Author: Elly Griffiths
Published: June 28th 2022 by Mariner Books
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Series: Ruth Galloway #14
First Sentence: Prologue. At first, she thinks that he’ll come back.
Blurb: Ruth is in London clearing out her mother's belongings when she makes a surprising discovery: a photograph of her Norfolk cottage taken before Ruth lived there. Her mother always hated the cottage, so why does she have a picture of the place? As she died three years ago, Ruth can't exactly ask her, and her father denies all knowledge of the picture. The only clue is written on the back of the photo: Dawn, 1969.
Ruth returns to Norfolk determined to solve the mystery, but then Covid-19 rears its ugly head. Ruth and her daughter are locked down in their cottage, attempting to continue with work and lessons, but, in reality, becoming lonely and frustrated. Happily the house next door is rented by a nice woman called Sally, who they become friendly with while standing on their doorstep clapping for carers.
Nelson, meanwhile, has no time to be bored. He's investigating a series of suicides that could be the work of a serial killer. It's only when he links them to an archaeological discovery that he thinks of Ruth. He breaks curfew to visit the cottage to find Ruth chatting to her neighbour, whom he remembers as Dawn Lancaster, a carer who was once tried for murdering her employer. When the deaths continue, Nelson vows to take Ruth and Kate to live with him. But they, and Dawn, have vanished.
My Opinion: This book had a different feel. It might have been that it takes place during the early days of covid and the memories it brings back. Maybe it was the lingering anticipation of a loved character battling the virus or all the bits and parts of what lockdown can do to people. Either way, The Locked Room was one of my favorite books in the series.
There is some science and history surrounding the plague and the Gray Lady, but the book centers around the people who have always been a part of Ruth’s life. There is a new surprising addition, a person that Kate hopes will bring joy and has helped her make peace with her mother.
The overall feel of the book was community. How bad times can bring people closer and how you need to keep an extra eye out for those around you and appreciate what each brings into your circle of friendship; surprisingly, the murders took a backseat for me.
And then the end, what could that mean. What is the future for Nelson?
Blurb: Ruth is in London clearing out her mother's belongings when she makes a surprising discovery: a photograph of her Norfolk cottage taken before Ruth lived there. Her mother always hated the cottage, so why does she have a picture of the place? As she died three years ago, Ruth can't exactly ask her, and her father denies all knowledge of the picture. The only clue is written on the back of the photo: Dawn, 1969.
Ruth returns to Norfolk determined to solve the mystery, but then Covid-19 rears its ugly head. Ruth and her daughter are locked down in their cottage, attempting to continue with work and lessons, but, in reality, becoming lonely and frustrated. Happily the house next door is rented by a nice woman called Sally, who they become friendly with while standing on their doorstep clapping for carers.
Nelson, meanwhile, has no time to be bored. He's investigating a series of suicides that could be the work of a serial killer. It's only when he links them to an archaeological discovery that he thinks of Ruth. He breaks curfew to visit the cottage to find Ruth chatting to her neighbour, whom he remembers as Dawn Lancaster, a carer who was once tried for murdering her employer. When the deaths continue, Nelson vows to take Ruth and Kate to live with him. But they, and Dawn, have vanished.
My Opinion: This book had a different feel. It might have been that it takes place during the early days of covid and the memories it brings back. Maybe it was the lingering anticipation of a loved character battling the virus or all the bits and parts of what lockdown can do to people. Either way, The Locked Room was one of my favorite books in the series.
There is some science and history surrounding the plague and the Gray Lady, but the book centers around the people who have always been a part of Ruth’s life. There is a new surprising addition, a person that Kate hopes will bring joy and has helped her make peace with her mother.
The overall feel of the book was community. How bad times can bring people closer and how you need to keep an extra eye out for those around you and appreciate what each brings into your circle of friendship; surprisingly, the murders took a backseat for me.
And then the end, what could that mean. What is the future for Nelson?
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