Author Elly Griffiths has several
different series. While I never could get into her other ones, despite a lot of
trying on my part, her Ruth Galloway series is incredibly good and a
favorite of mine. I keep hoping we will get another one. I remind you today
that this excellent series begins here with The Crossing Places: A Ruth
Galloway Mystery. From the archive….
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.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4tg5g3F
Go wild and get the entire 15 book
series: https://amzn.to/41zKIHq
Material was obtained via the Plano
Public Library System to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2021, 2026
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