A Room Full of Bones: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 4

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Nothing wrong with that but it falls down on characterisation which has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

There is unexplained death of course, and hints of more other-worldly happenings alluded to in an earlier book. In a bid to save his marriage Nelson has agreed to stop seeing Kate and only to encounter Ruth when work makes this inevitable.

Elly Griffiths’s Ruth Galloway—a forensic archeologist who is prickly, tough, awkward, and vulnerable—makes for the perfect amateur sleuth, and jaded copper Harry Nelson is the perfect foil. And much like when you start to watch any soap opera, there are some long ago plot strands in the background which remain somewhat opaque, but you can swiftly get a handle on who these people are and what they’re up to. As an Australian, I found some of this plot great but was a little perplexed about the ignorance of the modern day English characters. The dialogues and thoughts of the characters are repetitive, the characters are boring and selfish, the relationships between them shallow and the situations most of the time ridiculous! Ruth makes the decision that she will pursue a relationship with Max and vows to cease thinking about Nelson.

Ruth's parents, the born again Christians, have provided Ruth something to rebel against and she has become a materialist. But the true strength of Elly Griffith's writing is her focus on characterisation and the relationships that interweave between groups of people. Ruth is almost peripheral to much of the action in this installment - as is Nelson, for that matter.

Aboriginal bones, animal cruelty, animal rights activists leaving deadly presents (an asp in an envelope?