Forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway unearths ancient bones and solves contemporary crimes in Elly Griffiths’ popular mystery series. The fictional sleuth has struck a chord with readers, who enjoy following the adventures of the unglamorous thirtyish scientist who begins the series living alone with her cats near the salty marshes of Norfolk.

The series expertly blends crime fiction with Norfolk history and features intriguing, well-rounded characters that readers grow to care about deeply. Fans frequently remark on how much they relate to Ruth and become invested in her personal life and relationships as she matures throughout the series. Author Louise Penny says of the character, “I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on.” The books have several other well-drawn characters that readers grow to love as well.

Elly’s writing is light on graphic violence, focusing instead on creating compelling characters and page-turning whodunnits, which her many readers appreciate even if it keeps them awake all night reading. In fact, readers say they have to force themselves to slow down their reading so they can savour the books longer and not finish them too quickly!

To fully enjoy the cast of characters as they age and evolve through the course of the series, fans strongly recommend reading the books in order. For example, Ruth’s relationship with DCI Harry Nelson is a central ongoing storyline that threads through the entire series. The short story Ruth’s First Christmas Tree (Book 4.5) is included with several newer Ruth Galloway short stories in The Man in Black and Other Stories (2024). The Last Remains (Book 15) is the final Ruth Galloway novel and weaves in past events and characters for a satisfying conclusion to this acclaimed series.