The Recently Read posts are not typical book reviews. As a writer, I do not believe I should be reviewing the hard work of other writers. These posts are simply books I have recently read and enjoyed and will share with you. They will not always be crime books as I am trying to widen my reading selection. I hope you enjoy some of these with me.
I haven’t posted one of these for a while, so I have a few great books to catch up with sharing with you. Today I have;
Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths.
When she’s not digging up bones or other ancient objects, quirky, tart-tongued archaeologist Ruth Galloway lives happily alone in a remote area called Saltmarsh near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants – not quite earth, not quite sea.
When a child’s bones are found on a desolate beach nearby, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson calls Galloway for help. Nelson thinks he has found the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing ten years ago. Since her disappearance he has been receiving bizarre letters about her, letters with references to ritual and sacrifice.
The bones actually turn out to be two thousand years old, but Ruth is soon drawn into the Lucy Downey case and into the mind of the letter writer, who seems to have both archaeological knowledge and eerie psychic powers. Then another child goes missing and the hunt is on to find her.
As the letter writer moves closer and the windswept Norfolk landscape exerts its power, Ruth finds herself in completely new territory – and in serious danger.
THE CROSSING PLACES marks the beginning of a captivating new crime series featuring an irresistible heroine.
My Thoughts;
Ruth Galloway is an overweight thirty something Archaeologist living alone with her two cats in a desolate part of Norfolk. So cold and desolate, all her family think she is slightly mad for wanting to live there. Ruth loves the barren location though. She’s done the engagement thing and now she just wants some time alone and enjoys the quiet.
While working at the university she is asked to look at some bones thought to be human, by local DI Harry Nelson, who at first meeting, appears overbearing and brusque. I loved this as a crime pairing. Reading as both Ruth and Harry tried to assess and then work with the other. It’s difference to traditional crime fiction novels made it intriguing and the cold stripped landscape was a perfect backdrop.
It was a great start to a series and I will definitely read the next one. In fact I have already downloaded the next two to my kindle as I was inpatient to find out how Ruth and Harry were doing! Definitely worth a read.
Margot got me started on this series – and I like the refreshing heroine. I haven’t got round to reading the next few books yet, but it’s on my list of things to look out for.
I’ve downloaded the next two, I just needed to get around to reading them now!
Rebecca – Oh, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this. To me it has such a wonderful sense of place, and I do like Ruth Galloway. She’s unique and interesting and has a solid strength of character. I hope you’ll like the next novels in the series too.
The sense of place is stunning isn’t it Margot. I love cold bleak settings like that.
Elly Griffiths is a wonderful writer. I’ve read several of her books. But, Ruth Galloway is a bit too dour for me. I like the positive upbeat characters and Ruth seems to walk with a cloud over her head. I want to tell her a few jokes, or maybe just–don’t take things so seriously!
I might have to look up what else she’s written then Jacqui. Thank you!
I just started the latest in the series last night – The Outcast Dead. She writes well and I love the charcaterisations. My only problem with the series is that it’s becoming increasingly hard to accept that every crime in Norfolk relates to some long dead body discovered by archaeologists!
I think that’s the same with all series fiction isn’t it. No place can really have that amount of tragedy or as you say, long dead bodies discovered by archaeologists! But as they’re different to the everyday crime novels so far, I’m enjoying the difference 🙂
I take it all back anyway – having now finished the latest, she’s right back on form. 😀
That’s good to know. I’m looking forward to continuing with this!
Elly and I shared an agent briefly when I started out on this journey and he gave me the first three to read. I loved them. Ruth Galloway is fab and feels very real. Do read the next ones – the relationships between the characters really develop!
Wow, I never knew that! I have the next two downloaded on my kindle, I hope to read them in the next month or two. I really enjoyed this first one.