A review by sandysmith
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A solid series opener in the Dr Ruth Galloway series. I'm going to read more, I'm sure. She is a forensic archaeologist and is called in by DI Harry Nelson when bones are found amongst the salt marshes of Norfolk. The TV Series bones is probably based on these books to give a rough idea of the context. The bones that are found are from the iron age, which is sad for Harry as he wants closure on a case of a missing child Lucy from 10 years before. Another child goes missing. Letters are received by Harry through his investigation. Ruth becomes involved in the analysis of the letters, and another body is found. What I really disliked about the book was the fat phobia, and she isn't really fat. It was annoying at best, plus the killing of the cat was unnecessary. What I loved about the book were the descriptions of the salt marshes with them becoming a character in the book in it's own right. Overall, it was a really good crime based book, well written, good plot line, engaging with great characters (including the marshes), atmospheric, and a great read. I'm looking forward to the next adventures of Ruth and Harry
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