The Last Remains: The unmissable new book in the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries

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At this point, Ruth and Nelson have been 14-years in this painful dance. And in this, the final instalment, it’s time to put up or shut up. Then, just when the team seem to be making progress, Cathbad disappears. Was it guilt that led him to flee? Thus Ruth worries about supporting her 12-year-old daughter Kate, who was conceived during Ruth's affair with Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, a married man.

The 15th--and supposedly final book--in Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series is basically perfect in every way. I say it in every review of these books, but I find these characters completely beloved, with their own unique expressions and personalities. (I can just picture DCI Nelson exclaiming, "Jesus wept!") We've grown along with Ruth, Nelson, their daughter Kate, Nelson's team, Ruth's druid friend Cathbad, and so many more near and dear characters.

Ruth and Nelson have had an on-again, off-again romance for 14 years, and now that Nelson's wife Michelle is getting a divorce, there might be a chance Ruth, Harry, and Kate - as well as Ruth's cat Flint and Nelson's dog Bruno - can form a real family. The above quote is so appropriate for a mystery series where the lead character is an archaeologist. Elly Griffiths’ books featuring Ruth Galloway are always engaging and provide a different look at the forensics of murder, specifically cold cases. Her latest, THE LAST REMAINS, is no exception. Anyway. I enjoyed the setting, characters, humor and writing in this, but the main theme mentioned in the spoiler always got under my skin, and I don’t understand the readers who wanted this series to wind up as it did, with the dissolution of a family. Every marriage and family has their issues, but without the manipulation by this author for readership and royalties, Nelson stays with Michelle and she with him. I got so tired of Ruth being resentful of his wife and Nelson’s time with his family throughout this book and series. In my view, the affair that started between them in the very first book was manipulated by this author from the start. It never seemed realistic to me. And you can’t expect to have equal time when you start an affair with a married man who seems to have no real intention throughout many many books of never leaving his wife and kids. You are not equal bc you chose to have an affair with this married person. Your relationship was never on equal footing with his wife and family, nor should it have been. I feel so badly for Kate, who didn’t ask to come into this situation. Ruth is supposed to be so smart, but her emotional IQ IMO is very low and a strong, smart woman does NOT tolerate or stay in a relationship with a man who, for many many years, shows he has no intention of leaving his family. What a bad depiction of a strong, intelligent woman. When builders renovating a café in King's Lynn unearth a human skeleton, they call for DCI Harry Nelson and Dr Ruth Galloway, Head of Archaeology at the University of North Norfolk. Ruth is preoccupied with the threatened closure of her department and by her ever-complicated relationship with Nelson. And the starting point is important for the end. Not vital. You would enjoy the story, but miss the subtleties. At the heart of this book is a fine crime drama, with mystery, suspense, twists, blind alleys, and red herrings. But it all becomes heart-aching as the characters involved are people you know, trust and maybe love a little. Not just Ruth and Nelson. Not even just Cathbad. If I was starting on this book I would be bewildered by the huge cast of characters, some of whom are important to Ruth and Nelson, some to the plot. Many to both.

The novel's finale is satisfying, and leaves room for more books if the author decides to continue the series at some point. I have read that this may well be the last book in this series. While loose ends were tied up at the conclusion of the book, I hope that there will be more! Ruth is a strong, intelligent, capable female main character. I’m sorry it took so long for me to meet her!

What a bittersweet experience to read The Last Remains, the final Ruth Galloway book. This series has been a favorite of mine. From the beginning, Ruth has been such a fully realized character I could see her clearly.