Review: The Lantern Men (Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries #12) by Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths is one of  my favourite crime writers and I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Lantern Men - the latest in the author's popular Ruth Galloway series. You don't need to read these books in order but it is helpful if you do, because the same characters reappear.

In this story Ruth has moved away from her cottage on the Saltmarsh and is no longer Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist. Instead, she is living in Cambridge with her new partner. Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson has learnt that charismatic murderer Ivor March has finally been found guilty of murdering two women. Before Harry can close the case, he needs Ivor to admit to two other murders and tell him where the bodies are buried, but Ivor says he will only confess if Ruth agrees to take charge of the dig...

Elly Griffiths writes exactly the kind of murder mysteries I love to read: fully rounded characters I really care about, combined with a fiendishly tricky mystery to solve. I thought I'd sussed out the murder's identity this time but no, I was wrong again! My favourite characters are Harry (he's such a dinosaur) and Cathbad the druid. I think I enjoy this series because the stories have a touch of warmth to them, missing in many crime novels. I also love the subtle humour! In this book, as a spooky bonus, the sinister legend of the Lantern Men has been woven into the story. The quirky forensic details are great too. I don't think I will ever look at nettles in the same way again!

The Lantern Men would suit fans of classic/traditional-style murder mysteries and authors who mix archaeology and crime, such as Kate Ellis. Although Elly has done a great job in explaining who-is-who and what-is-what in a very subtle way for new readers, to receive the most enjoyment I'd recommend at least starting with the first book in the series (The Crossing Places) before diving into this one.

Thank you to Elly Griffiths and Quercus for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related Posts: 

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

Ruth's First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths

Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths 

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
Now You See Them by Elly Griffiths

Review: The Death Season (Wesley Peterson #19) by Kate Ellis

This is one of my favourites from Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson series. It combines the mystery of a big old house, a skeleton in an ice house, a village collapsing into the sea - and starts with the discovery of a corpse in a hotel room, whose name doesn't match his identity!

In this story it was the historical element which grabbed me - the hundred-year-old diary of a maid who worked at the local 'big house'. I was also fascinated by story of the village collapsing into the sea - and a note at the back of the book explains that this is based on an actual event.

Particularly nail-biting was a member of Wesley's family being caught up in the present day investigation and one of the main characters becoming trapped in what remained of that lost village. How do all these seemingly unconnected events tie up? In a brilliantly clever way! One of Kate Ellis's best, and thoroughly recommended! 

Review: The Shroud Maker (Wesley Peterson #18) by Kate Ellis

I've been reading the more recent of Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson books back-to-back before starting on her latest one (The Mechanical Devil). The drawback to doing this is that some authors write to a pattern and it soon becomes easy to work out their plots. Not the books by this author! It never fails to amaze me how Kate Ellis can take several, apparently unconnected, murders (in this case over several time periods) and link them all up at the end. Genius!

This one starts with the body of a young woman being found floating out to sea in a dinghy. What is the connection between her death and Jenny Bercival's disappearance almost exactly one year ago? And is there any link to the Palkin Festival, celebrating the life of a local 14th century pirate?

I always enjoy stories with pirates and smugglers, although with Kate Ellis's books the characters are never quite what they seem! I also liked the appearance of DCI Heffernan's daughter, who soon got herself into trouble. I completely failed to guess the identity of the villain but enjoyed tying my brain into knots trying to do so. The only negative for me was that I couldn't quite get my head around the 'Shipworld' website, and wasn't sure if it was supposed to be an interactive game or a blog or both.

Thoroughly recommended, particularly if you enjoy traditional detective stories.

Review: The Shadow Collector (Wesley Peterson #17) by Kate Ellis

I absolutely love Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson series of murder mysteries. I adore the mix of a murder in the present echoing one in the past, along with the extremely twisty plots that make it almost impossible to work out whodunit.

This one is about Lilith and her mother, suspected of being witches and sent to prison eighteen years ago for the brutal murder of two teenage girls. Now Lilith has been released - and is suspected of another murder after a the body of a young woman is found near to her home. While Detective Inspector Wesley Peterson investigates, his archaeologist friend Neil discovers a gruesome wax doll at the house of a woman hanged for witchcraft in the 1600s.

I really enjoyed The Shadow Collector and it has become one of my favourites by this author. As well as the impossible-to-solve plot, I liked the theme of 'witch hunts' running through the story, and how unlikeable people can so often end up a scapegoat. The mystery was extremely clever too.

Although this is #17 in the series, you don't need to have read the others to enjoy the book.  It's easy enough to work out the relationships between the series regulars, and the main part of the plot is about the murder rather than an ongoing story arc. It should appeal to fans of traditional murder mysteries, anyone who likes a bit of history with their crime fiction, and fans of authors such as Elly Griffiths.

Related Posts:

The Mechanical Devil (Wesley Peterson #22) by Kate Ellis

The Mermaid's Scream (Wesley Peterson #21) by Kate Ellis

The House of Eyes (Wesley Peterson #20) by Kate Ellis

The Death Season (Wesley Peterson #19) by Kate Ellis

The Shroud Maker (Wesley Peterson #18) by Kate Ellis

The Shadow Collector (Wesley Peterson #17) by Kate Ellis

The Cadaver Game (Wesley Peterson #16) by Kate Ellis

A High Mortality of Doves by Kate Ellis

Review: The Cadaver Game (Wesley Peterson #16) by Kate Ellis

I love Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson series and when I saw she had a new one out (The Mechanical Devil) I was surprised to realise I had bought this one but not read it. However, when I started reading I realised why - the murder victims are teenagers and I usually try to avoid reading books about dead or missing children. But it turned out the teenagers in question are over eighteen so I needn't have worried. 

Barney and Sophie are fans of an online game called Blood Hunt, so much so that they decide to take part in a real life version, involving being chased naked through the local woods. I suppose these things always seem like a good idea at the time! A few days later their bodies are found at the foot of a cliff. Is there any connection between their deaths and that of a woman found dead in her suburban home - and the skeleton discovered while digging up a sixteen year old art installation?

In these books there is always a historical mystery running parallel with the story, and in this case it is about the local lord of the manor who enjoyed the same kind of hunt that these computer games are based on.

The thing I love most about Kate Ellis's books is the way  she ties up all these seemingly unrelated murders in each story - fiendishly clever! I never guess who the villain is. I had a slight inkling towards the end of this one, but only because we were fast running out of suspects! 

Thoroughly recommended, especially for readers who love traditional murder mysteries, especially the kind with a puzzle at their heart.

Related posts:

The Mermaid's Scream (Wesley Peterson #21) by Kate Ellis

The Mechanical Devil (Wesley Peterson #22) by Kate Ellis

Review: The Dark Angel (Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries #10) by Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths is one of my favourite authors and I absolutely love her Ruth Galloway mysteries. These feature Ruth (a forensic archaeologist) and Nelson (a Detective Chief Inspector) investigating a series of murders, usually with some historical connection. There are also other reoccurring characters, such as the druid Cathbad (I adore Cathbad!), along with Ruth's friends and Nelson's police colleagues. 

I loved this book! (You knew I was going to say that, didn't you?) Ruth heads off on a working holiday to Italy at the invitation of old friend (and ex-lover) Dr Angelo Morelli, taking her friend Shona and both their children along too.  Angelo, has found an old skeleton he wants her opinion on, but fails to mention that someone has got it in for him - which becomes a bit of an issue when Ruth finds unpleasant surprises on the doorstep of the apartment she's borrowed from him. Along with the Romans and Volsci, topics covered are WW2, the Italian Resistance, immigrants and refugees, and Nelson and Cathbad also make an appearance.

The engaging characters are the reason I enjoy these books so much. I also like the history, the humour, and the fact that they are not too 'gritty'. However, while I'm happy to rate this book as a five-star 'must read', new readers would probably get more out of the series if they start with the first book, The Crossing Places. Much of The Dark Angel is about the characters' ongoing relationships, which I loved, but I can see it would completely go over your head if you were not already familiar with who is who.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book, which will be published on 8th February 2018.

Thank you to Elly Griffiths, Quercus and NetGalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Related Posts:

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

Ruth's First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths

Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

Review: Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

This is the fifth book in Elly Griffiths's 'Ruth Galloway' series about a forensic archaeologist. It can be read as a stand-alone but you do get more out of the series if you read them in order (which I didn't!); you learn more about the characters and their lives.

One of Ruth's old university friends, Dan Golding, has just died in a house fire. In a horrible coincidence she receives a letter from him detailing his latest, controversial find - the grave of a mythological king. Could this find have been controversial enough to get him murdered? He certainly admits to feeling afraid.

By coincidence Ruth has also been approached by Dan's old university, who want her to confirm the bones are as significant as Dan thought they were. But when Ruth arrives in Lancashire she realises there's something not quite right about the bones - they're not all from the same body for a start.

Dying Fall is now one of my favourite Elly Griffiths books. I loved the story behind Dan's find (no spoilers!) and the revelation that would cause history to be re-written. The Pendle witches are also mentioned and there's a hint of the supernatural when Ruth's friend Cathbad spends the night in what might be a haunted cottage.

I completely fell for the red herrings and failed to guess the identity of the murderer, and there's a nail-biting finish at a funfair, where one of the characters really does suffer a dying fall ...

Great stuff!

Related Reviews:

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

Ruth's First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths

Note: I have read the book preceding this, A Room Full of Bones. I enjoyed it and would recommend it but, as I read it some time ago, I would have had to read it again to write a review.

Review: The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

This is the third book in Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway series and my favourite so far. Six skeletons have been found on a local beach, their remains only exposed after a cliff fall. They appear to have been there for some time, possibly since WW2, and their hands have been tied behind their backs.

Meanwhile, two elderly men are found dead in apparently unrelated, non-suspicious circumstances. But there is one curious fact they have in common, something which could link them to the bodies found in the cliff - or is it just a coincidence? Except DCI Nelson doesn't believe in coincidences...

Normally I hate books written in the present tense but Elly Griffiths does it so well I don't even notice. I usually hate anything to do with WW2 too, but I found the historical backstory fascinating. I also love the humour and the way the main characters are starting to feel like family. 

Part of the mystery centres around an old gothic house, balanced right on the edge of the cliff and likely to go over any day. I LOVE stories with old houses in them and there is an especially creepy chapter where Ruth and Nelson find themselves trapped while a snowstorm rages.

Despite there being no shortage of potential suspects, I still didn't work out who the murderer was. Brilliant stuff!

Related Posts:

Review: The Crossing Places

Review: The Janus Stone

Review: The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

The Janus Stone is #2 in a series about Dr Ruth Galloway (a forensic archaeologist) and DCI Harry Nelson.

The story starts with Ruth visiting her fellow archaeologists on a Roman dig and meeting the resident expert, Dr Max Grey. His team have found bones buried beneath a wall, and we're introduced to the Celtic/Roman tradition of a foundation sacrifice - burying a body beneath a wall or doorway as an offering to Janus or Terminus. Janus is the god of beginnings, gates and doorways; Terminus is the god who protects boundaries and boundary stones.

This thought is uppermost in Ruth's mind when the police call her in to examine the skeleton of a child found by builders demolishing an old house, but surely it's just a coincidence that the body has been buried directly under a doorstep? There was once a children's home on the site, and two of the children went missing forty years ago. Could the skeleton belong to one of them? But why is the skull missing?

The story is cleverly written to include lots of potential suspects for murder, all with very plausible motivations and all with something to hide - including Ruth. How is she going to tell the father of her child that she's pregnant?

I enjoyed the book because I loved the characters, flaws and all, as well as the gentle humour and quirky historical details. I really love the character of Cathbad the druid and his unlikely friendship with DCI Nelson - who doesn't want to like him but just can't seem to help himself. And I love that Ruth is quite capable of saving herself - there is a rather tense chase scene at the end. I also didn't guess the identity of the murderer, which is always a plus for me!

Related Posts:

Review: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

Review: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Crossing Places is the first in a series featuring forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson. I'd already read #4 in this series over the summer (I have a bad habit of reading books out of order) but made the effort to track down the others as I enjoyed it so much. The story, as you might expect, is a mix of present day murder mystery and a bit of history. It is set in a fictional area of Norfolk, beside the sea.

DCI Nelson is haunted by the unsolved disappearance of a young girl and the mocking letters he received from the perpetrator; now another girl has gone missing in much the same circumstances. Is it the work of the same person, or a copycat? When the body of a young girl is found in the salt marshes opposite her home, Ruth is called in to determine whether the bones are contemporary or historic. She becomes more involved with the case as she realises the letters the abductor sent to the police contain many references to archaeology. Is the perpetrator someone she knows?

Unfortunately, because I'd read #4 in the series already, it was fairly easy for me to work out the villain - so make sure you read these books in order! I loved the characters, particularly Harry, Ruth and Cathbad, and the atmospheric descriptions of the salt marshes meant the location was almost a character on its own. I've now bought the next six books in the series, and I'm planning on having a lovely time reading them back-to-back!

Recommended, particularly if you like murder mysteries with gentle humour and not too much violence, served up with a slice of history on the side.

Related Post:

Review: The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths