Archaeologist Ruth Galloway is drawn into a police investigation of a missing child when bones are found in the Norfolk salt marsh, leading her to work alongside Detective Chief Inspector Nelson. As they delve into the case, older mysteries resurface, complicating their lives and testing their trust in each other. The atmospheric setting of the salt marshes, the intertwined pasts of the characters, and the evolving dynamics between Ruth and Nelson create a gripping and suspenseful narrative that keeps readers engaged till the end.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of child abduction, violence against children and animals, and mild references to gore.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance in The Crossing Places, primarily developing between Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson as the narrative progresses.
From The Publisher:
The first entry in the acclaimed Ruth Galloway series follows the "captivating"* archaeologist as she investigates a child's bones found on a nearby beach, thought to be the remains of a little girl who went missing ten years before.
Forensic archeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is in her late thirties. She lives happily alone with her two cats in a bleak, remote area near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants-not quite earth, not quite sea. But her routine days of digging up bones and other ancient objects are harshly upended when a child's bones are found on a desolate beach. Detective Chief Inspector Nelson calls Galloway for help, believing they are the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing a decade ago and whose abductor continues to taunt him with bizarre letters containing references to ritual sacrifice, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Then a second girl goes missing and Nelson receives a new letter-exactly like the ones about Lucy.
Is it the same killer? Or a copycat murderer, linked in some way to the site near Ruth's remote home?
*Louise Penny
Ratings (39)
Incredible (10) | |
Loved It (19) | |
Liked It (5) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (3) |
Reader Stats (70):
Read It (39) | |
Want To Read (21) | |
Not Interested (10) |
3 comment(s)
I enjoyed this archeological crime novel with Ruth as a lead. An interesting case that I was really curious about and a somewhat likeable main lead. But I dissliked the talk about Ruth weight so much, it really took away from my enjoyment for the story and I was disappointed in that.
I guessed the bad guy about 1/2 way through but the book was so enjoyable that I didn’t mind. It was also well-written enough that I second guessed myself a couple of times before the big reveal. I’m excited to binge this series and her other one. No one does a perfectly moody murder story like the Brits.
This book is strangely compelling. I hated the writing style to start with and the constant references to her weight but this book drew me in and kept me hooked. The mystery was thoroughly engaging and kept me guessing - I thought I knew who it was but then I kept changing my mind. The reveal at the end had me dumbfounded. I'm not really impressed by it. The character drama throughout was a bit much - I didn't see the purpose of Peter
her ex boyfriend
at all - but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Solid 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
What can you read after
The Crossing Places?
About the Author:
ELLY GRIFFITHS is the author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and The Postscript Murders. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Brighton, England.
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