Elly Griffiths

I would be very interested to know how Elly Griffiths does it. Twelve books in, and the series revolving around Dr Ruth Galloway, the leading forensic archaeologist formerly of the University of North Norfolk but now established in St Jude’s College, Cambridge, remains as fresh and convincing as ever. More impressive still is the relative speed with which the author produces these books – twelve in around eleven years, but accompanied by five or six others in her series featuring Edgar show more Stephens and Max Mephisto series – without any compromising on their quality. I realise that I have now read eighteen books by her just this year, and haven’t yet found myself sated.

Two years have passed since the last book (The Stone Circle) and Ruth seems fairly settled in her new life. She and her daughter Kate (a marvellous character in her own right) are living with Frank, her American partner – another academic teaching history in the university. Ruth’s former life in Norfolk seems a long way off, although she still owns her seaside cottage, which is currently rented out. She still sees Detective Chief Inspector Nelson, Kate’s father, regularly, as he is assiduous in keeping in contact with his daughter, but having moved away she no longer becomes engaged professionally in any of his cases.

Nelson and his team have been busy, and as the novel opens, he and Detective Inspector Judy Johnson are relieved to learn that Ivor march has been convicted of the murder of two young women, whose bodies were buried in his girlfriend’s garden. Although there was supporting DNA and other forensic evidence, Nelson had feared that March might somehow evade conviction. Nelson is also convinced that march is guilty of at least two other murders. March had always vehemently protested his innocence, but, in an unexpected twist, he offers to give Nelson the location of the bodies of the two other women, if he promises that Ruth will oversee their retrieval. This leaves Ruth and Nelson confused, but in the interests of completing the investigation, they agree. This opens up a new series of events which will once again suck in all the regular cast members, in another engaging and challenging mystery.

I think that the strength of these books lies not so much in the complex plots (engrossing though they always are) but more in the depth of the central characters. They have taken on a wholly convincing solidity. Even Cathbad, the Druid, is utterly credible (however unconvincing such a statement might appear to someone unfamiliar with the books).

As with all successful instalments in a series, this one left me hungry for the next one. show less

I enjoyed this book, and I would have given it one more star, but for all the damn fat shaming of the main character throughout the entire book, from literally the beginning to the end--both by other characters in the novel and the main character's own thoughts about herself. I mean, come on Elly Griffiths [author], you're a woman, you wrote this book in 2009, did you really need to add to society's swirling maelstrom of sexism and body shaming and fat shaming? Ugh.

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths is the third mystery featuring Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist who works at a fictional university along the bleak coast of Norfolk, and I've devoured them all in the space of only about six weeks, leaving me waiting anxiously for #4 -- for another year?? Horrors... This mystery looks fairly straightforward -- six dead bodies are found buried in the shifting sands, and the forensic evidence appears to tie them to a mysterious incident during show more WW2. Then there are some modern deaths -- but who is the link? I find the character of Ruth -- smart, awkward and gawky, a new mother -- particularly appealing and well-crafted, as is her strained relationship with the (married) detective who is her daughter's father. There are few perfect characters in this series, but also few false notes in the writing or characterization. Highly recommended series, 4.2 stars. show less

You could probably read this book out of order, but the driving force behind this series are the characters, which are among the best of any series out there, and it takes a little while to get to know them and reading in order is best, in my opinion. A few of the more minor characters get more page time here, which I really enjoyed.

This installment is not as heavy on the archeology as prior installments, but I don’t think it suffered for it at all. I do like the forensics, but this one show more more than made up for it in immediacy and tension. In fact, The Outcast Dead (I can’t imagine a better title for a mystery novel by the way) is one of my favorite of the whole series.

This is quite a thriller. We have a a series of child deaths which may or may not be the result of murder, a serial child kidnaper on the loose chillingly named “the Childminder,” and a cast of potentially guilty characters as diverse and compelling as any Agatha Christie novel. You know those ones in which you look at the list of characters and think that really any one of these people could have done this! I can say that at least four or five times during the novel I was weighing the evidence and coming with a different “most likely suspect.” Red herrings abound. The police chase different clues and different suspects all at the same time, multiple mysteries overlap, and tension mounts as time passes and fears for the safe return of the children increases.

I like a dark, gritty crime novel as much as the next guy, but if you also enjoy the traditional smart, witty, English style of mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie, and I do, Ms. Griffiths absolutely knocks this one out of the park. show less