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

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Ruth is asked to attend the opening of a recently discovered Bishop's coffin. When she gets to the museum holding the event, however, she finds the curator dead by the coffin. Although on the face of it his death is by natural causes, Nelson and Ruth have their suspicions. Forensic archeologist and academic Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth-an inspired creation. I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on. " -- Louise Penny, author of the bestselling Armand Gamache series Some other books include: The House At Sea’s End, A Room Full Of Bones and Ruth’s First Christmas Tree. These are only a few books among many within the Ruth Galloway Series. Griffiths' excellent series is well-informed and original, and its setting in one of the bleaker corners of East Anglia is vividly evoked' Literary Review. * Literary Review *

So far, I have really enjoyed all the books in this series. This one just cements my affection for them. I think their attraction lies in three main themes. First off, I really like Ruth Galloway as a main character. I like her professionalism and her determination to just get on with things. I'm not cut out to be a single mother (or a married mother, for that matter), but I can appreciate her efforts to raise Kate on her own, especially with all the judgement that seems to get loaded onto mothers. They seem to get blamed for everything that goes wrong with children and fathers get off scot free. DS Judy Johnsto As always, the Norfolk setting is seamlessly integrated into the plot and used by author Elly Griffiths to add to the tension as the narrative nears conclusion. Like its predecessors, this is a wonderfully rich mixture of ancient and contemporary, superstition and rationality, with a cast of druids, dreamers and assorted tree-huggers as well as some thoroughly modern villains: a welcome addition to a great series' Guardian. * Guardian *A Room Full of Bones is another engrossing instalment in Elly Griffiths' series featuring archaeologist Ruth Galloway. The book opens tantalisingly with the planned opening of a recently unearthed medieval coffin in a Norfolk museum, although before the festivities can get underway an unexpected modern death occurs! As always, Griffiths manages to blend history, religion and mysticism into the storyline. Here, we get origination stories and the importance of snakes in the various cultures. I always feel like I learn a little something. In this thrilling mystery, “brilliant, feisty, independent” forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson investigate a seemingly cursed collection of Aboriginal skulls that are causing people to die from a mysterious fever—and the next person to fall ill is Nelson himself ( Richmond Times-Dispatch). Soon Ruth finds a new neighbor from the Aboriginal part of Australia. Bob belongs to a group called the Elginists who zealously oppose the transference of their ancestors bones which were taken without their knowledge from their homeland. I love encountering new words and this book presented me with "murmuration," which is defined as "the phenomenon that results when hundreds, sometimes thousands, of starlings fly in swooping, intricately coordinated patterns through the sky." Beautiful!

Meanwhile, there's a heated stoush brewing over the retention by the Smith family of several Australian Aboriginal skulls, other remains and artifacts, that are currently poorly cared for in the museum's basement. Ruth finds herself embroiled both professionally and personally in the fight to have the remains surrendered for repatriation to Australia. In her capacity as a forensic archaeologist, with a particular specialty in bones, she's asked to assess the boxed remains in situ at the museum - the titular “room full of bones”. Meanwhile, charismatic Australian indigenous poet and academic Bob Woonunga has become her new neighbour on the Saltmarsh. Woonunga is associated with Ruth's friend Cathbad and several others in an organisation called the Elginists, who are concerned with the location and return of indigenous artefacts held within the vaults of British museums.A ROOM FULL OF BONES is a pleasing read, perhaps tending more to the "cosy" style of crime fiction than earlier instalments in the series, but is certainly exciting and with a more satisfying crime and detection element this time round as the plot is more clever and more robust. I could have done with reading more about Ruth's professional life and slightly less about her motherhood bliss and details of her domestic arrangements, but I am sure that as Kate gets older and more independent, Ruth will have more time for trouble. I look forward to finding out. When threatening letters come to light, events take an even more sinister turn. But as Ruth's friends become involved, where will her loyalties lie? As her convictions are tested, she and Nelson must discover how Aboriginal skulls, drug smuggling and the Aboriginal ritual of The Dreaming may hold the answer to these deaths - and be the key to their own survival. As Ruth becomes further embroiled in the case, she must decide where her loyalties lie - a choice that her very survival depends on.