The Crossing Places: The first book in the megaselling Ruth Galloway series (The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 1)

When archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway is called in to look at some buried bones, little does she realise what a profound effect this will have on her life.I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Crossing Places. I’m not sure whether having read later novels in the series enhanced my reading but it was certainly very interesting to read some of the back story that is alluded to later.The story reminded me a little of a piece of music. It built and built, refrain upon refrain until the final crescendo which is dramatic and heart stopping as Ruth finds herself in considerable peril. Elly Griffiths certainly knows how to construct a plot that entertains and thrills her readers without being sensationalist and unrealistic.The quality of the prose is so good. It has depth and substance but in a measured and sophisticated way, making it all the more attractive. Elly Griffiths paints such a vivid picture of Norfolk for her setting so that those who know the county accept it as totally authentic and those who don’t can picture it perfectly. Indeed, the Saltmarsh becomes as much a presence in the narrative as any of the characters. The archaeological detail is brilliantly researched and made me want to sign up to another dig myself. I was educated as well as entertained by this read.I loved the characters. I appreciated that Dr Ruth Galloway isn’t the stereotypical wonder woman heroine of so many stories, but is somewhat socially inept, overweight and lives alone with her cats. I found it very easy to identify with her. Harry Nelson, too, is completely believable even though he is less well defined in this first book. Reading The Crossing Places has made me want to return to the whole series in order to see how the characters develop chronologically.I envy those coming of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. They are in for a total treat and The Crossing Places exemplifies the best of those novels.I’d like to add too that all 12 members of the U3A reading group to which I belong universally loved The Crossing Places too.

I've read this book many times and many of the characters have become like old friends. They are believably complex, endearingly human and imperfect as they grapple with mysteries, crimes old and new, with intrigue and danger lurking in the shadows.The stories are compelling and fascinating and there is a heady mix of characters, humour and more than a touch of magic. People are not always as they seem but it's often hard to know what's real and who the villains and the good guys really are.I love Elly Griffith's wry humour as well as her creativity, as she deftly weaves stories and fantasies so that they're always easy to believe and seem entirely possible.Or so it seems to me.I this first book we are introduced to many of the people who will come to be well known as the series progresses. Some will appear, disappear and reappear again. Some are very much part of the narrative throughout. Relationships evolve, changing and enriching the tales. We see them at their best, their worst and everything in between. There will be murders past and present and history always plays a part. Archaeology isn't all that's unearthed.Lost children are at the centre of this first story and it's one of the themes that occurs in later stories, in ways that pull the heart strings. The search for the children and for answers, are central as is the search for love, in many forms, happiness, joy, peace and fulfilment. In archaeology, history and life, it's often the questions that are the most important. Knowing we'll only ever get some, not all of the answers, is just a fact of life. Be pretty boring otherwise.

Atmospheric and character-driven, I’d no sooner finished this first book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series than I was reaching for the second – 5 Stars‘The Crossing Places’ is a stunning mixture of wild landscape, expressive prose, and a mesmerising protagonist. This first book (in a series that currently runs to twelve) introduces Dr Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist who gets drawn-in to the hunt for two children who went missing ten years apart…Rarely have I encountered a protagonist as absorbing as Ruth Galloway, she is one of those characters who quickly becomes stamped on your memory. Intelligent, introverted, and often irreverent, Elly Griffiths reveals her by the same methods that Ruth would employ at an archaeological dig: Painstakingly, the layers of her character are chipped-away until we come to know this woman as well as we might wish to know a lover.‘The Crossing Places’ is a sumptuously atmospheric read set against the hauntingly beautiful but desolate and often dangerous landscape of the saltmarshes. Mixing myth and legend with contemporary mystery, the plot twists and turns with as much unpredictability as the tides. With well-drawn secondary characters and engaging story-line, this is a book I have no hesitation in recommending.Overall: Utterly absorbing. Dr Ruth Galloway is as mesmerising as the landscape upon which she lives.

Ellie Griffith wrote 10 books in this series and they are all excellent. I have read them all and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys a well-written, page turner.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this book was. Lately I've been buying into too many new (to me) mystery series, not knowing much about them except the reviews and ratings in the description. Then I'll read the first book and too often find that it really is just mediocre, and I don't have the desire to continue reading the series, even though I may have picked up a few of the other books on Amazon sale.But Elly Griffiths is a very good writer, and Ruth Galloway is a very interesting main character. This book kept my attention the entire way through. The last half was a real page-turner, and the ending was pretty darn suspenseful. And ... the bad guy wasn't obvious. Will definitely read the rest of the series.

Excellent plot and character development. Very believable. The description of the landscape is wonderful. An enjoyable series from a great writer.

Schon der erste Fall von Dr. Ruth Galloway zieht einen in seinen Bann, sehr gespenstisch und mystisch

Consigliato da mia cugina come libro da leggere in lingua originale non troppo impegnativo. E' stata sicuramente un'esperienza molto positiva; il libro scorre velocemente, la trama è intrigante ed il linguaggio utilizzato è comprensibilissimo. Adesso che ho terminato il primo libro acquisterò sicuramente il successivo!

Me gustó el planteamiento de un arqueóloga ayudando a la policia y la forma en la que se va implicando en el caso. La descripción del paisaje es muy viva y pone un buen marco a la historia.