The Chalk Pit is Book #9 in Elly Griffiths’ Dr. Ruth Galloway series.
“ Far below Norwich is a maze of old mining tunnels. When Ruth Galloway is called to examine a set of human remains in one of them, she notices the bones are almost translucent, a sign they were boiled soon after death. Once more, she finds herself at the helm of a murder investigation. Meanwhile, DCI Nelson is looking for a homeless woman who he hears has gone “underground.” Could she have disappeared into the labyrinth? And if so, is she connected to the body Ruth found? As Ruth and Nelson investigate the tunnels, they hear rumors of secret societies, cannibalism, and ritual killings. And when a dead body is found with a map of what seems to be the full maze, they realize their hunt for the killer has only just begun—and that more bodies may be underfoot.”

I really liked this title. It was very well put together - a weaving together of the main characters’ personalities and personal affairs, the Norfolk location, issues of homelessness/sleeping rough, local history, archeology, police work and mystery.
My favorite title in this excellent series ***** ( )

Another in the Ruth Galloway series (in fact no 9 of, at last count, 16 in total).

I admit i am hooked in the same way that I am as to:
- Erle Stanley Gardner's perry Mason novels
- Sue Grafton's "alphabet series" - A for Alibi; B for Burglar; C for Corpse ...alas ending with Y is for Yesterday, with Grafton dying before she was able to convert an idea fro Z is for Zero into a book
- Sara Paretsky's V I Warshawski books, starting with Indemnity Only.
- amongst many others....

But with this series it is important to start with the beginning (The Crossing Places), as each book is half the crime detection and half the soap opera (perhaps the right word) involving Ruth and the other characters.

The crime aspect is fine, trending to even better, though I do wonder how many deaths involving bodies being buried (with Ruth being a university based archaeologist) can occur in downtown Norwich (UK) can occur in reality.

The soap opera aspect is interesting in a popcorn kind of a way, and having read a lot of reviews of this and others in the series i suspect that this is the aspect that keep many coming back.

I will keep reading I suspect, but I will admit I stopped, not consciously, reading Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series (One for the Money; Two for the Dough...) somewhere in the early teens though it apparently at least at Dirty Thirty), so there is no guarantee...

I suggest people try the first one or two, in order, and if you enjoy please keep going. But if not, you won't be missing anything from the Canon.

Big Ship

18 August 2023 ( )

The ninth Ruth Galloway mystery was another excellent addition to the series. Ruth is called in to investigate bones found in tunnels under Norwich. Apparently, the area is riddled with tunnels, some of which have been left behind by chalk mining. Ruth believes that the bones were boiled after the person died which could mean cannibalism.

Meanwhile, DCI Nelson is looking for a missing woman who was a sidewalk sleeper. He also has the deaths of two homeless men, one of whom died on the steps of the police department, to investigate. When a middle class suburban mother of four is abducted, the hunt for missing women heats up. And it comes to a boil when Clough's partner Cassie, an actress, is also abducted.

Ruth and Nelson find their investigations intersecting as they discover that there might be a whole bunch of people living in the abandoned tunnels.

I really enjoyed this story. While I liked the mystery, I equally liked the various relationships in the story. Ruth and Nelson seem doomed to never be able to get together. He's loyal to his wife even though he is emotionally attached to Ruth and their young daughter. He still hasn't told his two older daughters about Kate, his daughter with Ruth. And for Ruth, it seems like Nelson is going to be the love of her life even if they are never able to get together.

Fans of the series will enjoy this episode. ( )

The ninth Ruth Galloway mystery was another excellent addition to the series. Ruth is called in to investigate bones found in tunnels under Norwich. Apparently, the area is riddled with tunnels, some of which have been left behind by chalk mining. Ruth believes that the bones were boiled after the person died which could mean cannibalism.

Meanwhile, DCI Nelson is looking for a missing woman who was a sidewalk sleeper. He also has the deaths of two homeless men, one of whom died on the steps of the police department, to investigate. When a middle class suburban mother of four is abducted, the hunt for missing women heats up. And it comes to a boil when Clough's partner Cassie, an actress, is also abducted.

Ruth and Nelson find their investigations intersecting as they discover that there might be a whole bunch of people living in the abandoned tunnels.

I really enjoyed this story. While I liked the mystery, I equally liked the various relationships in the story. Ruth and Nelson seem doomed to never be able to get together. He's loyal to his wife even though he is emotionally attached to Ruth and their young daughter. He still hasn't told his two older daughters about Kate, his daughter with Ruth. And for Ruth, it seems like Nelson is going to be the love of her life even if they are never able to get together.

Fans of the series will enjoy this episode. ( )

Another great book in the Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries. I just love the cast of characters. Looking forward to reading the next one ( )