ruth Galloway books something special. Nelson is saddled with a boss whom he refers to as "She Who Must Be Obeyed." In so many books that I read, that's how the boss remains-- a one-note piece of cardboard. Not here in The Chalk Pit. Readers get to see a different side of Nelson's boss that just might change their opinions of her a bit. 

Griffiths also puts names and faces to several members of the homeless community in the Norwich area-- what they have to do and where they have to go in order to survive. It is a personal and much-needed look at a maligned segment of many countries' populations.

Even in this serious mystery, we're treated to a bit of levity now and again, as when single mother Ruth mourns the days when she could leave the house with just her small purse and her cell phone-- something all mothers undoubtedly miss. The Chalk Pit's mystery I found to be a bit easier to solve this time around, and the solution did strain my credulity a bit, but this is still a very good read. Be forewarned: while the mystery is solved by book's end, it does end on a cliffhanger involving the personal lives of the two main characters. Fellow fans of this series are going to be as eager as I am for the next book to discover what happens. 

And if you've yet to sample this wonderful series, you need to do something about that, like getting the first book The Crossing Places. You've got a lot of fantastic reading in store for you!

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781784296605

Quercus Publishing © 2017
UK Edition

Paperback, 384 pages

Police Procedural, #9 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from The Book Depository.

On My Radar: Elly Griffiths

Believe it or not, I don't subscribe to a lot of author newsletters, so it's pure serendipity when I stumble across mention of the next book by one of my favorite writers. When I happened upon this week's exciting find, I was looking for mosquito coils in order to set up a smoke screen so the little buggers can't find me when I'm outside minding my own business. Oh... just as a matter of trivia, I've seen that mosquitoes prefer the taste of untanned skin. (I'm fairly certain you can deduce how I've learned that.) But I'm paying altogether too much attention to these little beasts. This is a book blog, not a skeeter blog, so let's move right along to the book that made me do a happy dance when I stumbled across it!

UK edition available February 23, 2017!

Here's the synopsis of the ninth Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery:

Boiled human bones have been found in Norwich's web of underground tunnels. When Dr Ruth Galloway discovers they were recently buried, DCI Nelson has a murder enquiry on his hands. The boiling might have been just a medieval curiosity - now it suggests a much more sinister purpose.

Meanwhile, DS Judy Johnson is investigating the disappearance of a local rough sleeper. The only trace of her is the rumour that she's gone 'underground'. This might be a figure of speech, but with the discovery of the bones and the rumours both Ruth and the police have heard that the network of old chalk-mining tunnels under Norwich is home to a vast community of rough sleepers, the clues point in only one direction. Local academic Martin Kellerman knows all about the tunnels and their history - but can his assertions of cannibalism and ritual killing possibly be true?

As the weather gets hotter, tensions rise. A local woman goes missing and the police are under attack. Ruth and Nelson must unravel the dark secrets of The Underground and discover just what gruesome secrets lurk at its heart - before it claims another victim. 

As I said in the caption beneath the graphic of the book cover, this is the UK edition, which will be available on February 23, 2017. If you're more patient than I am, the US edition (with a completely different cover) will be released on May 30, 2017.

I know that there are a lot of fellow Ruth Galloway fans who read this blog, so be honest. How many of you are going to pre-order the UK edition? Inquiring minds would love to know!


 

The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths

First Line: Cathbad and the cat look at each other.

Dr. Ruth Galloway's friend Cathbad is housesitting in Walsingham, a medieval town known as England's Nazareth and famous for religious apparitions. When Cathbad sees a woman in a white dress and blue cloak in the cemetery one night, he believes he's had a vision of the Virgin Mary. But the vision turns into a dead body lying beside the road the very next day.

Ruth's old friend Hillary is in town. Now an Anglican priest, Hillary has been receiving threatening letters, and knowing Ruth's association with the police, she asks for Ruth's advice but then is reluctant to follow it. When one of Hillary's fellow female priests is murdered before Walsingham's annual Good Friday Passion Play, Ruth, Cathbad and Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson find themselves teaming up to catch a killer.

If you're new to this series and wondering if you should give it a try because you've heard people like me raving about it, let me give you one piece of advice: if you're a mystery reader who prefers the crime and its investigation over the characters, you might just want to give this series a miss. Now... it hurt me to say that because I'd love to have everyone read and love these books, but it's true. The characters in Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series have personal lives that are every bit as rich as the mysteries they solve-- sometimes more so-- and their personal lives can often impinge on the investigation. 

In The Woman in Blue, we learn about another location in the county of Norfolk-- Walsingham-- and the place of women in the Church of England. It also gives us a chance to see Ruth side by side with a woman with whom she went to university. Ruth-- an archaeologist and single mother to five-year-old Kate, who is the result of one night of passion with the very married DCI Harry Nelson. What a contrast with Hillary, the Anglican priest! 

One of the strengths of this series is the relationship between Ruth and Nelson. This is no simple case of infidelity. Griffiths does an excellent job of showing the characters' good and bad points. It isn't a matter of readers blythely choosing which character they believe is hardest done by and cheering him or her on. As time passes, Nelson's wife is becoming a more important character, and no one can tell what the future will bring for any of them. I think Griffiths is superb at showing life in all its complexity.

But how about the mystery, I hear you ask. It's a good one. There may not be much archaeology this time around, but there are several things going on, and one of the tasks readers have is to decide if everything connects to one source... or if there's more than one villain. It's certainly not an easy decision to make!

If you love mysteries with an excellent sense of place, complex and intriguing crimes to solve, and absolutely splendid characters, you'd be hard-pressed to find a series better than Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway.
       

The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9781784292379

Quercus Books © 2016 (UK edition)

Hardcover, 358 pages

Police Procedural, #8 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 


  

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

First Line: It is the hottest summer for years.

All construction on a new housing development comes to a screeching halt when a World War II airplane (complete with pilot inside) is unearthed. Dr. Ruth Galloway knows immediately that something is wrong with the discovery, and DNA testing proves her right. The pilot inside the plane is identified as Fred Blackstock, a local member of the gentry who had been reported dead at sea. The current members of the Blackstock clan have interesting reactions to the news.

In a situation where no more complications are needed or even wanted, a television company shows up, wanting to make a film about Norfolk's "ghost fields"-- deserted World War II air fields. There happens to be one in the area that's currently being run as a pig farm by one of the young Blackstocks, and when human bones are found there, Ruth and Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson find themselves in a race against a flood to find a killer.

Elly Griffiths' Dr. Ruth Galloway series is one of my must-buys, and it just keeps getting better with each new book. In The Ghost Fields, the weather plays an integral part in the action, first with unrelenting heat and then with endless rain and flooding. Griffiths makes Norfolk come to life, and her choice of title is particularly evocative. This book talks not only of the abandoned air fields of World War II, but other "ghost fields" from centuries past. Ruth is dealing with a Bronze Age burial when the book begins, and there have also been battles fought in the exact same area during the English Civil War. 

No, Norfolk is not short of ghost fields, and further questions arise once we're introduced to the Blackstock family. They live in a drafty, ramshackle manor house barely holding its own against the water around it, and the family is just as strange as the ancestral home. A batty grandfather. A pleasant but distant father. A welcoming mother who's filled with unrealistic schemes to turn the house into a moneymaker. A handsome, charming pig farmer of a son who values his privacy. An incredibly beautiful daughter who's determined to make her name as an actress. Each Blackstock is odd in his or her own way, and trying to gather them together is like trying to herd cats. When DCI Harry Nelson throws up his hands and growls that there are too many Blackstocks, you just have to smile ruefully and agree.

But family is an important theme in The Ghost Fields, and it's not just the Blackstocks. Ruth's daughter Kate is five and now in school. Being a good mother is even more important to Ruth than the work she is so passionate about. Nelson has issues with both his family at home and his co-workers. He even realizes that he considers Clough and Judy to be family. Griffiths knows how to keep her readers completely involved with her characters. The mystery and the characters rely on each other.

There's history. There's danger. There's plenty of family feeling, and contrary to a visiting American's belief that "there's never bad weather in England," there's plenty of that as well. By book's end, we may even have sorted out all those Blackstocks.

The only bad thing about finishing The Ghost Fields is knowing that I have to wait for the next book. This series is superb, and this book is the best so far. If you've never met Ruth Galloway, treat yourself. Start at the beginning with The Crossing Places and read each one. You'll be as hooked as I am.

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9780544330146

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2015

Hardcover, 384 pages

Police Procedural, #7 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Gift from The Poisoned Pen.

The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths

First Line: "And we ask your abundant blessing, Lord, on these, the outcast dead..."

Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway likes the Service for the Outcast Dead-- prayers said for plague victims, paupers, and prostitutes who were buried in mass graves-- but this time she has another reason for attending the service at Norwich Castle. She's almost positive that she's uncovered the remains of the infamous child murderer known as Mother Hook. Her boss is thrilled, and before she can blink she finds herself in front of the cameras for a television series called "Women Who Kill." It's not all bad, since she gets to work with the handsome and intriguing American historian, Dr. Frank Barker. 

In the meantime, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson is working the type of case he dreads. A woman's third-- and last-- child has died, and Harry believes she's killed all three of her children. Before he can find definitive proof, children begin to go missing, and notes are left behind by someone self-styled "The Childminder." It's just the sort of case that strikes terror into the hearts of every parent.

This series is one of my favorites, and The Outcast Dead is the best so far. Griffiths continues her theme of parenthood with two storylines. Mother Hook is an infamous Victorian child murderer who is alleged to have killed at least twenty children in her care and sold their bodies to the resurrection men (grave robbers who sold corpses to medical schools). Against everything, Ruth believes the woman to be innocent, and the reader gets to follow along as she finds information and pieces things together. The second storyline with a mother accused of killing her three children as well as the child abductor is DCI Harry Nelson's bailiwick, and suspense builds as his team tries to find the truth before any more children disappear.

As good as the storylines are, I have to say that Griffiths' cast of characters is superb. Ruth is intelligent and strong, but she's also a single mother who's been living in a sort of limbo. Her house is out in the marshes-- neither land nor sea. She's neither married nor single, really, since she has a very young daughter. She's written a book, but it's yet to be published. It was good to see that there may be changes afoot for one of my favorite characters.

Although Ruth is the star of the series, this is very much an ensemble cast. The father of Ruth's daughter, DCI Harry Nelson, is very much married, and we get to see how these people deal with their mistakes because they certainly haven't been swept under the rug. As Nelson works his cases, readers get to know the team of police officers who work with him, and their lives begin to figure more strongly into each book. This small group of characters have formed a very modern sort of family-- dysfunctional at times, but capable of working together with energy, intelligence, and compassion.

In the mood for a little history, two good mysteries, and a cast of characters so real that they feel like family members? I highly recommend Elly Griffiths' Dr. Ruth Galloway series. I can't get enough!

The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9780547792774

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2014

Hardcover, 384 pages

Police Procedural, #6 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A+

Source: publicist 

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

First Line: At first he isn't even scared.

Dr. Ruth Galloway's old university friend Dan Golding has died in a house fire. Still reeling from that news, Dan's death is put in an entirely different light when she receives a letter he wrote and posted to her just before he died. In the letter, Dan tells Ruth that he's made a great archaeological discovery, and that he's scared for his life.

When the department head at the university asks Ruth to come up to examine the bones Dan found, she packs up her eighteen-month-old daughter, Kate, and they (along with family friend Cathbad) make the journey to Blackpool, Lancashire-- home of Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson.

Once on campus, Ruth ignores the information about right-wing groups spouting hatred and racial slurs and focuses on the bones. Dan mentioned only one clue in his letter-- the Raven King. Ruth knows that this is an ancient name for King Arthur. Quick examination reveals a surprising fact about King Arthur, but when she returns a second time to examine them thoroughly, the bones have disappeared.

Nelson just happens to be in Blackpool visiting his mother. Naturally he gets drawn into the investigation, especially when it appears that Ruth and Kate may be in danger. Someone seems to be willing to kill to keep those bones a secret.

This is the fifth strong entry in the series about forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway. She's a rather plain, plump woman in her early forties who's a single working mother. She's the furthest thing from glamorous, but she's got a mind like a steel trap... especially now that she's devised a routine for Kate that means she can get some badly needed sleep, too. Yes, this is a series that is character rich: Ruth, Kate, Cathbad the Druid, DCI Harry Nelson, Nelson's gorgeous wife, and more. These are even characters that you can take sides over. You can tsk tsk over Ruth's indiscretion with Harry, or you can decide not to like Harry because, as a married man, he should've known better than to sleep with Ruth. You can take sides with the wronged wife, or you can decide that Mrs. Nelson is at fault for what Harry did. Or... you can just enjoy them all as adults who can and do make mistakes. These are people I'd want to meet in the evening down at the local pub. Share a pint, share the news, share our lives.

But there's a good mystery contained in these pages along with all the latest doings of those fully-fleshed characters, and some heart-in-your-throat high octane action. If you need anything else, just add in some fascinating information about King Arthur. Dr. Ruth Galloway knows her anthropology and archaeology, and I always appreciate learning from her.

Action, danger, history, a puzzling whodunit, and a fascinating cast of characters. Haven't read any of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway mysteries? What's stopping you?

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9780547798165

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2013

Hardcover, 400 pages

Forensic Archaeology, #5 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A

Source: NetGalley

Ruth's First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths

First Line: "The spirits are strong in this one," says the man in the white robe and gumboots.

For any fan of Elly Griffiths' Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery series, the man in the white robe and gumboots will be recognized immediately as Ruth's friend, Cathbad, and with that bit of familiarity, the aforementioned fan will settle in for an all-too-short but enjoyable read.

Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway has never done Christmas before, but now that her daughter is a year old and can actually enjoy it a bit, Ruth wants the entire celebration to be memorable and perfect. It's three days before Christmas, it's bitterly cold in Norfolk, England, and Ruth has to get a tree, decorations, food, presents, clean the house, and cook. But the more plans and good intentions Ruth has, the more difficulties seem to be arising to waylay each and every one.

This is a short story meant to give fans of the mystery series a special little glimpse into Ruth's personal life when she's not busy trying to solve a murder. As such it's a neat little gem of a story, but if a reader comes to this expecting to be introduced to the series, it is more apt to confuse than to welcome. Newcomers may feel that the characters are not given a proper introduction, and that too much information is given in the space of a few pages.

If you're new to Elly Griffiths' Dr. Ruth Galloway series and decided to "test the waters" with this free short story, welcome aboard. If you read the story and feel a bit like an outsider, try the first book in the series (the award-winning The Crossing Places). If you haven't fallen in love with the Norfolk setting and the character of Ruth Galloway within the first few chapters, I'd be very surprised.

For established fans-- like me-- it's a wonderful little glimpse into Ruth's life to help tide us over until the next book.

"Ruth's First Christmas Tree" by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9780544147775

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt © 2012

eBook short story FREE on Kindle or Nook

A Christmas-themed short story for fans of the Dr. Ruth Galloway series

Rating: B

Source: Downloaded to my Kindle from Amazon.

A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths

First Line: The coffin is definitely a health and safety hazard.

The coffin in question belongs to a medieval bishop named Augustine who is dug up when the site of his burial is scheduled to be turned into a huge grocery store. Despite all the warnings Augustine gave about leaving his remains alone, a small "unveiling" is scheduled in the Smith Museum, presently owned by one of Augustine's descendants. Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway has been asked to preside over the opening of the coffin, but when she shows up at the museum a little early, she finds the curator dead on the floor by the bishop's remains.

Ruth's daughter Kate has just turned one, and Ruth feels as though she's slowly getting the hang of being a mother, even if Kate lets her get very little sleep. She'd like to be more interested in the curator's death, but the coroner labels it natural causes, and Ruth moves on to the next items in her busy agenda.

Bishop Augustine's unveiling is done very quietly, which is a good thing because something totally unexpected occurs. Augustine's descendant, Lord Smith, shows Ruth a room full of Aboriginal bones another ancestor harvested and brought back to England from Australia. A group called the Elginists is demanding that the bones be repatriated to their homeland, but Lord Smith views them as his rightful possessions and refuses. Shortly thereafter Lord Smith dies-- also of natural causes?-- and Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson is brought in to investigate.

Having been searching for drug smugglers, Nelson isn't convinced that these deaths are natural, especially when threatening letters to both victims turn up, but when he's hospitalized with a mysterious and deadly fever, his team have to take up the slack and try to find out how a medieval bishop, Aboriginal bones and drug smuggling all tie in together.

Although part of a series, this book can easily be read as a standalone because Griffiths fills in many details from the previous books (sometimes to the detriment of earlier plot points). The story here is a good one, with several elements that I didn't deduce before the author showed me how they fit together.

If you're the type of reader who demands that favorite characters remain front and center in each book of a series, you're going to be a bit disappointed in this one. Although there is much about Ruth and Harry's ever-evolving relationship, they are often at the periphery of the investigation. Although I did miss them, this allows Griffiths to let her secondary characters stretch their wings a bit and provide many exciting scenes.

Two things really excited me about this book. One was the plot. I love stories with strong elements of superstition and legend in them that can be explained by something concrete and almost commonplace. Not only does it give my brain a workout, this sort of plot does the same for the characters in showing how they react to it and investigate it. Griffiths' plot moved like a well-oiled machine, and I found myself reading faster and faster in an attempt to gather it all in and find a solution before the characters did.

The second thing that excited me was Griffiths' cast of characters. The cast is growing and developing strong new faces, which bodes well for the future of the series. The relationship between Ruth and Harry with its awkwardness and misunderstandings, the way Ruth is adapting to motherhood and the appearance of another man in her life, the way Harry and his wife are trying to hold things together... all these elements are constantly evolving as they would in the real world. In this book I was reminded time and again of my favorite "relationship" series written by Deborah Crombie. To have this series join the ranks of those in which the characters attain such a level of verisimilitude is very exciting stuff indeed.

A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths

ISBN: 9780547271200

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt  ©2012

Hardcover, 352 pages

#4 Ruth Galloway mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Amazon Vine

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

Title: The House at Sea's End
Author: Elly Griffiths
ISBN: 9780547506142
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012
Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth, Police Procedural, #3 Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery
Rating: A
Source: Amazon Vine

First Line: The tide is out.

Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway has just returned from maternity leave and is discovering how very difficult it is to juggle a newborn baby and the career that she loves. She is called in when a team surveying the effects of erosion on the Norfolk coast find bones in a ravine along the shoreline.

The bones date to World War II, and when Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson and his men begin asking questions, a Home Guard veteran reveals the existence of a secret that he and some other old soldiers have vowed to keep "to the death." It would appear that someone doesn't trust the old man because he is killed... and then a German journalist shows up and begins asking his own questions. Someone is insisting that these secrets be kept. With Ruth's help, Harry intends to find that person before anyone else can die.

Although this third book in the series stands on its own well, I would suggest beginning at the beginning because the relationships between the characters grow and develop throughout the books. In some ways this series bears a superficial resemblance to Julia Spencer-Fleming's which features the Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne, and Griffiths' series is every bit as strong.

Griffiths uses the setting of the crumbling cliffs and shoreline of Norfolk, England, as well as the ages of those who are hiding secrets to add tension and a sense of urgency to the book. In fact, I was so focused on the secretive old men that I completely forgot about trying to deduce the identity of the person who wanted the secrets kept the most.

Although the plot line involving World War II is absorbing, the ever-evolving relationship between Ruth and Harry is just as important. I really enjoyed watching Ruth trying to adapt to being a mother and Harry becoming more and more focused on a fascinating woman whom, not so very long ago, he never would've looked at twice.

Emotions will be coming to a boil. Lines will be drawn. Sides will be taken. And DCI Harry Nelson will continue to need Dr. Ruth Galloway's expertise with bones. This series just keeps on getting better. I've barely finished this book, and I'm already craving the next!

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