This is Elly Griffiths at her best. I have read all of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries and in my opinion this is one of the best! Even though everyone has moved on to new homes or careers the whole gang comes together unexpectedly, And Ruth is at her best. The relationship tension that each book has had only ramps up, and this keeps me coming back again and again as each new Ruth Galloway mystery is published.

Brilliant as always. Elly Griffiths is a masterful writer. This was dark and creepy and a perfect police procedure book xx

I swear each book in this series gets better and better, no mean feat considering this is book number twelve in the Ruth Galloway series! I have to admit having been a little dismayed at the start to find that everything has changed for Ruth since the last book. She and daughter Katie are living with Frank in a Cambridge town house and has taken a more prestigious job at the University there. No longer is she North Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist, although if she were honest she would have to admit the lure of the Saltmarsh and DCI Harry Nelson (Katie's father) has never truly gone away. The story starts with the conviction of Ivor March for the murder of two young women, although Nelson has always been convinced he was also responsible for the deaths of two more. Since Ruth had already moved away, it was her former boss Phil who was instrumental in unearthing the bodies and evidence that were crucial to March's arrest and imprisonment. While Phil receives a strange message on a postcard, Nelson gets a very tempting offer - March will reveal the whereabouts of two more corpses but only if Ruth does the excavating this time. Ruth is tempted by the chance to do some good and also break up her rather mundane existence, and agrees to speak to March who tells her that the bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens. A place said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, ghostly figures who lure travellers to their deaths with their lights. It is one of the very many tales told about the area that seem to be widely known and even believed by some people, but could it be that there also be some very real and human Lantern Men? As Ruth joins forces with detectives Nelson, Judy and Tanya, the plot thickens with each new discovery. Niggling doubts grow that they might have got the wrong man and the killings may not be over at all. Ruth becomes drawn deeper into the legend and many old secrets are revealed in a dramatic finale. Not even knowing who she can trust any more, she must rely on her instincts and her old friends in order to emerge from this unscathed. The author has excelled in bringing all the old gang back together and even Cloughie, who has moved away to Cambridgeshire to run his own team as a DI, gets in on the action! The Ruth Galloway series is definitely best read in order, although every book is hugely enjoyable in its own right, and for me it is like coming home to old friends. In my opinion the author never fails to deliver and has maintained the consistently high standards of all the previous novels All the old favourite characters such as Judy and Cathbad feature in a brilliantly told and compulsive read. I can't recommend these books enough! 5*

Ruth Galloway is enjoying her new position at Cambridge University after leaving her beloved salt marsh and North Norfolk University. She attends a week-long writers retreat and finishes her latest book. Nelson has just finished a case involving a man who killed two young women, but Nelson is sure he has killed two others but they don't have their bodies. The murderer tells Nelson he will say where the other bodies are if Ruth will handle the excavation. There is the legend of the Lantern Men who lure people to their deaths in the fens. Elly Griffiths creates strong characters that are unique and well-defined. This entry is very suspenseful and the ending is heart-pounding. I read these novels as much for the unfolding lives of the characters as for the mysteries. This entry is one of my favorites

This latest installment in the Ruth Galloway series takes the reader on a riotous journey across the marshlands of England and through a mystery with too many unanswered questions. Ruth is now living with Frank, a romantic interest from the last book, in Cambridge with a new teaching position. She seeks a liberation from the messy relationship between her and Nelson, the father of her daughter, Kate. Ruth and Frank's relationship is comfortable and logical, if not passionate. He loves her and Kate, and they have a quiet life in the rare air of Cambridge. Back in North Norfolk, Nelson has just seen the conviction of a serial killer, found guilty of killing two young women and burying them in his girlfriend's backyard. Yet, Nelson believe that this charismatic fellow is responsible for more murders of missing women. Through an unexpected twist, the murderer involves Ruth in the investigation, and the game is on. You will not see the end coming; it is a surprise.

Another winner from Griffiths. I am always happy to spend time with Ruth and her friends and family, even though she does have a way of getting into mortal danger every time she helps to solve a mystery. It kept me guessing until the end.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the Ruth Galloway series. The main character is smart, funny, independent, and inquisitive. I also always enjoy the drama between her and Nelson, a married policeman. The added dynamic in this novel is that Ruth is in a committed relationship with Frank so that raised the stakes on her interactions with Nelson.. I appreciated that the author used this book as an opportunity to introduce a few more supporting characters into the police force. I can see a lot of potential in the ambitious Tanya and the amiable Tony. It’s always nice to get an update on Cathbad the Druid, of course. These characters have become like friends over this series.

Having said that, the other characters of this novel seemed to lack depth or distinction. The story centers on four dead girls, none of whom, of course, we meet, so it was very hard for me to keep them straight, especially since they are all so similar. Likewise, the suspects were all similar and so interconnected in their relationships that I also had a hard time keeping them straight, too.

What kept me reading was the interactions among the regularly appearing characters like Ruth and Nelson. The mystery itself started to fizzle out for me about half way through. The ending seemed far fetched and by that point, I didn’t really care who the culprit was anyways.

Overall, my love for Ruth outweighed the clunky plot. I look forward to the next installment to see what life throws at Ruth.

I was incredibly excited to win an ARC of the latest Dr. Ruth Galloway novel. This is one of my favorite series. And even though Griffiths is on book #12, the series still has that magic that we look for in our favorite books.

In this entry, more than 2 years has passed since the last entry in the series. Ruth is in a very different place--literally and figuratively. She's leased out her cottage on the salt marsh, she's taken a new position at Cambridge, and she's moved in with Frank (yes, holy changes!). Most of these options were being pondered in the last book, but I was still surprised to see her in such a different place at the beginning of this one. I will also admit that I selfishly wish we had at least one book in between--I think it would have been a lot of fun to use Cambridge as the setting and have her and the other cast of familiar characters join her there. But, alas, we've made the time jump and are now 2+ years in the future.

The mystery in this one is pretty good: a man has been convicted for the murder of two girls but Nelson thinks he's guilty of at least two more. We are introduced to a cast of characters who surround the murderer as Nelson tries to ferret out any further details that might lead to the other missing girls' bodies. Then Ruth gets pulled into the drama (much to poor Frank's chagrin) when the convicted man says he will tell Nelson where to look for the two other bodies, but only if Dr. Galloway does the excavation. And in the interim, another murder matching the earlier deaths takes place, which throws everything into question. I enjoyed the storyline and trying to figure out who the culprit was, especially with the conflicts that keep arising and casting doubt on what you think you know. One minor criticism would be that the cast of supplementary characters has a number of men whom I had trouble keeping straight. As we are introduced to them, it is unclear if they will come back to the story or not so maybe I didn't pay as much attention as I should have. Also, these characters lived in a sort of commune and switched partners and lovers frequently, so I think that played into the general confusion as well. But not a huge deal.

Overall, I liked seeing where this story would be going and the personal decisions Ruth faces in the meantime, trying to make a comfortable situation work in Cambridge while knowing her full heart isn't in it. She makes some decisions by the end that will likely--again--change the trajectory of her journey.

I think you could easily read this as a standalone, but I highly suggest starting at the beginning if you're interested in this series. I sometimes see this labeled as a "cozy mystery" series, but it's not that at all. It's an academic/literary mystery series and a damn good one. Oh, and if you don't read the whole series you won't get to experience all the fun history of Cathbad (possibly my favorite character!) so just read the whole series. You won't be disappointed!

I gulped this book down in (almost) a single sitting. Perfect for long quarantine days: part novel with great characters who have evolved over the 12 books in Griffiths’ Dr. Ruth Galloway series and part mystery with all that closure we crave in these anxious days.

Four dead woman and a convicted murderer, but do they have the right man? In this installment, Ruth has moved to Cambridge with a new partner and a new job but is drawn back to Norfolk by the prisoner offering to disclose the location of additional bodies if Ruth promises to do the excavation. An artist colony and cycling group feature prominently in the story with plenty of local history, folklore, and archeological digs. All our favorite characters are back, each slowly progressing in their own long term narrative arcs.

Now I just have to wait for the next one…

p.s. For those who are new to this series, Dr. Ruth Galloway is a forensic archeologist who, before this book, lived in a remote area near Norfolk amidst the marshes near the sea. She works with the large and brooding but spectacularly capable Detective Chief Inspector Nelson. Another favorite character is Cathbad — part-time University employee and full-time modern druid. You can start the series anywhere, really, but the it never hurts to start at the beginning!

Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway is back in a new mystery that picks up a couple years after The Stone Circle. Fans of the series might be disconcerted to find Ruth in Cambridge living with Frank and raising Kate away form Nelson. For all appearances, she has moved on.

That notion is quickly dispelled as Ruth is drawn firmly back into a case with Nelson and rest of the Kings Lynn squad. They have also had some changes, with Clough promoted to lead his own team in Cambridge. There are lots of complicated emotions and motives here, both for Ruth and Nelson and for the intriguing cast of characters wrapped up in the ever-present murder mystery.

I was pleased to find Ruth once again written as a strong, capable, independent woman who is more than one side of a complicated triangle with Nelson and Michelle. I also found 9 year old Kate to be a delight. Griffiths has skillfully balanced the emotional, personal relationships of the story with a cracking good mystery that had me guessing right up to the very end.

Well done!

If Ruth Galloway thought she could put North Norfolk behind her by moving, getting a new job and a new partner, she was wrong. Ruth is contacted by DCI Nelson when murderer Ivor Marsh agrees to reveal the location of the remains of more murdered women, but only if Ruth will excavate them. In an area reputed to be haunted by the Lantern Men, beings believed to lure travelers to their deaths, Ruth sets out on what is surely the grimmest assignment she’s ever had. One of my favorite British mystery series, Ruth and her quirkiness never gets old

This is one of my favorite series and I always look forward to the new adventures of Dr. Ruth Galloway. This particular one revolves around the murder of several young girls and their connection to a writer's retreat that Ruth herself has visited and the people connected with it.

Ruth has left her old life behind for the hallowed halls of Cambridge to begin fresh with a new beau and her daughter. But in Ruth's case leaving that former life behind is not a simple matter. Not when her daughter's father comes calling for her help and she risks everything to assist Harry Nelson.

There are a lot of well written twists and turns in this story and they kept me guessing to the very end. Plus how will Harry and Ruth handle their feelings about each other now that they are working together again? And Ruth's beloved Saltmarsh......is it calling her back?

Dramatic ending keeps me yearning for the next one. Highly recommended!