The Last Remains (The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries)

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This time, a fully articulated skeleton is found during the renovation of an antique store. The skeleton is recent, given the metal plate in the ankle. It’s soon discovered that she was an archeology student who went missing in 2002. A woman that had ties to Cathbad. At this point, Ruth and Nelson have been 14-years in this painful dance. And in this, the final instalment, it’s time to put up or shut up. This is one of those books I wanted to rush through to see how it ended while dreading it being over. I will admit to seeing Nelson in a new and not entirely favorable light this time. But the ending was totally satisfying. Griffiths makes sure to tie up loose ends and even brings in characters from past books. This definitely should not be read by anyone who hasn’t read the prior books.

She feels that she has been fighting things - Covid, the university, her own feelings - for too long." 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.What's it About? In the anticipated finale to the Ruth Galloway series, Dr. Galloway and DCI Nelson return with their team to solve a 20-year-old cold case to absolve their friend from suspicion.

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. Forensic archeologist and academic Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth—an inspired creation. I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on.” — Louise Penny, author of the best-selling Armand Gamache series Hinting at being the last in this series, this book attempts to bring the series full circle with a reference to Janus and a re-emergence of a character from the first book, a nice idea but this added to the unending litany of eye rolling coincidences.

Elly Griffiths to launch last Dr Ruth Galloway mystery in Norwich

I was glad Judy and Cathbad actually got married at the end of the book. They have two children. Maybe I’m old-fashioned but marriage seems like a natural event for a couple who actually share interests and have a good relationship. That one also started by one of the parties cheating on a spouse, but we forget that aspect sooner bc Judy actually shows integrity and ends her marriage, whereas Nelson never does bc the relationship and commonalities between he and his wife Michelle are both longer and stronger than Judy’s. We used to spend quite a lot of time with my aunt, having holidays in Norfolk on her boat,” she says. 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.

As they investigate, Nelson and his team uncover a tangled web of relationships within the student group and the adults leading them. What was the link between the group and the King’s Lynn café where Emily’s bones were found? If The Last Remains is the finale, it will give the author more time to write additional novels such as the post-WWII based series, The Brighton Mysteries, the YA Justice Jones mystery novels, and one can hope for another work featuring DI Harbinder Kaur from Bleeding Heart Yard . The case serves as a distraction for Ruth from her responsibilities with the university; but then it’s announced that due to lower enrollments and budget cuts, the Archeology Department may be eliminated at the University of North Norfolk. She has tenure and could remain in some to-be-determined capacity or easily be hired by another university — whether in England or abroad — but her colleagues’ positions would be eliminated. A massive campaign to publicize the importance of their work is soon underway. Archaeology is the study of ordinary people,’ says Ruth. ‘Everyday people,’ she corrects herself. ‘It’s not about kings and queens. It’s about real people living their lives. Farming, baking, mining. When we examine artefacts – see a fingerprint preserved on a Bronze Age tool or a dog’s pawprint on a Roman tile – we are linked to their lives. Norfolk has the oldest human footprints outside Africa. They were found in Happisburgh. Eight hundred thousand years old. Almost a million years old. It’s archaeologists who have helped us to understand them.’ Change is afoot and the book is so brilliantly written that the reader does not guess the outcome until the very end.The Last Remains By Elly Griffiths is published by Quercus Books and will be launched at St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, on Thursday February 2, at 6.30pm, in conjunction with Jarrold. Marge was a very good storyteller and quite often told rather ghostly stories about Norfolk – the gorier the better, Marge loved a gory story. So Norfolk was already in my mind, with the holidays and happiness, but also that mysterious side.

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. While the location the character lives in is quite vague, she has always imagined her cottage to be near Titchwell or Holme. And the university is just outside King’s Lynn.I do believe, the author does justice, furthering the stories not only of Ruth and Nelson, but also Kate, Cathbad, Judy, Cloughie, Tanya…and even a surprise character from an earlier story (Kleenex, may be needed). 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! Elly Griffiths was awarded the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger in the Library for her collected works in 2016. The Stranger Diaries, her first stand-alone novel, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2020. The following year, The Postscript Murders, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger.