Archeologist Ruth Galloway lives
alone in a small cottage on the edge of an area known as “the Saltmarsh.” It is
a coastal land of desolation where the sky and sea meet. It is a treacherous and
dangerous land of stark beauty and one that few people enjoy. She is far from
her south London upbringing as well as her parents. Considering her observations
about them distance is a very good thing.
When she isn’t at her small cottage
with her cats she is at the University of North Norfolk where she teaches
forensic archeology. It is there, thanks to her department chair Phil, she
first meets Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson. The inspector wants her to
inspect some bones that have been found out near the bird sanctuary in another
part of the Saltmarsh.
He hopes that the bones might be a
missing child who vanished ten years ago. Her name was Lucy Downey. Since her
disappearance a decade ago the inspector has been receiving strange letters from
someone. A person who uses quotes from the Bible, Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, and
other sources to taunt the inspector with clues. If Ruth Galloway can verify
that the bones are of the missing child, he might just have the first solid
piece of evidence to advance the case.
What follows is a complex and highly
atmospheric read as Ruth Galloway gets drawn deeper and deeper in the mystery
of the Lucy Downey case. At the same time a bond begins between her and
the inspector creating additional stress. It isn’t surprising when Ruth herself
becomes a target as the case proceeds.
Character complexity is at work here
from the beginning. In some senses Ruth is the classic clichéd spinster-- overweight,
cats as her companions, no romantic interest, and a job that that fills her
days. It is her observations on her parents, life, the world around her, and
much more that fill the character with depth and meaning. The same is true to a
lesser extent with the inspector though most of the book is told from watching
Ruth.
The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway
Mystery by Elly Griffiths is a solidly good
start to what could be a very intriguing series. At least in this book,
history, archaeology, and more take prominent roles resulting in the subtle education
of the reader as the pages move by. A mystery that encourages the reader to
think while also quietly teaching is a book that is very much worth
reading.
The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery
Elly Griffiths
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
January 2010
ISBN# 978-0-547-22989-8
Hardback (also available in
paperback, audio, and e-book formats
320 Pages (includes several pages of
the next book in the series)
$25.00
Material was obtained via the Plano
Public Library System to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
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3 comments:
Just noticed your message on DorothyL about your reviews of Elly Griffins' series. So glad you discovered this series, which I also enjoy and agree it must be read in sequence. Sometimes Ruth makes me crazy but I find the books absorbing.
Very much enjoy them. I am up to book four and I think she needs some professional help. :)
Thanks for introducing me to this author & book! I'm excited to read the series & glad you said to read the series in order, which I normally would do.
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