Pass the Honey: My Recent Reads -- The Ruth Galloway Series by Elly Griffiths

A few months ago, my friend Janice suggested a book series that she thought I might enjoy. The author is Elly Griffith, and Janice said that the main character is a forensic archeologist in England named Ruth Galloway who works with the local police to solve mysteries about discovered bones.

Elly Griffiths, author. You can find out more
about this author at her website HERE

I always pay attention when Janice says she likes an author because Janice is an avid reader, we have a lot of the same likes and she is usually spot-on in her book choices.

This time, she was oh, so right.

I started the first of seven in the series, The Crossing Places,

and as soon as I finished it, I downloaded the second and when that was over, I downloaded the third, and you can infer how it went from there. I read all seven books in a row and have pre-ordered book eight which is coming out in May 2016. I am addicted enough to pay the $9.99 for a Kindle copy which added up to $70. I usually pay no more than $2.99 for an e-book, but I just had to keep going with these characters. I wanted to know what happened to them next.

As I said, the main character, Ruth Galloway, is a single, overweight, almost-40-year-old forensic archeologist who teaches at a university in Norfolk, England. She lives with her two cats in a rather isolated area on a salt marsh on the coast.

In the first novel, Ruth meets a detective, Harry Nelson, who comes to her for answers concerning bones discovered at a construction site. As the two of them work on this case, they recognize and deal with their many differences. They establish a working relationship that is somewhat tense but each has great respect for the other’s abilities and knowledge.

Many other equally-captivating characters appear in these novels. First is Cathbad, the druid priest often dressed in a flowing purple cape, who becomes friend to both Ruth and Nelson. Cathbad seems to have knowledge of mystical events happening around Ruth and Nelson; therefore, he keeps them out of danger, most of the time.

Other characters in each novel include Phil, Ruth’s unlikable department chair; Shona, Ruth’s questionable best friend; Judy, a police officer working to advance her rank; and bumbling detective Clough.

Why do I like these books so much? One reason is Ruth. I found her extremely likable and vulnerable. She has a PhD in forensic archeology but is often filled with self doubt. Secondly, I like learning about new information or about parts of history I didn’t know about before. In these books, I learned about the Stone and Iron Ages, England during Roman rule and druids.

If you need something to read, Janice and I encourage you to try the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. Please let me know what you think about them.