Ruth Galloway, now head of her department at the University of North Norfolk, is back in her cottage on the salt marsh, and the entire colorful cast of characters rejoins her for this new adventure. When a group of metal detectorists turns up a body along with Bronze Age artifacts, Ruth is once again drawn in to help DCI Harry Nelson and his staff investigate, but the deaths keep coming. When a local couple, living at Black Dog Farm, turns up dead, the legend of the Black Shuck, a spectral canine, is invoked, lending a creepy uncertainty to this tale which puts all of the main characters in jeopardy. Cathbad returns, lending his wizened Druidic insights, and the addition of university colleague David Brown, who isn't as deferential to Ruth as he should be, increases the tension. This series is as delicious for the relationship building as it is for the mysteries to be solved and oh, that Michelle! This series is best read in order for that reason, and this latest installment is just as savory as the previous books. Elly Griffiths knocks it out of the park again -- five stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book; the opinions are my own.

A group of detectorists with a passing interest in archaeology discover a body near a Bronze Age mound. When a second bod in the form of skeletal remains is discovered, Nelson calls in Dr. Ruth Galloway. Fans of the series will find everything they've enjoyed so far: suspense, a ripping yarn, and the characters they've come to love.

Ruth is back in Norfolk and is now head of the Archaeology
Department as Phil has retired. She has hired David Brown as her new lecturer to take her place. A recently dead body is discovered on the beach along with Bronze Age artifacts by The Night Hawks who are detectorists. A murder/suicide happens next at the farmhouse of the detectorists. Nelson begins to not trust David Brown. Is he jealous of David's attention to Ruth?
I was glad to see Ruth and Kate return to Norfolk. Lots of changes in Nelson's police department too. I can't wait to read the next book in the series as this book left off as Nelson seems ready to make a decision about his and Ruth's relationship. I highly recommend this series as it is character driven and so interesting if you love a bit of history mixed with your mystery. I would like to thank NetGalley and Quercus Publishers for a free copy for an honest review.

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths is an advance reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ruth Galloway is now head of archeology and is in the office that Phil Trent used to have at the University of North Norfolk. A body is found by some "metal detectorists" called the Night Hawks, along with treasures and possibly a skeleton. The next day a married couple has been found, both shot, by the "detectorists". Ruth has been called by DCI Nelson. A scientist doing illegal drug trials on ex-cons is shot, along with his wife. What is going on?
Elly Griffiths is an awesome storyteller. I loved reading the Night Hawks. Her writing draws the reader in, making it hard to put down the book. I have read and reread all the Ruth Galloway stories. Thank you for a well written book.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Again, many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for this ARC. Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite mystery writers and this, the 13th entry in her Ruth Galloway series, is not to be missed! This entry brings Ruth back to Norfolk and her cosy cottage on the marsh. She is now the Chair of her department and navigating both the job and the new faculty member hired for her old position. Of course, there is a suspicious murder/suicide that Ruth gets involved in at Nelson's request.

As usual, I enjoyed this entry into the series. The mystery gives you a number of red herrings to try to ferret out. And we get--what I think will be--some further progress in the personal relationships of the characters. I will note that I'm a little over the love/hate relationship between Ruth and Nelson's wife. This isn't the first time we've seen them come together over some circumstance involving Nelson--but I'm hoping this plot turn provides a different resolution moving forward. We will see.

At any rate, this is a fantastic series. This book could be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend going back and starting at the beginning to get the full development of the characters--that is often the best part of this series.

#TheNightHawks #NetGalley [NetGalley
Review will follow.. Tremendously exciting, especially the ending.

It has been awhile since I read a book in this series, but this was a great read. Ruth and Nelson are good characters. Both flawed but believable. The mystery stands on its own, though you miss out on the relationship history

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the newest title in the Ruth Galloway series.
This one is a page - turner but this time not so much because of the archeological finds. Those play second fiddle to the solving of an apparent murder-suicide and the mysterious deaths of two young men.
The murder-suicide takes place in an isolated farmhouse called Black Dog . Griffiths does a masterful job of portraying the eerieness of the setting and there are a couple of tense scenes that caused me to gasp!
The same characters are involved plus a new one, a lecturer who replaces Ruth when she becomes head of her department. The Ruth/Nelson/Michelle triangle continues. In this title Michelle is a saint and Nelson displays his selfishness. The appearance of his mother may force his hand.
Fast paced and exciting to the end.

Night Hawks is the 13th in the Ruth Galloway series and. as always there are all of the regular characters appearing to back her up. Part of the joy of the Ruth Galloway is to engage with Ruth and the team of regulars who populate the novel. The Night Hawks are a group of metal detectorists who discover a body on a beach, Nelson calls her in as the body is next to a Bronze Age hoarde. Without saying too much the plot develops and Ruth finds herself involved in a far more dangerous situation.

These are easy to read light crime novels and do exactly what they say on the cover. My only issue was around a couple of plot devices which felt wrong to me. But as usual I thoroughly enjoyed the read..

Ruth Galloway has returned to Norfolk and is now in charge of the department where she is confronted with staffing and money issues. Despite the responsibilities the beginning of the new term brings, she gets dragged to one of Nelson's crime scenes when a skeleton is unearthed. One thing leads to another, and a suspicious murder-suicide at a farmhouse results in Nelson getting Ruth in to excavate the garden. Despite their best intentions and the odd pairing, Ruth and Nelson always get pulled to each other, and their relationship--both professional and personal--is the glue that holds this series together. Highly recommended.

Thanks. to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

If there's a body, Dr. Ruth Galloway will be there. If there's danger, Dr. Ruth Galloway will find it. For an academic and archeologist, Ruth's life is far from the expected boredom of the Ivory Tower. The primary reason for her being involved in violent situations is her relationship with DCI Nelson. Parents of a young girl but living separate lives is not what either Ruth or Nelson seem to want, but it is their reality. Most days, Ruth enjoys being a working, single mom and does not dwell on the fact that the one love of her life is married to someone else with other children. However, when circumstances draw Ruth and Nelson together, she wonders what could have been. In this book, the mystery revolves around amateur archeologists, a double murder, illegal drug trials that lead to death, and a legend about a big black dog. The crimes and suspects pile-up and lead to a very exciting conclusion of kidnapping and lives endangered. Who will survive unscathed? What does the future hold for Ruth and Nelson? I can't wait to find out in the next book.

I enjoy this writer's style. I believe this was my second book in the series and my only complaint is that I have a hard time remembering how all of the characters fit because there are a lot (though I'm sure if I had read more of the series it wouldn't be a problem). The premise was interesting and I liked the folklore with the black dog.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the eARC.
This, the 13th Dr. Ruth Galloway in the (excellent) series, is probably my favourite. It's always like meeting one's favorite group of friends and I would recommend reading the series from the beginning, although this could be read as a standalone. It would be an incentive to start the series!
Ruth and Kate are back in North Norfolk (yay!). Two bodies are found on the beach, one recent and one ancient. At the same time, A suspected killing/suicide at a farm conjure up the myth of Black Shuck, a huge spectral dog. I loved that part of the story! Then there's another killing, keeping Ruth and DCI Nelson busy on all fronts. Ruth is excited about a hoard of Bronze Age weapons, while irritated by her new hire, David Brown, who seems to accompany her at every turn.
Sad to have finished, I can't wait for no. 14! Highly recommended!

I constantly recommend this series to people looking for a mystery series that isn’t twee-cozy but also isn’t full of horrifying, gory details. Griffiths has had some ups and downs over the series, but Night Hawks is one of her very best.

Ruth, Nelson, and the King’s Lynn gang are back and in good form. The murder mysteries are, as usual, cleverly plotted and offered up in the author’s witty style. The thing that I appreciate the most about this series is that the characters always experience some sort of growth. They are not frozen in time, like Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury. Griffiths has finally found a good balance of the personal storylines of the characters, the forensic archaeology, and the crime and knits all of it together here along with some tantalizing local folklore into an un-put-downable story.

Recommended

Another excellent entry in the series.

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

Always fantastic, the Ruth Galloway series gives us wonderful, complicated characters and relationships along with a compelling mystery. This book was faster paced than previous books and it worked really well. Gripping from page one!

This was another great installment of the Ruth Galloway series. When I read these books, it feels like being reunited with old friends. Ruth, of course, is smart and independent, and I always love seeing her interactions with Nelson, Cathbad, and the rest of her crew. In this installment, I liked the addition of the amateur archeologists because it was a new twist on the plot. I liked having a new group of people interacting with the bones. I also sensed a slight shift in Nelson and Michelle’s relationship, so I’m interested in seeing where that leads in the next book.

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths June 29th 2021 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Keep writing, Elly! I always look forward to a new Ruth Galloway book and it never disappoints. I’m so glad Ms. Griffiths is making good use of her pandemic time to up her (already high) prolificity (I may have made that word up — not sure).

These books are a great mix of mystery and novel — full of Norfolk folk lore and history with plenty of archeology — with no repeats so far. In this novel we also get a group of Detectorists (defined as a person whose hobby is using a metal detector); an interesting (fictional but plausible) theory about the Beaker people who came to Britain about 4400 years ago and left only 10% of the native population after 200 years; and a timely plot line around dangerous and illegal vaccine trials. A high body count, some progression in the Nelson / Ruth saga, and a variety of eccentric and interconnected characters make this a real page-turner. Enjoy!

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read, and I believe written reviews, on all of the novels in the Ruth Galoway series and I always start my review by cautioning the reader that these mysteries, which I suppose could be read as stand-alone novels, really work best when the entire series is read in order. There is just too much looking backward and reading them out of order would create a multitude of spoilers. Additionally, while they are separate mysteries, these novels are really mostly about Ruth, Cathbad, Nelson, and the other main characters, all of whom have slowly developed into three dimensional creations over the previous dozen installments. They have a lot of history together and regular readers of the series await the new installment just as much for the chance to catch up with old friends as for the current mystery. I would watch long running soap operas with my mother and she would point to a character and say “I remember when they were a child on this show.” Similarly, I get the feeling that I have watched Ruth’s daughter Kate (aka Katie aka Hecate) grow up like she was an actual person.

I don’t mean to downplay the actual mystery. Ruth #13 is a real action packed novel. More murders, more action, and a darker story line than usual but still within the comfort zone of those who enjoy this series. Ruth is as witty and charming as ever and just as prone to self-inflicted mishaps. I wish someone would break the 4th wall, just once, and ask her—“Ruth….seriously? Doesn’t this situation remind you of the even dozen other times you have rushed headlong into an obviously dangerous situation?” Oh well, we forgive her because she is one of the most entertaining protagonists in any current mystery series and she never disappoints.

If you have read the other novels, you need to get this one. The thriller aspect is ramped up a bit like in The Killing Fall and there is a delicious creepiness about the Black Dog House. Also, without giving anything away, there is a bit of a set up here that will make you hope that Elly Griffiths is already hard at work on #14 so you can see what happens next.

4 stars. Necessary reading for any Ruth Galloway fan.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy of this novel. And thank you to Elly Griffiths for a really great series.

Another gem from Elly Griffiths! Ruth and the gang are back, this time tackling a string of mysterious deaths along the Norfolk coast. A man's body washes up on the shore near an ancient burial site, something's off about an apparent murder-suicide, and there's a devilish dog roaming the area. Oh, and a group of amateur archaeologists calling themselves the Night Hawks are tangled up in everything.

I wait impatiently for each book in the Dr. Ruth Galloway series, and this one was no exception. Griffiths has hit on something here, merging detective/police work with archaeology and a dash of druidism. I love seeing the core characters' storylines develop over the course of the series and exploring new (to me) Norfolk folklore. More, please!