Thursday, August 6, 2020

The Lantern Men

Title: The Lantern Men
Author: Elly Griffiths
Published: February 6th 2020 by Quercus
Format: HeBook, ardcover, 368 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Ruth Galloway #12

This book boiled down to three parts for me. The first and last were thought-provoking, cemented relationships, atmosphere, and reasoning. The middle was nothing but redundant over twisting and retelling of characters and relationships, to the point I was beginning to wonder if the author, Elly Griffiths, needed to recap the story so she could keep it straight herself.

Ruth Galloway has made changes in her life. She has moved from the Saltmarsh to Cambridge with her daughter and partner. Thankfully, her new teaching position means she will have minimal contact with DCI Harry Nelson. Kate will still see her father, but Nelson and Ruth are keeping their distance. All that changes when Ivor March, recently convicted of two murders, is ready to admit that there are more. He will only speak to Ruth, and she must agree to the excavations. As Nelson is the lead investigator, Ruth will once again find herself in an uncomfortable situation. With March’s stories unfolding, and the tale of the Lantern Men, which was an interesting piece of folklore, Ruth, Nelson, and the old team are once again together to find the remains of the women that Ivor had once called friends.

With the Saltmarsh and the Norfolk coast, there is a creepy atmospheric feel to Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway series that I love. Yet, I do wish the next book in the series isn’t so overdrawn, and the author lets the reader connect the dots without complicating the obvious.

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