While Ruth and Nelson look deeper, they learn of a clandestine pact the aged soldiers swore to defend at all costs. When more people start dying, they have to ask – what was Operation Lucifer, and why are people still so determined to protect it?

Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson is working on a chilling case: three children found lifeless in their home. The situation worsens with another child's abduction. An individual, identifying themselves as the “Childminder,” takes responsibility for the kidnapping. Could the Childminder also be the murderer? This brilliant series, brimming with comedy and compassion, has demonstrated that archaeology, just like the best crime fiction, is the study of everyday people . . . Elly Griffiths has honed her skills to become one of our very best writers. Bravo!” (For The Last Remains) — The Times (UK) Set in the 1950 and 60s in (unsurprisingly) Brighton, this series begins with The Zig Zag Girl, published in 2014, with the most recent addition, The Midnight Hour, published in 2021. The books feature police officer Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto and are high on period detail and humour as well as containing some masterful plot work. As you can see below, Elly Griffiths is a prolific writer, often publishing 2 to 3 books a year across several different series.

Ruth Galloway Book 14 | The Locked Room

Archaeologist Ruth Galloway is called to view the bones, and she observes a surgical plate used to fuse a broken ankle. So Ruth determines the skeleton is modern, and DCI Harry Nelson and his team begin a murder inquiry.

Thus Ruth worries about supporting her 12-year-old daughter Kate, who was conceived during Ruth's affair with Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, a married man. The Ruth Galloway series is a different sort of police procedural with forensic archaeology, because Ruth (our main protagonist) is an archaeologist.I think that because people have lived in Norfolk for a very long time, and tend to stay once they’re in Norfolk, stories are passed down in a way they maybe aren’t in other parts of the country. There’s a great folk memory in Norfolk. The novel's finale is satisfying, and leaves room for more books if the author decides to continue the series at some point. She studied English at university and went on to work in publishing for HarperCollins – but that urge to write never left her. Anyway. I enjoyed the setting, characters, humor and writing in this, but the main theme mentioned in the spoiler always got under my skin, and I don’t understand the readers who wanted this series to wind up as it did, with the dissolution of a family. Every marriage and family has their issues, but without the manipulation by this author for readership and royalties, Nelson stays with Michelle and she with him. I got so tired of Ruth being resentful of his wife and Nelson’s time with his family throughout this book and series. In my view, the affair that started between them in the very first book was manipulated by this author from the start. It never seemed realistic to me. And you can’t expect to have equal time when you start an affair with a married man who seems to have no real intention throughout many many books of never leaving his wife and kids. You are not equal bc you chose to have an affair with this married person. Your relationship was never on equal footing with his wife and family, nor should it have been. I feel so badly for Kate, who didn’t ask to come into this situation. Ruth is supposed to be so smart, but her emotional IQ IMO is very low and a strong, smart woman does NOT tolerate or stay in a relationship with a man who, for many many years, shows he has no intention of leaving his family. What a bad depiction of a strong, intelligent woman. Since there's a dearth of forensic evidence, most of the police investigation involves interviewing people, looking at photos, observing CCTV footage, and mulling over their findings. Ruth doesn't have a big part in the inquiries, and it's DCI Nelson's inspiration that eventually solves the case.

The Last Remains ends with the resolution of a twenty-year-old cold case and many ends tied up neatly in presumably “happily ever after bows,” but as stated before, fans will hunger for more from the author. Remarkable Writer, Addictive Books! Griffiths expertly blends a well-wrought procedural with distinctive characters, academic politics, and romance. Fans old and new will be rewarded.” (For The Last Remains) — Publishers Weekly (starred review) The discovery of a missing woman's bones forces Ruth and Nelson to finally confront their feelings for each other as they desperately work to exonerate one of their own. When builders renovating a café in King's Lynn unearth a human skeleton, they call for DCI Harry Nelson and Dr Ruth Galloway, Head of Archaeology at the University of North Norfolk. Ruth is preoccupied with the threatened closure of her department and by her ever-complicated relationship with Nelson.

Ruth Galloway Book 6 | The Outcast Dead

All the bases are covered here. Life during the pandemic and the NHS phone app that told users when they had to stay home because they'd been in the same place as someone with Covid. Ruth's very real possibility of losing her beloved archaeology department and her job. Nelson's boss constantly harping at him to retire. Cathbad's slow recovery from Covid and his mystifying disappearance. New faces, like a detective constable named Lucy. Ruth's daughter Kate growing up so fast. And-- of course-- a first-rate mystery to solve. As they investigate, Nelson and his team uncover a tangled web of relationships within the archaeology group and look for a link between them and the café where Emily’s bones were found. Then, just when the team seem to be making progress, Cathbad disappears. The trail leads Ruth a to the Neolithic flint mines in Grimes Graves. The race is on, first to find Cathbad and then to exonerate him, but will Ruth and Nelson uncover the truth in time to save their friend? ( goodreads) My Review When attending the unveiling of a coffin holding the remains of a medieval bishop, Ruth Galloway is met with a chilling scene: the dead body of the museum's curator. Even worse, the museum's weatlthy owner is later discovered dead in his stables.

Ruth Galloway’s friend and another central, recurring character, Cathbad, the druid formerly known as Michael Malone, believes the marshland is a bridge between life and death — a highly spiritual place. Ruth and her daughter Kate, his goddaughter — whom Cathbad calls “Hecate” after a Greek Goddess associated with moonlight, magic and crossroads — dwell here in a remote cottage with their now ancient cat, Flint. Intriguing CharactersThe unfolding mystery draws in DCI Nelson, and the stakes rise sharply as it becomes evident that someone is willing to resort to murder to keep the secrets of the bones under wraps. Of course, no Ruth Galloway adventure would be complete without an appearance from Cathbad. We’re well served here, as he plays a sizeable and significant role in the investigation. Not only did he know Emily and was on her last field trip, but he disappears midway through the investigation.