The Chalk Pit: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 9

Reviews

jill adams

When Dr Ruth Galloway discovers they were recently buried, DCI Nelson has a murder enquiry on his hands. It looks absolutely gorgeous in my #OnTheShelfie and I can’t wait for number 10

Deb

A born-again Christian who runs a local mother’s group appears to have links with all the victims and this sets the team off on one investigation. It was a satisfying blend of intriguing mystery and well-developed characters that you actually care about and root for. If you haven’t read them yet, you should begin straight away with the amazing The Crossing Places and I guarantee that you’ll be drawn in to Ruth’s world and race through them. Boiled human bones have been found in Norwich’s web of underground tunnels.

As the weather gets hotter, tensions rise. The school-gate politics, her creepy boss Phil and her complicated relationship with Nelson are all lightly handled – but done in such a way as to make the story feel truly ‘real’ and make us feel for her as she navigates some of these choppy waters. I’m going to go back to this series, I look forward to doing so.

I obtained this book within a bundle of preloved books bought from someone online. This might be a figure of speech, but with the discovery of the bones and the rumours both Ruth and the police have heard that the network of old chalk-mining tunnels under Norwich is home to a vast community of rough sleepers, the clues point in only one direction. I like so many of the characters. This book drew me in and kept me there.

Nine books in and I’m well and truly hooked. When I was a wee girl, ‘Judy Johnstone’ was going to be my ‘nom-de-plume’ when I became a famous writer so I was delighted to read the latest instalment in the adventures of my literary dopplelganger in The Chalk Pit, Elly Griffiths’ latest Ruth Galloway novel. Some people label Elly Griffiths’ novels as as cosy crime, but I think that they’re the right mixture of familiarity and the unexpected.

This is definitely a mystery to get your teeth into. Meanwhile, DS Judy Johnson is investigating the disappearance of a local rough sleeper. It all came together well at the end.