Ruth is an forensic archaeologist, and she is asked to be present when an alleged serial killer identifies the location of some murder victims. In earlier books in the series, Ruth taught at a Norfolk university, and now she is at Cambridge. Did Ivor murder at least four women? Why does Cathbad think Ivor is not a serial killer? And what happened to a young hitchhiker from Eastern Europe who disappeared 10 years ago? Nelson aims to find out, but Ruth becomes involved in the case, and may be trusting the wrong person. I just couldn’t put this book down--recommended for fans of Louise Penny, Deborah Crombie, and Donna Leon. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a part of a series and is better to read them in order to understand the characters. There are too many of them with similar names which might be difficult to follow. The story starts very well and the plot is racy with clues. The chemistry between the main characters felt unnecessary and forced. The history could have been given more weight. The conclusion doesn't explain the reasons well. 4.5 stars

I received an advance reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I always start my reviews of the latest Ruth Galloway novel with the advice that these are best read in order to get full enjoyment. With Agatha Christie’s Poirot or Marple, the detectives stay pretty much the same—it is only the location, plot, and the setting of the mystery that is different. In the Ruth Galloway series the characters undergo major life changes and we are right there in the middle of it. If you read these books out of order you miss that. Worse still, there are spoilers that tell of things that happened in prior installments.

The series is like a really good soap opera. I mean that in a good way. I remember my mother pointing to a character in TV’s Days of Our Lives and saying “I remember her when she was just a child”—referencing the character, not the actor. The character had achieved a level of reality in her mind. It is certainly that way in the Galloway series is for me. Ruth has a 9 year old daughter Kate and I found myself comparing her to my own 9 year old grandchild and thinking back to Kate’s birth early in the series and thinking it amazing that she was that old already. Like she was real. Like all of these characters feel real. I am often as much interested in what is going on with Ruth, Nelson, and everyone’s favorite—Cathbad-- as I am in the actual mystery, at least until it gets going. Ms. Griffiths writes with such humor and obvious affection for her characters that this series is tremendous fun to read.

I don’t like to give away any plot elements because I tend to think that in a mystery novel anything is a spoiler. Even saying that a novel has a plot twist has you looking for it and guessing what it is—completely eliminating the surprise. So without telling you what happens, I will say that The Lantern Men was quite good. Honestly, there isn’t a bad novel in this series, and there are several great ones. It was lighter on the historical/anthropological aspects than other novels in the series, which was a minus for me. On the other hand, I found the eccentric group of artistic friends that may or may not be murderers to be very interesting, and convicted murderer Ivor March is one of her most interesting characters. The forensics aspect was also very well done.

I read a lot of mysteries, usually darker than this series, but the Ruth Galloway mysteries are my happy place and I look forward to the new installment that comes out in the spring each year. Start the series from the beginning and you are in for a real treat. You will grow to love these characters and greatly enjoy your time in their company and will learn a few things along the way.

4 stars.

This is my first Elly Griffiths novel, and I didn't realize when reading that it was book 12 in a series. That being said, I was able to read as a stand alone book, but knowing that now, I can understand the lack of character development in this story. I still really enjoyed the story as it followed DCI Nelson and Dr. Ruth Galloway, a well renowned archaeologist/professor, after a hard won murder trial, only to end up with several more bodies, a possible innocent man behind bars, and the question of who really did it. I was hooked all of the way through, but originally disappointed at the end. However, now knowing that this is a series, I am excited to read the previous books and to follow up with book 13!

This book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Lantern Men" is the 12th novel in Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway mystery series. Ruth is a strong, independent archeology professor, now at Cambridge and up until now at North Norfolk University. She is called back to North Norfolk by her good friend and colleague, DCI Harry Nelson when the man convicted of two murders of young women insists that she be brought in to uncover the bodies. She comes, she unearths the bodies and another, older one, and the intricate mystery begins. Drawing on the folklore of the region (the lantern men of the title) and some complicated personal interrelationships, Ruth helps Nelson bring the murders to their final, hugely suspenseful solution. Ruth's keen forensic eye as well as the accelerating plot make this a real page turner. There are a lot of characters here - and a number of dead bodies - and it can be a little hard to keep track of them all, but Griffiths keeps them all under control until the suspenseful ending (which also leaves Ruth's fans eager for the next Ruth Galloway novel!)

Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway has a new job, home, and partner, and is no longer North Norfolk police’s resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. March claims to have killed more women and offers to tell the police where the bodies are buried, with the condition that Ruth do the digging (though March keeps his reason for this to himself). Ruth agrees, and March says the bodies are buried near a village supposedly haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travelers to their deaths.

There's a strong focus on the relationship/non-relationship between Ruth and Nelson, that sometimes feels more important than the mystery. They're both a bit obsessed with each other despite being in relationships with other people.

I recommend reading this book in series order. There are a number of characters introduced early on and it can be a bit discombobulating without a firm understanding of the players. Also, some character interactions will leave you wondering about motivation if you're not familiar with backstory.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.

Griffith's Galloway series is truly one of the best in the mystery business. The way culture, history, and science interwine amongst the personal dramas of her characters is always compelling and enthralling as they unfold. I was intrigued by the communal living characters and would have enjoyed more flashbacks and exposition regarding them and their motives.

Most, if not all of her books are 5 stars from me. So why not this one? I honestly am sick of the lack of depth concerning Michelle, who Nelson seems to value only because she's thin and conventionally attractive and because she forgave him (and he her) for transgressions. The constant banging on about Ruth being fat and implicitly less worthy in Nelson's eyes is really starting to chafe. No doubt there is Nelson/Ruth chemistry, but it seems rather unexplored (likely due to Nelson's tactiturn nature in part) as to WHY these people drawn to each other when both Michelle and Ruth can do better.

**ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review**

I did not realise that this book was in a series when I requested it. I have not read the other books in the series so therefore won't be able to read this book' Sorry for the inconvenience

I love Ruth and her crew. This book was as good as the past ones. I’ve always love her quirkinesses and the setting of these books . This author is one of my automatic reads.

Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway, the protagonist of "The Lantern Men," by Elly Griffiths, has left her beloved Saltmarsh behind and moved to Cambridge, where she is a senior lecturer at St. Jude's College. Ruth, who will soon turn fifty, has a delightful and precocious nine-year-old daughter, Kate. They are living with Frank Barker, a professor who is generous, intelligent, and deeply in love with Ruth. The question is: Can Ruth Galloway surrender her heart to anyone other than Kate's father, a married man who is unlike Ruth in every way, but for whom she harbors a passion that has not faded with time?

Ruth's routine is once again upended when DCI Harry Nelson asks her to assist him on a complicated murder investigation. He wants her to excavate a possible burial site where, Nelson has reason to believe, a convicted killer named Ivor March may have buried two additional victims. Coincidentally, Ruth happens to be acquainted with Ivor's ex-wife Christina Martin, who manages Grey Walls, a luxurious retreat for artists and writers.

The plot alas, is encumbered by confusing red herrings and unconvincing developments. Along with the regulars--DI Judy Johnson; her husband, Cathbad; DI Doug Clough, who briefly returns to North Norfolk to assist his former colleagues; and Shona, Ruth's best friend and the wife of Ruth's previous boss, Phil Trent—there are other individuals who know Ivor well but, for reasons of their own, may be withholding key information. By the time this drawn-out mystery reaches its improbable conclusion, we still adore the independent, brilliant, and spunky Ruth Galloway, and we relish Griffith's attention to detail, lovely descriptive writing, and dry humor, but we also wish that: 1) the author would involve our heroine in more interesting and realistic cases 2) that Ruth would grow up and settle down with someone who could make her truly happy.

3.5 stars, rounded up
It was a bit of a shock to me to start The Lantern Men and realize it’s two years later and Ruth no longer lives on the Fens. No, she’s ensconced as a professor at Cambridge and is living with Frank. Time has moved on in the two years since The Stone Circle. Dave and Judy are DIs. Judy was actually lead on the case that put Ivor March behind bars for killing two women. Of course, it’s believed he killed two other women but those bodies were never found. He agrees to say where the bodies are buried, but only if Ruth handles the excavation. This serves to bring Ruth back to the Fens and the investigation.
This remains one of my favorite series and it’s always a joy to spend time with Ruth, Nelson and the gang. Griffiths spun a wonderful tale and the book seemed to fly by. As always, I love how she weaves folk tales and history into the storylines. I was on edge just because Ruth was. She’s suffering panic attacks and for good reason. Her life may appear calm on the surface but you can tell it’s not really working for her.
As always, my idea of who was behind the crimes was wrong. That said, I found the climax of the book unrealistic and it was one of the least satisfying of the series. Flip side, I was pleased by the ending as far as Ruth is concerned.
My thanks to netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of this book.

This was my first Elly Griffiths book & I really enjoyed it. It is the 12th in the Dr Ruth Galloway series but although there were references to past cases and relationships it can be read as a stand-alone book. Having said that, I am going to try and read the whole series as I really liked the characters and enjoyed the plot. Well worth a read.

When the Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths opens, we find Ruth living in Cambridge with her daughter Kate and her partner Frank. It is two years later, and Ruth has put some distance between herself and DCI Nelson but a case involving the deaths of four women pulls Kate back to her beloved Saltmarsh region and into the tangled web of relationships that is her life.

I have enjoyed the dynamic between Ruth and Nelson, but it seems like Nelson has made his choice and I wish that Ruth would fully move on. It would be interesting to see more of a relationship between Michelle and Ruth develop once she is finally over Nelson.

I love this series, so it is a constant battle to not read the book too quickly-- I want to prolong my visit with the characters. However, the mystery and the characters’ lives beckon to me to return to their world and I gladly acquiesce.

What can you say about Elly Griffiths books on Ruth and Nelson, they continue to evolve and delight. Another magical story which involved all the old familiar faces and introduced Tony to the team who looks like he is going to fit in perfectly.

No spoilers from me but I am pleased with the ending I think it is the right move to make. Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for this ARC.

For the past two years, after leaving her job at the University of North Norfolk, Ruth Galloway has been a professor at Cambridge University where she lives with her boyfriend, Frank, and daughter, Kate. She finds herself drawn back into helping the Norfolk police, especially DCI Harry Nelson, when convicted killer Ivor March tells Nelson he will divulge where two other women whom March is suspected of murdering are buried, but only if Ruth will do the excavation work. Ruth ends up finding two sets of remains at the site, as well as an older set of bones. In The Lantern Men the reader follows Nelson, his team, and Ruth in their journey to uncover who is responsible for the deaths.

published at Pop Goes Fiction https://popgoesfiction.blogspot.com/

I have followed Elli Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series from the first book, drawn in by the atmospheric setting of the isolated fens and marshland sea setting of Norfolk, England, the historical background of Iron Age finds, otherworldly tales, a modern day druid, the ins and outs of academia, and Dr. Ruth Galloway, professor and forensic archaeologist.
In each book of the series, Ruth finds herself in a police procedural pulling together all of these aspects of the setting. Along with DCI Harry Nelson
and a cast of characters that are consistently changing partners, both in their work and personal lives, they clash and come together to solve mysteries that always focus on archaeological digs and findings.
The Lantern Man is a folkloric tale of an ghostly marshland light said to be evil men drawing people to their death in the reeds. In book #12, a man has been found guilty of murdering two young women, whose bodies are found with irrefutable forensic evidence of his guilt. But did the forensic archaeologist, Ruth’s former boss, miss something? The imprisoned man sends a note telling that 2 other bodies are buried in a certain location, asking that Ruth be the one to oversee the dig. Ah, there is even more to be found.
With a group of quirky friends and lovers denying the guilt of one of their cohorts, the list of possible suspects grows.
The Lantern Men can be read as a stand-alone; however the previous books in the series provide a backstory that make so much of the characterization in this one understandable. The relationship between Galloway and Nelson is feeling tiresome. The same old life questions, the same old lack of decisions. They are unique characters, as are all the “regulars”, and you learn something new and interesting in every book. I would enjoy reading more of the Galloway series, but with more forward movement and relationship resolution.

Reading a Ruth Galloway novel is like getting together with old friends. The cast of characters are the same but each novel they are dealing with new circumstances. Ruth has left the Saltmarsh and Nelson is enjoying being a father again. However they are pulled back into each other's lives when Ruth is asked by a murderer to excavate a site where he claimed the bodies of two missing women were buried. A large cast of suspects makes it fun to read and they mystery is fun to solve - with some delightful twists.

I have enjoyed every previous book by Elly Griffiths and her latest one is no exception. Her skill with descriptions of settings and character development is always so evident. Forensic Archaeologist, Dr. Ruth Galloway works to unearth the story for why three skeletons of young women are found where a creepy jailed murderer requested she dig to find two. The Fens, a marshy region in England becomes an important element in the story as the mythology of Lantern Men with their mysterious, luring light unfolds and builds up tension. Interlaced as always with the mystery is the complexity of daily life for Dr. Galloway and her group of family and friends which adds depth to the narrative. As a reader, I was fully engaged by this book, and recommend it highly.

This book is number 12 in a series that focuses on Dr Ruth Galloway, a police forensic archeologist and professor at a university. She has settled into a new life (apparently) and is starting to make headway with her career at Cambridge University when a criminal suggests to Ruth’s former lover and obvious long term character DCI Harry Nelson that he will reveal where the bodies for two of his four victims can be found, but only if Ruth is the arachnologist doing to work. Having just completed her third book at a writer’s retreat called Grey Walls, she is stunned to discover that Crissy, the owner of Grey Walls was married to Ivor March, the criminal at the centre of this intrigue and the accompanying circle of friends/devotees of Ivor who all sing his praises and claim that he is innocent. Agreeing to his wishes, Ruth discovers the two bodies where he says they are, but there is more than meets the eye at the dig. Ruth is pulled deeper and deeper into a mystery of who the women are and how they meet their untimely death. There is a growing circle of people, both friends of Ivor and friends of Harry and Ruth who all claim that Ivor is innocent of the crimes he is charged with, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The folklore story of the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travellers to their deaths at the fens, a mysterious area that is between the land and sea is given and would appear to fit with the claims made, but of course, there is no such thing as the Lantern Men, and the women aren’t just magicked away, are they? Why is Ruth so central to this mystery? What is her connection to the crimes and Ivor? And will Harry be able to keep his latent feelings for Ruth below the surface and keep Ruth safe from the dangers of the lantern men?

Although this book is part of a long-term series, it is written in such a manner that a new reader can pick up the threads of the underlying story and read with pleasure the new crime story being revealed with no difficulty. It is a superbly written police procedural thriller in the stunning and haunting location of Norfolk, England. The characters are obviously ongoing, a little like a soap opera where everyone is connected or related to one another, but enough detail is given of each that they still seem relatable and it never feels as if one is an interloper to something that is beyond understanding despite being part of a series.

There are throwaway lines that add a level of hilarity to be found within the covers. For example, Harry picks up one of his wife’s books to read when insomnia and worry strike but throws it across the room in disgust; "who writes this rubbish? If he met a man like Christian Grey he'd have him up on a charge before he could say 'safe word' ". Brilliant!

The use of the word hallo rather than hello sinks this work further into the British Isle and culture, making it all the more delightful. The descriptions of sights and sounds add to the atmosphere of the story. Entertaining to the end, although there are times when the story strays into The Shinning territory, perhaps the true strength of this novel is its ability to make the reader want to go back and read the previous 11 books and stick with the series – a rare feat indeed.

Tiny beams of light in the distance seeming to come closer and closer in the Saltmarsh. Is what you see reality? Or is it the Lantern Men paying a visit from Norfolk legends.........mysterious figures prowling the marshes at night. Either way, the creep is setting in.

Elly Griffiths brings us in touch with familiar characters in this latest edition in the series. Dr. Ruth Galloway, senior lecturer and forensic archaeologist, has set in motion many changes in her life. She's now teaching at St. Jude College in Cambridge. She and nine year old daughter Kate are living with Ruth's American love interest, Frank Barker. This means a distance in miles from DCI Harry Nelson who is the father of Kate. There is tension and there will always be tension between Harry and Ruth.

And for a gamut of reasons, Ruth decides to venture out to Grey Walls for a writing retreat in order to finish her next book. She becomes fast friends with Crissy Martin who runs the retreat. Remember that name.

In the meantime, DCI Harry Nelson and DI Judy Johnson are interviewing Ivor Marsh who has been arrested for the murders of two young women. March buried the bodies in the garden of his present girlfriend's home. Chantal still believes that he is innocent even with the DNA saying otherwise. Now March insists that Ruth do the forensic digging. Oh, and by the way, Crissy happens to be March's ex-wife.

Griffiths has us guessing if March is innocent or not and gives us a look back in time to other members of Grey Walls. We're also introduced to DI Tony Zhang of the Norfolk Serious Crime Unit who seems to engage with both heart and mind in his early introduction to the police force. And there's a new murder to be investigated even with March in jail. Copy cat crime or what?

The Lantern Men seems to be circling around change for Ruth. Decisions made recently and more to come it seems. Looks like #13 will be opening some new doors in the not too distant future for Ruth. The last page leans in that direction. Yes, be patient.

I received a copy of The Lantern Men through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers and Elly Griffiths for the opportunity.