Elly Griffiths

I am delighted with another Elly Griffiths mystery, set in contemporary times in England:
This is Book 2 in a series featuring a British-born, East Indian character, DS Harbinder Kaur. I really admire how Griffiths has portrayed Harbinder with details about the subtle ethnic constraints as well as gender problems in the police force. I didn't like Book 1 very much (there were strange police procedurals and some illogical action, in my opinion). However, this story was particularly excellent. show more The plot developed along lines that had wonderful twists and reveals. Yes, some developments were wildly improbable. It was easy to overlook because I was enjoying the characters and the writing style.

I especially enjoyed how the more elderly characters were woven into the plot. Griffiths showed a very realistic view of aging, living in retirement homes with health care and the restrictions that occur with infirmities. The novel was not at all depressing in this regard. An added bonus was the secret lives of the elders ~ was wonderfully hinted at and woven into a complex somewhat psychological drama. Another series I'll be chafing to read as soon as the next book is released! show less

Through fifteen books, devoted fans have felt a part of the extended family of Dr. Ruth Galloway, DCI Harry Nelson, and their friends and co-workers. It's sad-- and even a bit traumatic-- to see a cherished series end, but if it has to, it should end on the sort of note that The Last Remains does.

All the bases are covered here. Life during the pandemic and the NHS phone app that told users when they had to stay home because they'd been in the same place as someone with Covid. Ruth's very show more real possibility of losing her beloved archaeology department and her job. Nelson's boss constantly harping at him to retire. Cathbad's slow recovery from Covid and his mystifying disappearance. New faces, like a detective constable named Lucy. Ruth's daughter Kate growing up so fast. And-- of course-- a first-rate mystery to solve.

The mystery surrounding archaeology student Emily Pickering's disappearance and death is excellent and kept me guessing every step of the way. And while the characters were hard at work trying to solve that mystery, author Elly Griffiths was busy tying up loose ends. If there are no further investigations for Ruth and Nelson, I will be sad... yet happy with the way The Last Remains ends. But a little part of me will always hope for Just. One. More. show less

Griffiths brings her skill with characters and crimes to bear in this standalone “book-within-a-book” that is not associated with any of her ongoing series.

The main protagonist (although narration alters in the book) is Clare Cassidy, 45, who teaches English at Talgarth High in West Sussex, England. One of the buildings of the school is the very same Gothic mansion where, in the upstairs rooms, R. M. Holland, a (fictional) horror writer, once lived. This fact is especially meaningful to show more Clare because she is working on a biography of Holland.

The story about Clare and her life as she navigates the tricky shoals of being a divorced mother of a 15-year-old teen is interspersed with excerpts from Holland’s most famous work, a chilling ghost story called “The Stranger.”

As the novel opens, Clare’s close colleague has just been gruesomely murdered. Furthermore, a note left by the corpse ties the murder to Holland’s tale. This potentially could implicate Clare, the resident expert on Holland and his work. She is more worried however that she herself may be in danger, since she recently found a stranger's writing addressed to her in one of her private diaries.

DS Harbinder Kaur, a member of the Sussex Murder Squad, is in charge of investigating the case. Harbinder still lives at home with her Punjabi parents, where she tries to maintain a balance between her mom’s worries about her daughter's dangerous job with her own need to be out at all hours investigating. Harbinder is peppery, witty, and very clever, although she likes to hide the latter fact from others; it serves her better for them to underestimate her.

Another body soon appears, again tied to “The Stranger,” along with another ominous note. It is clear the killer knows the victims, and vice versa, and there is a great deal of panic as additional attacks occur. Harbinder in particular understands she doesn’t have much time to prevent the conclusion of Holland’s story from being reenacted in “real life” [that is, in the story about the story] and she struggles frantically to connect the dots before it is too late.

Discussion: Griffiths does an excellent job replicating a Gothic tone for the ghost story she crafts for this book. In addition, despite writing in the crime genre, Griffiths’s main protagonists always manage to come across as wryly funny and even adorable. As spooky as this story often was, I also found myself laughing out loud. show less

When Chloe Jenkins is found dead near an ancient burial ground in Walsingham, the police investigation reveals she was a guest at the local rehabilitation facility. While it's obvious drugs weren't the problem, it takes them quite a while to find the connection, which was quite obscure. Archaeologist Ruth Galloway has also been called to Walsingham meet with a former classmate, Hillary Smithson, who has now become an Anglican priest. She has been getting threatening notes. The letter writer show more has a problem with women becoming priests, let alone bishops, which is becoming a possibility. When a second body is found and it turns out to be a women priest, DCI Harry Nelson is certain the two murders are connected.

I really like this series and it's one of my favorites. I'm always interested in seeing how the dynamics between Nelson (who is the father of Ruth’s daughter) and Ruth work during each of these books. The regular characters are well-drawn and seem very much like real people. The author gives us a wonderful cast of characters, from the mysterious Cathbad to the very average Clough. I especially enjoy Ruth’s reflections on food and on motherhood, both of which ring so true, and her sense of humor. The plot is woven to incorporate the Passion of Christ re-enactment during Easter and it was an enjoyable, well researched read with plenty of excitement and intrigue. show less