42-year-old Dr. Ruth Galloway is acutely aware of the history, the blood, that has been spilled over the centuries. While resurrection is not possible, she believes in treating the dead with respect. As The Outcast Dead begins, it is early June and she is on the grounds of Norwich Castle. The vicar is leading the prayers for the outcast dead so that those who died forgotten, penniless, in unmarked graves, etc. are remembered. It is an annual event and one that Ruth feels is very important.
It seems more important
than ever to honor those who have passed as recently some bodies were
discovered at the castle. The deceased were most likely prisoners considering
how the bodies appeared when uncovered. Included among the bodies may be the
legendary Jemima Green, aka Mother Hook. A child caregiver during Victorian times
known for her hook instead of a hand and her lower arm, she was executed after
being convicted for murdering one of the children in her care. At the time of
her execution, it was thought she might have killed at least 20 more.
The find has drawn
the interest of producers of a television show well known for sensualizing such
cases. The head of department, Phil Trent, is thrilled with the interest, but
Ruth wants no part of that. If she had her way, she would get off the dig as
well, but Phil is never going to let her do that. Knowing Phil, it is likely she
is going to have to play a role in the television show as well as the dig.
Thoughts about the Mother
Hook case make Ruth more protective of Kate than ever before. After everything
that has happened in recent years before and after Kate’s birth, she has good
reason to wonder if it is time to move from the Saltmarsh she loves to be
closer to civilization in some form. Isolation is wonderful, but with a small
child in the home, it can also be a dangerous risk.
DCI Harry Nelson is
also pondering risk though in a different form. He is the lead investigator on
the case of 37-year-old Liv Donaldson. Her child has just passed. What might
have been treated as a tragic natural death in the home gets a lot more scrutiny
when it is the third child in the family to die. Nelson’s team thinks the whole
deal is a horrible tragedy. Nelson isn’t so sure. He has a feeling she did
something to cause the death, but other than his intuition, there isn’t any evidence
to indicate foul play. Like Phil Trent, Nelson’s boss, Gerry Whitcliffe, loves
the publicity and is thrilled to have the media coverage. Like Ruth, Nelson
hates the media interest and wants no part of the coverage.
The two story times
gradually come together while someone might be copying history thanks to the
media attention. Child abduction and the death of children are certainly not
easy topics to write about, but Elly Griffiths, makes them part of a far larger
tale of mystery, greed, and obsession. The sixth book of the series that began
with The
Crossing Places is another top-notch mystery.
What really makes
this series work, as noted before, are the relationships. Complicated and well-drawn
characters that interact and evolve over time as they go about their daily
lives drive the reads. Unlike many series where the characters never learn from
the past or change in any way despite the experiences they have had, both and a
lot more are present in the Ruth Galloway Mystery Series. These
characters are about as real as it gets on the printed page.
History, archeology,
mystery, and more make this book and series well worth reading. The
Outcast Dead, like the others before it, is very good and highly
recommended.
The books, in order,
and my reviews:
The Crossing Places (Reviewed 12/26/15)
The Janus Stone (Reviewed 11/18/2016)
The House at Sea’s End (Reviewed 12/2/2016)
A
Dying Fall: A Ruth Galloway Mystery (Reviewed
2/10/2017)
The Outcast Dead: A Ruth Galloway Mystery
Elly Griffiths
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
March 2014
ISBN# 978-0-547-79277-4
Hardback (also available in paperback,
audio, and eBook formats)
384 Pages
$27.00
Material obtained via the Plano Public
Library System to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
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1 comment:
This is a terrific series. Even when I have trouble suspending disbelief (one book in particular) I'm willing to give the book a pass because the characters are so well developed, complex, and compelling. Ruth is such a marvelous creation: she's an everywoman who knows she's not stylish, that she's a bit overweight and ungainly, worries that she's not a good mother-- and yet she's strong enough to continue on her own path and to do what is right for herself and her child no matter what anyone else thinks.
The history and folklore that show up in the books is fascinating, too.
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