Bloggin' 'bout Books: Fourth Ruth Galloway Mystery Offers Another Entertaining Foray Into Forensic Archaeology

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Fourth Ruth Galloway Mystery Offers Another Entertaining Foray Into Forensic Archaeology

12:16 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for A Room Full of Bones, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Ruth Galloway mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.

When Dr. Ruth Galloway—head of the Forensic Archaeology Department at the University of North Norfolk—is invited to supervise the opening of a medieval coffin, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. A fresh one, anyway. But that's exactly what she discovers when she arrives at the Smith Museum for the unveiling. The corpse of the curator, Neil Topham, is on the floor with no visible cause of death. What caused his untimely demise?

Another mysterious death related to the museum makes it obvious that something strange is going on. DCI Harry Nelson takes the case, calling on Ruth to help with the investigation. Their digging leads them down strange paths that only create more questions. As single Ruth and the very-married Harry race to solve the case, they also must deal with their awkward personal connection—their toddler.

I always enjoy my forays with the understated, but always entertaining Ruth Galloway. A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths, the fourth book in the series, is no exception. It features an intriguing mystery, a cast of interesting characters, and a plot that kept me turning pages. The mystery didn't go where I thought it was going to, which is always a nice surprise. Overall, then, this is another entertaining installment in a mystery series I enjoy.

(Readalikes: Other books in the Ruth Galloway series, including The Crossing Places; The Janus Stone; The House at Sea's End; A Dying Fall; The Outcast Dead; The Ghost Fields; The Woman in Blue; The Chalk Pit; The Dark Angel; The Stone Circle; The Lantern Men; and The Night Hawk)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love: Another library ~~fine~~ find

7 comments:

Katherine P16 July, 2020 14:48
I need to pick this series up again. I read the first book and liked it though but then never continued. I did just finish a book in her other series about a magician and really enjoyed it which is tempting me to go back to this series. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Cath16 July, 2020 15:35
One of my all-time favourite series. I love Ruth for being so normal. I think I'm up to book 10 or something and they've all been excellent.
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Kay17 July, 2020 06:18
I've read all the books in this series and just love them. The characters have developed over time and they bring me back over and over. It's really good on audio as well.
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Lark 17 July, 2020 08:50
I liked this one a lot, too! :D
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Unknown17 July, 2020 21:36
This sounds like an interesting read
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Helen's Book Blog19 July, 2020 11:35
Forensics is so interesting. I had a few years where I was reading lots of Patricia Cornwell then OD'd on it. But, it's been a while and I may be ready again.
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Carla Loves to Read11 August, 2020 17:15
Nice review Susan. I really need to give this series a try. I do enjoy books with forensics in them, I loved Patricia Cornwell's earlier books.
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