Through fifteen books, devoted fans have felt a part of the extended family of Dr. Ruth Galloway, DCI Harry Nelson, and their friends and co-workers. It's sad-- and even a bit traumatic-- to see a cherished series end, but if it has to, it should end on the sort of note that The Last Remains does. Ruth and Nelson have had an on-again, off-again romance for 14 years, and now that Nelson's wife Michelle is getting a divorce, there might be a chance Ruth, Harry, and Kate - as well as Ruth's cat Flint and Nelson's dog Bruno - can form a real family. Elly Griffiths was awarded the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger in the Library for her collected works in 2016. The Stranger Diaries, her first stand-alone novel, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2020. The following year, The Postscript Murders, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. For someone who doesn’t believe in clairvoyance you’re expecting a lot of mind-reading from Ruth. She’s an academic. She needs evidence. Go and tell her that you love her.’

Archaeology is the study of ordinary people,’ says Ruth. ‘Everyday people,’ she corrects herself. ‘It’s not about kings and queens. It’s about real people living their lives. Farming, baking, mining. When we examine artefacts – see a fingerprint preserved on a Bronze Age tool or a dog’s pawprint on a Roman tile – we are linked to their lives. Norfolk has the oldest human footprints outside Africa. They were found in Happisburgh. Eight hundred thousand years old. Almost a million years old. It’s archaeologists who have helped us to understand them.’

The unmissable new book in the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries. Ruth and DCI Nelson are working on a murder case in which their friend Cathbad emerges as the prime suspect. Can they uncover the truth in time to save him? I enjoyed the details of local areas such as Thetford forest and Grimes caves and of the folktales such as the green children and the fairy cow that were very much parts of my childhood.

Dr. Ruth Galloway - a member of the Archaeology Department at England's University of North Norfolk (UNN) - loves her job, which involves teaching, doing research, and writing books. I steadfastly refuse to believe this is the absolute end. I doubt the author fully believes her fans will take this threat seriously. Ruth, her extended family and friends, will doubtlessly rattle around Griffiths’ brain and clamor for more attention. How It All Began This was a well written, engrossing read. I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed all the richly drawn characters in this well plotted and quite atmospheric novel, as well as some of the folklore from the Norfolk area.

Change is afoot and the book is so brilliantly written that the reader does not guess the outcome until the very end. Again, I found the motive for murder completely ridiculous and would have thought the author could have created a reason more plausible.