FFB Review: The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

  

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

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE LAST REMAINS BY ELLY GRIFFITHS

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE LAST REMAINS BY ELLY GRIFFITHS

Review: The Last Remains: A Mystery by Emily Griffiths

  

It is Friday, June 11, 2021, as The Last Remains: A Mystery begins and Larry Bright is having fun. He likes wielding sledgehammers and knocking things down. Unfortunately, his fun is seconds away from being ruined as he will find a skeleton behind a wall.

He works for a construction outfit run by Edward Spens. This is not the first time one of his employees has found human remains so Spens knows to call Dr. Ruth Galloway and ask her to come look. He hopes she can easily resolve the situation. By now, he should know better.

She takes one look and knows this skeleton is not that old.  This is now a police problem. That means DCI Harry Nelson and his team will have to determine how to proceed. Of course, she will do the paperwork to be involved as they will most likely want her expertise.

In the meantime, Dr. Galloway has a far more personally urgent situation. The semester is ending, papers are being graded, graduation is cancelled again due to Covid, and her entire department may be shut down permanently. A university committee is considering it as her department may be “unprofitable” due to the loss of students from abroad due to the ongoing Covid problem. The Head of Archaeology at the University of North Norfolk could very much be out of a job despite her fame and the fact her department is well known around the world.

Her personal life is a mess as well. Things are not that simple now, if they ever were. Her daughter is growing up, Nelson’s marriage status is still a mess, Cathbad is not right and has not been since the Covid almost killed him, and other things are also in chaos. Teaching has always been her refuge, that and her house on the marsh, and teaching might be ending, at least for now. She is going to need a new income and that could mean having to move to a new job elsewhere.

Much is going on in The Last Remains: A Mystery by Emily Griffiths and I am just skimming the surface here. The title is also fittingly appropriate as well because this is the last book in the series-- at least for now.

It ends well despite scaring this reader a couple of times. This last book touches all the bases, brings back several folks, and reminds readers of various important events earlier in this complicated series. It is also a mighty good read and well worth your time.

 

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/OverDrive app which is still functioning, at least for now and picking up previously placed holds in the Dallas Library System, despite the ongoing City of Dallas ransomware attack.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Review: The Locked Room: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

Readers know from the opening paragraph of The Locked Room: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths that Covid-19 will have a role in this tale. The read begins in late February of 2020 and Ruth is in her mom’s house going through her things. Ruth’s father, Arthur, is away with his new wife, Gloria, who would have like to redecorate a bit when they get back. It isn’t as harsh as it sounds as many months have passed since Jean died and Gloria and Arthur later married. Gloria has been very good about everything, but it is time to move forward.

 

It is as she goes through a shoebox of pictures that have been labeled “private” that Ruth has found a picture of her cottage. Several other pictures were strange and confusing, but this one stopped her dead. While it is her cottage, a place Jean always disliked and made her feelings very known, the cottage looks a bit different and not just because of the age of the photograph. On the back of the picture “Dawn 1963” is written in her mom’s handwriting. Ruth was born in 1968. The picture also means Mom was at her cottage thirty years before Ruth ever saw the place, let alone bought it.

 

That mystery of what her mother was doing won’t go away when she returns home to her cottage. She begins researching the history of her house as well as the houses of the neighbors. Somebody may know why her Mom was at the cottage. A place that she always acted like she had never seen before Ruth bought it.

 

Nelson also has a couple of his own mysteries to solve. One is his future as he remains married to Michelle, who now knows everything thanks to recent events. Things are very unsettled as Michelle has gone off with their youngest child, George, back home to Blackpool on holiday. Nelson and their dog, Bruno, have been left to fend for themselves.

 

That means working even more for Nelson as he has very few outside interests besides his job. Fortunately for him, a current case is bothering him. Samantha Wilson was found dead in her home, lying on her bead, and with an empty pill bottle. Everything in the bedroom looks like a suicide and there is not a real reason to question it. Except for the cooked Weight Watcher’s meal sitting in the microwave. Who puts a meal in and starts cooking it before going to bed to die by suicide?

 

As various characters go about their lives, the news of Covid-19 is just beginning. For example, Judy and Cathbad are preparing with supplies and Cathbad has already figured out there with be a shortage of toilet paper. Ruth isn’t paying a lot attention as she has students to teach and a department to run and seems to expect an occasional minor inconvenience if anything. Which is rather surprising when the reader thinks about it given her knowledge of history and archeology and her awareness of a “plague pit” in the local area. Then there is Nelson who is lonely and annoyed by the boss a bit more than normal as she is going on about using hand sanitizer and seems to be taking a ghoulish pleasure in everything.

 

What follows is a complicated read where mysteries of all types, personal and professional, take a back seat to Covid-19 and its disruptive effects as the weeks pass and it comes far too close to home affecting everyone greatly. At the same time, Ruth copes with missing and possibly endangered students and Nelson deals with several cases that may or may not be suicides. Not to mention the relationship he has with Ruth.

 

There is a lot going on in The Locked Room: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths. The Covid-19 aspect is a major character that dwarfs everything else in this complicated read. At times, that aspect made the book tough going for this reader. At the same time, the author handled it well throughout the very complicated read. The Locked Room: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths is an entertaining story and one that is strongly recommended. 

 

 

My read came via an ARC and NetGalley. Per the publisher, reviewers were mandated to hold reviews until publication day. That is today.  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

The Reading Room: The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths: Reading Room Review

The Reading Room: The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths: Reading Room Re...:     The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths came out in February 2022 in the UK.  Publication date for the U.S. is not until June 28, 2022.  I am ...

FFB Review: The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

From the massive 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.

 

  

The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

http://www.ellygriffiths.co.uk/

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

http://www.hmhbooks.com

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) 

 

Material was obtained via the Plano Public Library System to read and review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2021 

Review: The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

It is the middle of September 2019 as The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths begins and locals are on a spit of land jutting out into the North Sea. It is dangerous to be out on the spit of land as the tide is coming in, but the group is out there using metal detectors as they are on a quest.  Recently some Iron Age coins were found in the area and the group, known as “The Night Hawks,” are in the spirit of the hunt. They did not expect to find a body.

But that is what they did find, and clearly it is a person that has been deceased for only a short period of time. That means cops and ultimately DCI Nelson and his team.

Ruth Galloway is back at the University Of North Norfolk and is the new Head of Archeology. Phil Trent has accepted early retirement, so Ruth is back and adjusting to her new position. For now, she is resisting the urge to force the staff to call her supreme leader. Though it would be fun.

Soon after the body is found, DCI Nelson, who is being pushed by his boss to retire, calls Ruth to the scene to examine the body. The first of several interesting cases in The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery that keeps Ruth and the police working hard in the days to come.

The latest in the long running series is another good one. Complex and well-established characters and their various relationships serve as the backdrop to the mysteries at foot. There are a number of mysteries at different levels of complexity at work in the read. The result is a complicated book that leaves open the possibility of significant change in the series.

The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths is strongly recommended. As is the series that is best read in order.

 

The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

https://ellygriffiths.co.uk/book/the-night-hawks/

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

https://www.hmhbooks.com/shop/books/The-Night-Hawks/9780358237051

June 2021

ISBN# 978-0-358-23705-1

Hardback (also available in paperback, audio, and e-book formats

368 Pages 

 

My reading copy came from the Hampton-Illinois Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

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Review: The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

It is the middle of May 2018 as The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths begins and a lot has changed in recent months. Kate is now nine. Dr. Ruth Galloway now teaches at Cambridge and lives with Frank. She is no longer the North Norfolk police’s resident forensic archeologist and is far from her beloved cottage on the Saltmarsh. While she will always have a connection to DCI Henry Nelson because of Kate, she is trying her best to close that door of her life and move forward with Frank and her new job duties.

That is until convicted murderer Ivor March offers a deal that Nelson cannot refuse. Finally convicted of two murders, Ivor Martin, remains a suspect as far as DCI Nelson is concerned for the cases of Nicole Ferris and Jenny McGuire. They are the same body type as the other victims, both lived in the Norfolk area at the time as did his confirmed victims, and both had contact with March by way of his classes as did the confirmed victims. Nelson is sure, without a shred of doubt, March did it.  He knows March did it. Proving it is the problem as there has been no sign of the bodies or any evidence in either case.

That is until Ivor March decides to cooperate and will do so for a price. Not only does he want a meeting with Nelson and Dr. Ruth Galloway, he will only tell them where the bodies are if she handles the dig herself. Clearly March is working an unknown agenda, but if it means promising to do the excavations will bring the deceased home to their loved ones, Dr. Galloway is willing to agree to the meeting and to supervise the recovery of the bodies.

She does and in addition to the bodies unearths a tangled web of lies and deceit, motives, and strange relationships going back decades. Local legends and modern-day murders make The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths a compelling read.

Multiple storylines in addition to the one noted above are at work in this complicated read. This is a series that should be read in order and that is especially true here with numerous references to earlier events in the series, the changing nature of relationships, and the passage of time. There are frequent references to the fact that is has been 10 years since the first book, The Crossing Places, and how things have changed for Dr. Galloway, DCI Nelson, and many of the secondary characters who have overtime, had major roles in the series. The reader is left with the sense this is a turning point book where things will reset going forward in the series.

A complicated and engrossing book, The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths is strongly recommended, as is the series.

The Lantern Men: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

http://www.ellygriffiths.co.uk/

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

http://www.hmhbooks.com

2020

ISBN# 978-0-358-23704-4

Hardback (also available in paperback, audio, and e-book formats

368 Pages (includes several pages of the next book in the series)

My reading copy came from the Skyline Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020    

Review: The Stone Circle: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

The letters have started coming again. Why they are coming is just one of several questions that DCI Harry Nelson and his team have as The Stone Circle begins. While Nelson is sure that the new ones have to be somebody pulling a copycat deal because the original letter writer is very much dead, the team isn’t so sure. He isn’t the only one getting disturbing letters. Ruth gets a letter that bothers her too.

It has been twenty years and that letter writer and what he did still has a grip on Ruth, Nelson and everyone on that case. That past still has a grip on everyone and does so in many different ways in February 2016 as this book begins. One was is the aforementioned letters. Another is the fact that the stones that legend says are sent by Jack Valentine have begun appearing again. Then there is the current archeology did, a news murder, a new child abduction that brings up strong emotions for everyone, and numerous other problems and situations.

The Stone Circle is the eleventh book in the Ruth Galloway Mystery Series and is another very good read. Ancient stone circles have always played a prominent role in this series and clearly they do here with The Stone Circle. As one would expect, all the major and secondary characters are back and life continues to move forward for Ruth Galloway, DCI Nelson, and members of the team who are haunted by cases and various events in prior books. It is all very complicated and requires readers to read the series in order as frequent references to life changing and serious past events come up again and again.

The Stone Circle: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths is another good one in a series that began long ago with The Crossing Places. Occasional humor, some history (though it should be noted there is little archeology in this one), and plenty of mystery and suspense (personally and professionally), make this another good read.

The Stone Circle: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

http://www.ellygriffiths.co.uk/

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

http://www.hmhco.com

May 2019

ISBN# 978-1-328-97464-8

Hardback (also available in audio and eBook formats)

368 Pages

$27.00

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

FFB Review: The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Clearly, a book that was recently published does not really qualify for FFB. Yet, I have been doing this series as reviews for FFB since I started back in December of 2015. Therefore, I am doing it again this week with The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths. Make sure you check out the full list of reading suggestions over at Patti Abbott’s blog.

It is the middle of August as The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery begins and almost everyone in Dr. Ruth Galloway’s world is a bit out of sorts for various reasons. Watching Clough and Cassandra become Mr. and Mrs. Blackstock-Clough was part joyous and part sad as it reinforced her status with Nelson. There just isn’t a wedded future for them, as she knows, but that fact stings a bit more right now.  What she needs is a bit of a break before the term starts in September and that is when Professor Angelo Morelli calls from Italy.

The professor would like Dr. Ruth to come to Italy and examine some bones he has uncovered in the Liri Valley, not far from Rome. He offers her and her daughter, Kate, the use of an apartment in a remote hilltop village. It is Ruth’s chance to get away from Norfolk and the events of recent months. It will be her first foreign holiday in years as well as the first ever for her daughter Kate.

Before long she and Kate are on their way to Italy along with her friend, Shona, and her son, Louis. Shona could also use a break from boyfriend Phil (Ruth’s department chair) and the kids can play together and have a blast. Assuming the kids can get along and Louis does not resume his fondness for hitting the two years older Kate. Two weeks in Italy should be fun and it should not make much time out of the holiday to look at the bones.

But, things go sideways almost from their arrival in Italy when graffiti on their doorstep warns them to go away. What that has to do with the strong World War II resistance movement in the local area decades ago, a modern day murder, and more is at work at the heart of The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery.

As usual in this series, the personal lives of numerous secondary characters supply various additional subplots that are rich in complexity, details, and nuance, and play their roles to further support and enhance the main plot of this novel which is the tenth of the series. Set in late summer 2015, archeology remains a theme in this novel and is sued to provide historical details that further embellish the discussions of the past as well as the societal backdrop of today.

Once again Elly Griffiths has spun a large web of characters, events, and complexity to enthrall the reader from the first page. A series that should be read in order and that is certainly the case here in The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery as this is a turning point book. For several characters, things will never be the same and there will be repercussions of that. A very good read, as is the entire series, The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery is strongly 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 Room Full of Bones (Reviewed 12/30/2016)

A Dying Fall (Reviewed 2/10/2017)

The Outcast Dead (Reviewed 4/21/17)

The Ghost Fields (Reviewed 7/14/17)

The Woman In Blue (Reviewed 9/29/17)

The Chalk Pit (Reviewed 4/6/2018)

The Dark Angel: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

http://www.ellygriffiths.co.uk/ 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

http://www.hmhco.com

May 15, 2018

ISBN# 978-0-544-75032-6

Hardback (currently available in eBook and audio formats as well)

357 Pages

$27.00

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018

FFB Review: The Chalk Pit: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

Clearly, a book that was published last year does not really qualify for FFB. Yet, I have been doing this series as reviews for FFB since I started back in December of 2015. Therefore, I am doing it again this week with The Chalk Pit: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths. Make sure you check out the full list of reading suggestions over at Todd Mason's blog.

As The Chalk Pit: A Ruth Galloway Mystery begins, Forensic Archeologist Ruth Galloway is beneath the surface of the ground and not happy about it. She is in one of the many tunnels that are passageways below Norwhich. She does not like small spaces as it is and being underground with the reality of all that soil above her pressing down is making it very hard to cope. The fact that she is down there with Ted is not any help at all even if he is a good guy she has known for years. What brought them underground was the recent discovery of bones in a dirt core sample from a boring machine. Plans for an underground restaurant below The Guildhall are on hold after the police and Ruth were notified of the bones.

As they work in the tunnel that was probably part an old chalk mine, it is clear the bones left behind by the removal of the dirt core are also human and may or may not come from the same skeleton. The tunnel bones are leg bones, an arm bone, and what are probably rib bones. Missing is the skull and any pelvic bones among others which means that identifying the gender is going to be very difficult. The bones also are very clean and have a dull shine to them. While Ted thinks they are medieval, Ruth is not sure.

At the same time as Ruth and Ted are beneath the surface of the ground, DCI Nelson is very much above ground and rather annoyed over various issues. Part of the problem is that he is forced to deal with a new and micromanaging boss who would prefer him chained to a desk and doing paperwork while he would much rather be out working cases. Cases such as the current issue with missing homeless people. Various homeless women are disappearing and there are rumors that they have gone underground.

Did they go underground on their own or have they been abducted in some way and forced underground? No one seems to know. What is clear is that it seems that a number of homeless people, shunned by those on the surface, may have taken refuge underground in the numerous tunnels and shafts under the area. If so, the question is where did they go?

And are the recent murders of other homeless people connected in some way?

These two storylines as well as some secondary ongoing plot lines drive several mysteries in The Chalk Pit: A Ruth Galloway Mystery. A series that continues to push the characters in new directions and circumstances. That ongoing character evolution is one of the enjoyable aspects of this series. That angle is present here along with plenty of informative history and social commentary.

The Chalk Pit: A Ruth Galloway Mystery is another very good read in the series that began with The Crossing Places.

For another opinion on the book, make sure you read Jeanne’s review at the Bookblog of the Bristol Library.

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 Room Full of Bones (Reviewed 12/30/2016)

A Dying Fall (Reviewed 2/10/2017)

The Outcast Dead (Reviewed 4/21/17)

The Ghost Fields (Reviewed  7/14/17)

The Woman In Blue (Reviewed 9/29/17)

The Chalk Pit: A Ruth Galloway Mystery

Elly Griffiths

http://www.ellygriffiths.co.uk/ 

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

http://www.hmhco.com

May 2017

ISBN# 978-0-544-75031-9

Hardback (currently available in eBook and audio formats as well)

368 Pages

$27.00

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018