When I first began reading this series,
back in December of 2015, these books clearly were old enough to qualify as FFB
reads. The book reviewed today using the best words anyone has ever used
anywhere was published in 2016 and is set in 2014. Therefore, clearly the book
is not really an FFB entry. Yet, I am putting it up here on the blog as an FFB
entry simply because the rest of them are here. This is also my blog and I can
party like I want to. For the rest of the suggestions today on this final
Friday of September make sure you head over to Patti’s blog.
It is mid-February
2014 as The Woman in Blue: A Ruth Galloway Mystery begins. Cathbad is
again house/pet sitting and again things are not going well. The pet in
question this time is a black cat by the name of Chesterton. The owner, Justin,
made it abundantly clear Chesterton is not to be let out at night. Despite
Cathbad’s best efforts, the cat escapes and goes off into the darkness.
The home is a 15th
century cottage next to a church and burial grounds. None of that bothers Cathbad
as he is a Druid. What bothers him is the feeling he has had ever since he came
to St. Simeon’s Cottage, Walsingham of a heavy sense of sadness about
everything. He feels it now and with the cat missing that does not help
matters.
Cathbad heads out in
pursuit of the cat and soon sees a vague shape by one of the tombstones. A
woman in white robes and a blue cloak who seems to almost glow in a divine way.
She shakes her head at him regards to his offer of help and leaves quickly. In
just a few hours, that same woman will be found dead nearby.
DCI Harry Nelson,
head of the Serious Crimes Unit, will lead the investigation into the woman’s
death. It wasn’t the cold that killed her though she was dressed only in a
nightdress, a dressing gown, and slippers. She was strangled, according to
police pathologist Christ Stephenson, who has also concluded she has been in
the ditch eight to ten hours. It is very possible she is a patient at the
nearby “Sanctuary” which is a private hospital that treats well off addicts.
It does not take long
to confirm that the dead person was a patient and her name is Chloe Jenkins.
She is the first of several deaths that will happen in the area.
A separate storyline
is in regards to a series of hate filled letters that have been sent to Ruth’s
friend, Hillary. She is an Anglican priest and some people do not want women as
priests. The letters are clearly a threat. Are the murderer and the letter
writer one and the same? As the murder continues and other events happen, everything
seems to be pointing towards Easter Sunday in The Woman In Blue: A Ruth
Galloway Mystery.
The eighth book in
the series continues to build on character evolution, story arcs, and other
elements. The ongoing private lives of all the characters make up a critical
part of this very good series. Unlike previous books in the series where archeology
was a key element in the read, here it barely makes a passing reference. Region
and the role of women in the church is the primary focus and is weaved through
the cases as well as the ongoing personal situations that are the backbone of
the series. The Woman in Blue: a Ruth Galloway Mystery is another good read
in a very good series that must be read in order starting with The
Crossing Places.
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)
The Outcast Dead (Reviewed 4/21/17)
The
Ghost Fields (Reviewed
7/14/17)
The Woman in Blue: a Ruth Galloway Mystery
Elly Griffiths
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
May 2016
ISBN# 978-0-544-41785-4
Hardback (also available in paperback
and eBook formats)
368 Pages
$25.00
Material obtained via
the Dallas Public Library System to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
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