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kimbar's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
This is my first book by this author. Which this is the seventh Ruth Galloway novel. Not to worry as this book can be read as a stand alone novel. Although I did feel that I suffered a little by not having read the other books in this series. This is because I did not experience a great connection towards Ruth and the other main characters in this book. I found Ruth to be just ok. Nothing too special about her or her skills as an archaeologist. I was not leaning towards this book because of the plot. It sounded intriguing. It was fine but it lacked more excitement. The story just read at an even, steady pace with no surprise moments. So between the conversations of the characters in their person lives and the story lacking some, I found myself sort of skimming through this book as my form of reading it.
toniclark's review against another edition
5.0
I flew through this one (#7 in the series) as fast as I did #6, reading each of them in less than 24 hours. I just couldn't put them down!
antiopelle's review against another edition
2.0
The seventh book around Ruth Galloway and I find it going downhill.
The mystery wasn't challenging, I knew right from the start what was going on, and there was just one little twist I couldn't have guessed. As in the previous book, there were way to many characters and the writing was lacking structure. An example: in the evening Ruth is being followed by a big black car to her home in a cul-de-sac. Of course she is scared and she rushes to get herself and her daughter inside and then barricades the house and stands watch to see if the car drives off again - end of chapter. The next chapter starts with another setting and when we go back to Ruth, she is watching fireworks from the cottage with Kate, all in peace and no mention of the car passing by again. What? And then we only go back to the car and its driver at the end of the book. This is just one example of the many startling and unnecessary jumps in the storytelling that put me off.
The plot around Ruths' life is starting to get preposterous. Again we are reminded that she is an atheist, while in fact she is not. She is a single mom juggling work and childcare, yet she has the time to get involved in passionate relationships, one after another. All this time she is still in love with Nelson, who has evolved from a nice charming man in the first book to just a brainless brute.
Also, it seems that all characters are incapable of fidelity, and if the author continues like this, we will need a organogram, as to know who fathered which children.
I'm taking a break and will read something else. Maybe one day, if I'm in the mood for some syrupy romance with a thin cover of mystery, I'll come back.
The mystery wasn't challenging, I knew right from the start what was going on, and there was just one little twist I couldn't have guessed. As in the previous book, there were way to many characters and the writing was lacking structure. An example: in the evening Ruth is being followed by a big black car to her home in a cul-de-sac. Of course she is scared and she rushes to get herself and her daughter inside and then barricades the house and stands watch to see if the car drives off again - end of chapter. The next chapter starts with another setting and when we go back to Ruth, she is watching fireworks from the cottage with Kate, all in peace and no mention of the car passing by again. What? And then we only go back to the car and its driver at the end of the book. This is just one example of the many startling and unnecessary jumps in the storytelling that put me off.
The plot around Ruths' life is starting to get preposterous. Again we are reminded that she is an atheist, while in fact she is not. She is a single mom juggling work and childcare, yet she has the time to get involved in passionate relationships, one after another. All this time she is still in love with Nelson, who has evolved from a nice charming man in the first book to just a brainless brute.
Also, it seems that all characters are incapable of fidelity, and if the author continues like this, we will need a organogram, as to know who fathered which children.
I'm taking a break and will read something else. Maybe one day, if I'm in the mood for some syrupy romance with a thin cover of mystery, I'll come back.
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
It's mid-summer in Norfolk and an excavator comes across a buried WW2 plane with a body still inside. Ruth Galloway, forensic archeologist and lecturer at the University of Norfolk, is called to give her expert opinion and quickly ascertains that the body has been recently planted inside the plane. DNA tests are able to identify the body as a member of a local upper class family who was supposedly lost at sea.
There are a lot of things I really liked about this book. Unlike some of the previous books, we are not being continually hammered over the head with how much Ruth loves her daughter and Cathbad the Druid is significantly less nutty. Instead there are intriguing and significant developments in many of the regular characters' lives and I for one am itching to read the next installment to see where they will lead.
The book also weaves in a lot of history about Norfolk's role in WW2 which was interesting - the titular "Ghost Fields" refers to abandoned air strips used by the RAF during WW2. Plus, I learned things about pigs eating habits that I never knew and won't easily forget!
The issue for me was the central plot. It started off well but got increasingly preposterous and the final climax just felt a bit silly rather than nail-bitingly tense. The motivations behind the crime all seemed pretty far fetched. It's still an enjoyable story but it could have been so much better.
This is the 7th book in the series featuring Ruth Galloway, Forensic Archeologist, and if you are new to the series you would be well served to start with the first: [b:The Crossing Places|6688087|The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1)|Elly Griffiths|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349088962s/6688087.jpg|5851700]. There are lots of nuances and references to previous interactions between characters.
There are a lot of things I really liked about this book. Unlike some of the previous books, we are not being continually hammered over the head with how much Ruth loves her daughter and Cathbad the Druid is significantly less nutty. Instead there are intriguing and significant developments in many of the regular characters' lives and I for one am itching to read the next installment to see where they will lead.
The book also weaves in a lot of history about Norfolk's role in WW2 which was interesting - the titular "Ghost Fields" refers to abandoned air strips used by the RAF during WW2. Plus, I learned things about pigs eating habits that I never knew and won't easily forget!
The issue for me was the central plot. It started off well but got increasingly preposterous and the final climax just felt a bit silly rather than nail-bitingly tense. The motivations behind the crime all seemed pretty far fetched. It's still an enjoyable story but it could have been so much better.
This is the 7th book in the series featuring Ruth Galloway, Forensic Archeologist, and if you are new to the series you would be well served to start with the first: [b:The Crossing Places|6688087|The Crossing Places (Ruth Galloway, #1)|Elly Griffiths|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349088962s/6688087.jpg|5851700]. There are lots of nuances and references to previous interactions between characters.
joweston's review against another edition
4.0
As ever, some suspension of disbelief required, but I still do like this series and the characters.
kellerko's review against another edition
3.0
These books have a familiar course which makes them comforting to read. Ruth is such a great character, smart, spunky, and a bit frumpy.
caveatlectors's review against another edition
5.0
An encredible way to entwine World War II with the present. Kept me on my toes with who was the bad guy, had me guessing at every turn. I'm not happy with the way things turned out between Frank and Ruth.