BOOK REVIEW: A Dying Fall (Ruth Galloway, #5) by Elly Griffiths

A Dying Fall is the fifth book in author Elly Griffiths' murder-mystery series starring Dr. Ruth Galloway, head of Forensic Archaeology at the University of Northern Norfolk, and DCI Harry Nelson, head of the major crimes squad of the Norfolk Police Department. These books are known as the Ruth Galloway mysteries and they are generally cold case murders (Ruth is an archaeologist after all) with a smidgen of romance (the relationship between Ruth and Harry is complicated--they hooked up once and the married police detective is the unacknowledged father of unmarried Ruth's daughter named Kate.)

I read and enjoyed the first four books in the Ruth Galloway series in quick succession (The Crossing Places, The Janus Stone ,The House at Sea's End, A Room Full of Bones) but put the series on a backburner when supernatural elements became a bit too central to the story for my taste in Book 4. (Longtime readers will know I am not a fan of supernatural elements, especially in murder-mysteries, because of the way it revises the implicit contract between author and reader in a whodunnit mystery. (If reality is subject to supernatural revision then how can the reader have a chance of solving the mystery?)

Anyway, the primary appeal of the Galloway books has always been the no-nonsense personalities of Ruth and Nelson, who the reader generally gets first-person perspectives on in every book. The secondary appeal are the rotating cast of secondary characters, primarily Cathbad, the sensitive and strange Druid who always seems to be in the right place at the right time, Ruth’s obnoxious department chair Phil Trent, various police officers who work with Nelson (Judy Johnson, Dave Clough, Tanya Fuller, and his boss Gerry Whitcliffe).

In  A Dying Fall an old schoolmate of Ruth’s from university named Dan Golding is killed by setting his house on fire with all the exits locked and blocked, soon after he made what he thought could be a blockbuster archaeological discover in the Lancashire area near where Nelson grew up and used to serve in the Blackpool police department when he was much younger. Ruth decides to go north to Blackpool with her young daughter Kate and Cathbad as guest babysitter after she is invited by Dan’s department chair to serve as an expert evaluator of his potential discovery. Of course, coincidentally Nelson and his wife Michelle decide to take a vacation to his hometown around the same time to go on a long-delayed visit to see Nelson’s mum.

With Nelson and Ruth in the same area when more bodies start appearing there are multiple opportunities for awkward run-ins and suspicious behavior as they both try to solve their respective mysteries. Tensions run even higher when just as their separate investigations cross paths, Kate goes missing, after being left in the care of Cathbad while Ruth was sleuthing.

Overall, this is one of the better entries in the series, which is becoming even more familiar and likeable as I read more of the books. The supernatural elements were kept to a minimum, and primarily involved Cathbad, who is so weird and wacky it’s hard to dislike. I’m pretty sure I won’t wait another 18 months to read the next book, The Outcast Dead!

Title: A Dying Fall.
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 400 pages.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Date Published: March 5, 2013.
Date Read: April 23, 2023.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★½☆  (4.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A-.

BOOK REVIEW: A Room Full of Bones (Ruth Galloway, #4) by Elly Griffiths

 A Room Full of Bones is the fourth book in author Elly Griffiths' murder-mystery series starring Dr. Ruth Galloway, head of Forensic Archaeology at the University of Northern Norfolk and DCI Harry Nelson, head of the major crimes squad of the Norfolk Police Department.

This book is a bit unusual in the murder-mystery genre because the putative main character, Ruth Galloway, is almost a supporting character in A Room Full of Bones. The primary mysteries in the plot involve the death of a young museum director whose body Ruth discovers collapsed near a recently-unearthed coffin containing the skeleton of a centuries-old Bishop as well as the suspicious death of the young man’s boss (and the owner of the museum and a prominent racing horse stable) a few days later.

Ruth’s relationships and domestic circumstances have been key to the plot of the first three books in the series (The Crossing Places, The Janus Stone ,The House at Sea's End), often being detailed in parallel to the mysteries as she investigates the discovery of old bones and/or new corpses. However, in A Room Full of Bones Ruth has almost no role in the solution of either of the central mysteries and neither does Nelson.

Instead, it’s the supporting characters from the earlier books, namely DS Judy Johnson and Cathbad, who lead the reader to the solution of the mysteries, while Nelson is out of commission for a significant fraction of the book and Ruth’s primary responsibility is being a caring mother to her now 1-year old daughter Kate.

It’s a curious, confident choice by the author, and (surprisingly) it works really well. To me this book is no less interesting and compelling than the prior books, and Ruth is still the protagonist. What is becoming clearer is that these books are not just about the mysteries but are really serials about the cast of characters who are involved in investigating them. Another curious choice by Griffiths is the explicit inclusion of supernatural elements into the story, through a “curse” deployed by an Indigenous Australian character and Cathbad’s drug-induced foray into “dream walking.” I am typically quite negatively disposed towards the inclusion of supernatural elements in the murder-mystery, police procedural books I read. (If “magic” is real then how can the reader have any chance of solving the mystery if characters can defy the laws of reality whenever they want?) But Griffiths makes it clear that there’s a plausible non-supernatural explanation for the supernatural interlude in such a straightforward way that I was actually fine with how things played out in the book. (I am quite surprised by this myself!)

Overall, A Room Full of Bones is an enjoyable, light mystery novel where the interactions and relationships (both new and old) between the characters is the main attraction. This entry has made me very intrigued to learn how the series develops in the future, especially since at this point there are at least 8 more books that I haven’t read yet. So, in that very basic sense (convincing the reader they want to find out what happens next), A Room Full of Bones is a success.

Title: A Room Full of Bones.
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 352 pages.
Publisher: Quercus.
Date Published: December 21, 2011.
Date Read: September 10, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★½☆  (3.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A-.

BOOK REVIEW: The House at Sea's End (Ruth Galloway, #3) by Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End is the third book in the Elly Griffiths' mystery series featuring Dr. Ruth Galloway, forensic anthropologist and lecturer at the fictional University of North Northwich, and DCI Harry Nelson, head of the major crimes unit of the Norwich Police Department. Nelson and Galloway have a complicated relationship, which due to a surprising event in the first book, The Crossing Places, has ongoing repercussions in both their lives.

Now that I have read the first three books, I think I have a better overall sense of the series. There are some common themes and ongoing story elements and repeated plot points. The first common theme is that since Ruth is an anthropologist, the initial crime/mystery is almost always a cold case, sparked by the discovery of old bones. The second common theme is Ruth herself, and her relationships with the primary characters in her life (Nelson; Cathbad, the enigmatic, self-proclaimed Druid who always appears to be in the right place at the right time; her "best friend" Shona the beautiful homewrecker; and Ruth's holier-than-thou Born Again parents). The third theme is the format of the book: British police procedural/murder mystery with a soupcon of romance. These are all features of the book which are done quite well and will probably be the primary reason I continue to read the series in the future.

One of the problematic ongoing story elements is Ruth's relationship with Harry Nelson, whom she works with to solve crimes. Suffice it to say there is significant romantic tension there, and that "it's complicated." Nelson has a beautiful wife named Michelle and two daughters, but the Ruth and Nelson have great physical chemistry, despite Ruth's body image issues (she's definitely on the plump side) and while Ruth is a professor and a scholar, Nelson never finished high school, but is also quite accomplished at his job and used to being in charge. Another ongoing story element is the setting of the books, in the (fictional) town of King's Lynn near the Saltmarsh of Northern England. Ruth loves the area (and so apparently does the author, because rarely do many pages go by before we read more paragraphs about the beauty of the cold, wet sea).

One of my biggest concerns with the books so far has been the repeated plot point of putting Ruth in danger towards the climax of the books when the mysteries are starting to be solved and the identity of the perpetrator becomes reduced to a smaller set of possibilities, until eventually we find Ruth trapped in a confined area with a homicidal maniac while Cathbad and Nelson trying to rescue her. It's true that this plot development amps up the level of suspense to nerve-wracking levels. I am just philosophically opposed to the "damsel-in-distress" trope in suspense thrillers. I know it is quite possible to have exciting suspense thrillers without putting the protagonist in danger, although I do recognize that it may be something that most authors can not resist. I just hope that this doesn't happen in every Galloway book or it would greatly diminish my ardor for continuing the series.

That being said, while the third entry in the series was not the strongest of the first three (the connection between the perpetrator of the cold case murder and the perpetrator of the more recent crimes attempting to maintain their secrecy was somewhat tenuous and unpredictable). The main appeal of The House at Sea's End to me was learning more about the other police officers in Nelson's employ and seeing how Ruth deals with how her new circumstances have (and will) affect how she relates to those around her (and they to her).

Title: The House at Sea's End.
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 352 pages.
Publisher: Quercus.
Date Published: January 6, 2011.
Date Read: July 18, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★½☆  (3.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: B+.
WRITING: A.

BOOK REVIEW: The Janus Stone (Ruth Galloway, #2) by Elly Griffiths

Right after I finished reading this book I had drafted a lovely 500-word review (in the Goodreads app) when I suddenly lost the entire thing so I wasn't planning on going to write a full review but I changed my mind because I want to document my thoughts about the series as a whole as I read it.

The Janus Stone is the second book in the popular and long-running Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. Dr. Galloway is a forensic anthropologist who teaches at the fictional University of Northern Norfolk and lives alone (with a cat or two) in a small cottage on the edge of the marshy waters of the Northern sea. She has helped the police with their inquiries into the discovery of some old bones in the first book of the series, The Crossing Places, and this event was the beginning of her complicated relationship with DCI Harry Nelson. In the sequel, Ruth is again asked to assist the police when a skeleton of a young child and a cat (both missing their heads!) is discovered on a building site where an old house which used to serve as an orphanage is being razed and replaced with condominiums.

Things are even more complicated in The Janus Stone because Ruth has recently discovered she's pregnant, and since she's also very single (happily divorced). The case is also tricky because it seems like someone is deliberately trying to dissuade Ruth from getting involved.

Overall, I liked this second book in the series quite a bit. Ruth (and Nelson) are fun characters, and Griffiths writes them well. As a gay dude, I'm usually loath to combine any taste of romance with my British police procedural/murder mystery but I do feel like Elly Griffiths and Jane Casey are two authors who know how to get the mix, just right. That being sad, I'm not happy about the one of the primary narrative tensions in the book being danger/threat to Ruth. The "damsel in distress" trope is awful. I hope it is not repeated. That being said, Ruth is a strong female character (she's somewhat blase' about her zaftig figure and doesn't really care much about societal norms). The supporting members of the cast are quirky and interesting (if not as diverse as they could be). I'll definitely continue reading the series.

Title: The Janus Stone.
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 416 pages.
Publisher: Quercus.
Date Published: March 1, 2010.
Date Read: July 16, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★★☆  (4.0/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: A-.
IMAGERY: A-.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A-.

BOOK REVIEW: The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1) by Elly Griffiths

The Crossing Places is the first book in the long-running Ruth Galloway series written by Elly Griffiths.

Galloway is a 30-something, archaeology professor at the  fictional University of North Norfolk who lives alone in the nonexistent town of King's Lynn near a saltwater marsh where about a decade before she was part of an archaeological dig which resulted in the discovery of a Bronze Age artifact called a henge. Recently a 6-year old girl has been kidnapped out of her backyard, almost a decade after a similar unsolved kidnapping of another young girl.

The police officer who is responsible for investigating both of these crimes is DI Nelson. He asks Dr. Galloway for assistance in analyzing some recently unearthed bones which they think may belong to one of the kidnapped girls (the bones turn out to be a few thousand years old which makes Ruth happy and Nelson unhappy). He tells Ruth that he has been receiving letters from the kidnapper for several years and let’s her read them since they have odd historical and mythical references . Later, Ruth figures out where the recently kidnapped girl is buried, devastating those parents who had not given up hope their little girl would be found alive.

Eventually things get much more complicated as people close to Ruth become implicated in both disappearances of the young girls as she recognizes some phrases used in the letters as well as the writing and alerts Nelson of her suspicions. The book concludes with a thrilling series of events that results in the resolution of both mysteries and upends several of Ruth’s relationships.

Overall, I quite enjoyed The Crossing Places. Griffiths does an excellent job of providing us a portrait of Ruth which makes her quite appealing. Her chemistry with DI Nelson is intriguing. The mystery was unimpressive (I almost never figure out the perpetrator in mystery books and I was able to guess whodunnit well before the reveal) but as in most genre books the my primary enjoyment is rooted in the connection with the characters and not the plot.

Title: The Crossing Places 
Author: Elly Griffiths.
Paperback: 303 pages.
Publisher: Quercus.
Date Published: February 5, 2009.
Date Read: June 12, 2020.

GOODREADS RATING: ★★★½☆  (3.5/5.0).

OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).

PLOT: B+.
IMAGERY: A.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A-.