This serves as a reminder to me to exercise patience, because good things come to those who wait. That, coupled with animal violence, made me consider quitting the book at one point, but I was invested in the mystery enough to want to see it through.Īs it turns out, I was glad I stuck with it. Ruth’s family sounds exhausting, and I can understand her negative attitude, but the repeated harping on religion grew old, and even offensive on one occasion. While one would think I’d instantly take to Ruth, I had a very hard time warming up to her at first. I loved the atmosphere of the book, which is creepy, a bit gray, but not too heavy. The pacing is a bit slow and understated as the reader is slowly given glimpses into the character’s personas while the case marches on in a methodical manner. But, then a second child disappears, and Ruth finds herself, not only embroiled in a murder case, but a potential victim as well. Hoping the bones belonged to the missing child in case he was never able to solve, Nelson is disappointed to learn the bones are from the iron age.

However, her quiet, orderly, slightly dull life is rudely upended when she is approached by Detective Chief Inspector Nelson to examine a child’s bones found on a beach. She is unmarried and lives with her two cats. Ruth is a forensic archaeologist in her late thirties. While this first book has some issues, I understand now why the series is so popular. I went in blind, however, not really knowing what the premise was, and I'm glad I did. So many of my GR friends read the Ruth Galloway series, making me wildly curious about it for a long time. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths is a 2010 publication.