Series review: Ruth Galloway Mysteries by Elly Griffiths
A favourite and popular series read, and recommended by, a number of SMSA Mystery and Crime Reading Group members, I finally commenced with Book 1 The Crossing Places. Drawn immediately to the main character Ruth, a forensic archaeologist, I had not previously read anything set in the Norfolk England area and came to appreciate the deep history of this location, making constant finds of buried treasure and human remains fairly reasonable.
When is a crime novel a cosy crime novel? When the reader becomes immersed in the back stories and personal lives of the main characters, realising that one really needs to start with Book 1 and continue sequentially, not jumping ahead or back, patiently waiting for other members to return the required installment to the Library (or finding a copy in another library). This reviewer would not have classified the series as a cosy but for the presence of Ruth’s cat and requirement to read each installment in order, such is the importance of the evolving personal lives of the characters to the sub-plot.
Nevertheless, the archaeology and techniques are genuine, the geography of Norfolk and nearby towns including Cambridge are also genuine and the main plots move along at a cracking pace. The first book was published in 2010, the 15th and last published in 2023 (averaging one per year) and, a treat, real time political events in England and recent archaeological discoveries are referenced as matter of fact. Recommended.
Reviewed by Belinda Coombs
SMSA Member
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