The Chalk Pit

March 6, 2017
The discovery of a cannibalized skeleton in a Norfolk underground tunnel catapults forensic archeologist Ruth Galloway into her engrossing ninth case (after 2016’s The Woman in Blue). When a homeless man reports a missing woman and then is stabbed to death, Det. Chief Insp. Harry Nelson and his team join the investigation, which takes on added urgency when Det. Sgt. David Clough’s significant other, who’s the mother of his baby, disappears. Ruth’s Druid friend, Cathbad, plays a prominent role, and series fans will find humor in Nelson’s struggles with an ambitious female commanding officer. On the personal side, Ruth struggles with her love for the married Nelson, who’s her daughter’s father and whose wife, Michelle, makes a surprise revelation with far-reaching implications for the uneasy triangle. Despite grisly deaths, Griffiths maintains a gentle tone, and her portrayal of issues surrounding homelessness is compassionate and nuanced. A hopeful ending might seem facile to some readers and comforting to others. Agent: Rebecca Carter, Janklow & Nesbit.

Starred review from March 15, 2017
The discovery of some not-so-old bones opens up surprising possibilities of a mysterious underground world.Archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is called in when several bones are found in one of the many underground chalk mine tunnels under the city of Norwich, England. The architect planning an underground restaurant is hoping they're ancient, but testing reveals not only that they're fairly recent, but that they'd been boiled and cut open, a sinister hint of cannibalism. Meantime, Ruth's one-time lover DCI Nelson, the father of her daughter, Kate, is asked by rough sleeper Eddie O'Toole to look into the disappearance of Barbara Murray, another rough sleeper who hasn't been seen in any of her usual haunts. When Eddie's found stabbed to death and soon after another homeless man is also found stabbed, Nelson begins to take the search for Barbara more seriously. Then a middle-class mother of four vanishes from her home, and the police go all out to find her. While all this is happening, Ruth and Nelson, who remains married, maintain a delicately balanced relationship. Nelson's wife allows him to spend time with Kate, but neither of his grown daughters knows of her existence. The missing housewife has one thing in common with the rough sleepers: they all spent time at a center run by an ex-con who's found religion and changed his ways. Wild rumors abound about the old chalk mine tunnels that run for miles under Norwich, and a statement that someone made about Barbara going underground lead the police to some hidden doors. Is it possible that a literally underground group could be responsible for the deaths? Like its predecessors (The Woman in Blue, 2016, etc.), Griffith's ninth is complex and character-driven, providing an excellent mystery whose very last sentence will leave you yearning for the next installment.

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April 1, 2017

Griffiths's ninth "Ruth Galloway" mystery (after The Woman in Blue) has the forensic archaeologist examining bones excavated in one of the labyrinthine chalk-mining tunnels that riddle Norwich, England. Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson searches for a homeless woman rumored to have gone "underground." As the dual investigations merge, hints of secret societies, ritual killings, and cannibalism surface, as does a string of murders that seem to be connected to a homeless community possibly living in the tunnels. Once again, the key elements of this award-winning series are at hand: complex personal relationships among the protagonists that continue to evolve in surprising ways, excellent use of history and folklore, and lyrically moody imagining of landscape. VERDICT This combination of archaeology and crime investigation continues to be a good draw for mystery buffs. Series regulars will be intrigued by unexpected developments that promise further complications for Ruth and Nelson. For more top-notch archaeology-based mysteries, check out books by Erin Hart, Beverly Connor, and Kate Ellis. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/16; library promotion.]--ACT

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