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No one understands Dr. Ruth Galloway's choice to live out on the Saltmarsh, a remote area of coastland near Norfolk.  Sacred to its ancient inhabitants, the marsh is an in-between place—part earth, part sea. Known for its eerie atmosphere and extreme, unpredictable weather, the location suits Ruth just fine.  The 39-year-old delights in solitude, especially when it can be found in a place that stirs her imagination and stokes her soul.  The Saltmarsh is, in fact, the perfect spot for an archaeologist who prefers her cats to human company, ancient bones to live people.  

When remains are found near her home, Ruth is called on by Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson to help identify the bones.  Nelson believes them to be those of Lucy Downey, a young girl who disappeared ten years ago.  Although Nelson is off on the age of the skeleton—by about two thousand years—Ruth can't stop thinking about young Lucy.  When another child vanishes, her abductor sends police cryptic letters with puzzling references to archaeology and mythology.  Out of his depth, Nelson again seeks Ruth's help, this time to decipher the letters.  Obsessed with finding the person responsible for the little girl's disappearance, the detective and his unlikely new partner chase down every lead they see.  With the clock ticking, they will risk everything to solve the case.  Can they do it?  Or will another child suffer the same unknown fate as Lucy Downey?  

Libraries and bookstores are full of mystery novels, some good, some not so much.  When I need help deciding which is which, I rely on one source—Kay's Reading Life.  One of my favorite bloggers, Kay always has great recommendations.  Case in point: the Ruth Galloway series by English author Elly Griffiths.  The first installment, The Crossing Places, offers everything I love in a mystery—a rich, atmospheric setting; complex, intriguing characters; and an exciting plot that keeps me guessing.  I especially love our understated heroine, whose intelligence, generous heart and subtle humor make her very appealing.  All of these elements combined to create a compelling mystery that I had a difficult time putting down.  With its unique, but subtle blend of science, drama, mystery, and even romance, The Crossing Places makes an excellent first book in a series that I've been enjoying immensely.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Ruth Galloway series—The Janus Stone; The House at Sea's End; A Room Full of Bones; A Dying Fall; The Outcast Dead; and The Ghost Fields)

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As the Sin Eater's daughter and apprentice, Twylla is resigned to her fate.  Like her mother before her, she will spend her life growing fat off the sins of the dead.  It's an important duty in the kingdom of Lormere, but certainly not a glamorous one.  Twylla longs for something different than the lonely, hardscrabble life through which she sees her mother slog every day.  So, when the queen informs Twylla that she's been chosen by the gods to serve her country in an elite position, the 13-year-old jumps at the chance.  Not only will she get to live in the castle, betrothed to Prince Merek, but the queen will see that Twylla's family receives healthy compensation, money they sorely need.

Four years later, Twylla has a better understanding of what it really means to be Daunen Embodied.  Because her blessed blood is mixed with a magical potion every month, her skin is toxic.  Except for the king, queen, and prince, no one can touch her without dying.  Sequestered in the luxurious castle, feared by those around her, Twylla lives a privileged, but lonely life.  Even her fianceé avoids her.  Her special duties as court assassin only make her life more difficult.  Twylla knows she must do her duty for her queen, for her country, and for her family, but she wishes for something more than her isolated world.

Her wish is granted with the arrival of her new bodyguard.  A handsome 18-year-old from a neighboring land, Lief treats Twylla with a charming familiarity that no one else has ever employed with her.  Not only does his presence make her heart pound, but his gentle prodding makes her question everything she's ever known.  As she learns shocking truths about her queen, her belief structure, and herself, Twylla will have to decide what's real, what's not, and—for the first time in her life—what and who she really wants.

The Sin Eater's Daughter, a debut novel by Melinda Salisbury, introduces a vivid, complex world populated by an intriguing cast of characters.  With tight, evocative prose, Salisbury molds all these elements into a slow-building, but engrossing story.  The elements of well-known fairy tales that are woven into the narrative make it even deeper, although I would have liked to see more development of the ones I found most interesting (the Pied Piper, for example), which perhaps will come in the trilogy's subsequent installments.  That being said, there were several things that detracted from my enjoyment of this novel.  The biggest one?  The so-very-annoying love triangle.  Ugh.  I also wanted more from Twylla as a heroine.  While she's a sympathetic character, she's not a very dynamic one.  She spends most of her time reacting instead of acting, letting other people save her instead of saving herself.  Admittedly self-absorbed, she's just not a strong, admirable enough heroine for me.  Plotwise, the story follows a pretty generic things-are-not-as-they-seem pattern.  It kept me reading, yes, but not salivating over the upcoming sequels.  Salisbury is obviously a skilled writer, she just didn't win me over with her freshman effort.  Ah, well.  

(Readalikes:  Nothing is coming to mind.  Suggestions?)

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