The Stone Circle: A Mystery (Ruth Galloway Mysteries Book 11)

The Stone Circle is Book #11 in Elly Griffiths’ very dynamic Dr. Ruth Galloway Mystery series.Dr. Ruth Galloway is a forensic archeologist living and working in the Norfolk area, Great Britain. She often liaisons with the police in matters of archeological interest.In this particular title, a very dramatic plot and a new character (Erik’s son Leif) add to the suspense.As always there is the Ruth/Nelson dynamic, the comradeship and work ethic of the Team, the location and its ancient history, Cathbad with his antics and wisdom and always the forensic archeology.Another 5 Star ***** addition to one of my favorite series.

Including all my favourite characters. The thing I love about Ruth is that she is a realistic character. She is flawed but in a good way, (like most of us!). I am keen to see how this plot develops, having finished the 11th book, and knowing that there are (only) 4 more books!

This may seem counter-intuitive, but I love Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series enough to not read them. I pre-order the new books and then hold on to them for a bit before reading them- just so that they won’t be over too soon. Elly Griffiths is a terrific writer. She excels at creating complicated, three-dimensional characters that you can believe and care about. Because these are character-driven stories, it is essential that you read them in order. This is the eleventh book in the series, and much has happened. If you read this one first, you will be lost. And worse, you might have lost the opportunity to feel connected to the entire series. Ruth Galloway is an archeologist and university lecturer near Norfolk. She is our amateur detective who works closely with Nelson, the head police detective (and his team), on these murder inquiries. The archeology and the physical settings around England are very well rendered, and those details add greatly to the series. The descriptions of the salt marshes, the stone circles, the driving rain, and fog are all very evocative. You may have to look up from the page to remember that you are still in your home. The main mystery in this story begins with the excavation of the bones of a young girl at an archeological dig. In short order, another set of bones is discovered buried at the site. Ruth is called in to look at the two sets of bones found at the dig to determine if police action is warranted. One set was from the Bronze Age, but the second set is much more recent. And so the investigation into the cold case begins. Much about the case is reminiscent of the plot from the first book, and the characters are unsettled by this. Since we are dealing with an excellent author, the reader is unsettled as well. The plot and investigation are reasonably complex with multiple crimes that may or may not be related. While this is a genre novel, it is a cut above. This series and those by Martin Walker (Bruno chief of Police set in France), Ann Cleeves (both the Shetland Island novels and Vera Stanhope), Louise Penny (Armand Gamache novels in Canada), Paul Doiron (Mike Bowditch series set in Maine), Cay Rademacher (police procedurals set in Provence), Jane Harper (remarkable books set in Australia), Robert Galbraith a.k.a. J.K. Rowling (Cormorran Strike series), Cara Black (Aimee Le Duc series set in Paris), Jean-Luc Bannalec with his strong sense of place (set in Brittany), Mark Pryor (Hugo Marston set in Paris) and Tana French’s books set in Ireland. When the next books come out in these series (some already have), I will again order them and not read them. Until I can’t stand it any longer.

The Galloway series just keeps getting better. It's remarkable the way that Griffiths manages to retain the charm of the rather eccentric earliest books while gradually deepening the lives and relationships of her characters. Eleven books in, she hasn't fallen into the slump so common in series.

I loved being back with characters in Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway books. This is my favorite crime fiction series. The bad part is now I will have to wait for about a year for the next book to be published.This book takes place again on the salt marsh where we were introduced to Ruth Galloway in the first book. Ruth lives on the salt marsh and it is a very memorable and atmospheric location. Once again two bodies are found of two young girls in this area-one from the Bronze Age and another who died in the last 30 years. A young girl went missing years ago and was never found. Tests are being done to determine if the skeleton is the young girl.There is also an infant abduction so Nelson, Judy, Clough have their hands fulls trying to solve all the mysteries. This is a character driven mystery series and I think it should be read from book 1 to get to know the history of the characters. You will find that you start to care about them and their lives. However, there are now eleven books so many readers have jumped in later into the series and have enjoyed their reads.I do agree with some reviewers that Ruth who in an independent working single mother doesn't seem as spunky as in the earlier books. However, Ruth is a favorite character. Her daughter Kate is growing up into a bright and inquisitive young girl. Flint, the cat, is also a loved character. I really care for them all:Ruth, Kate, Nelson, Judy, and Clough. In the next book, it appears that Ruth will have some choices to make.I love this series for the characters and the atmospheric location. The mystery is always good and different. Now, the bad part is that I will have to wait a year for the next book. However, the good part is that it appears that there will be a book 12.If you haven't tried this series, and like character driven mysteries set in an atmospheric location, you too might find that you have discovered a new favorite series if you try it.

Great read!

5 stars for this Dr. Ruth book. The mystery and the places make this a fantastic story. Stone circles have always been a fascination for me as well as archaeology.I couldn't put it down. You must read it!

Die Ruth Galloway Folgen sind immer spannend, anschaulich, mit Charakteren, in die man sich hineinversetzen kann, gespickt - man wartet immer schon sehnsüchtig auf den nächsten Band, um zu wissen, wie es mit ihnen weitergeht.

Great waiting for the next one

I just finished this and enjoyed it hugely. I've read and reread all the Ruth Galloway books, as well as all those set in Sussex. Ruth's character and stories are my favourites and that's probably because I identify with her a little. Especially the weight thing and love of cats.This latest story is full of the characters that are dear to all of us who live the books and then. The characters are all well rounded and utterly believable. The characters descriptions , at the end of the book, are a joy.I love the humour that comes through and how likeable most of the characters are - not Phil, obviously. I would love to have people like them in my life - again, not Phil though. I'd especially like a 'Cathbad', with his mixture of mysticism, wisdom and practicality. As with all such series of books, the characters feel like old friends. Previous exceptions sort of apply. We need the contrasts too.Elly weaves together the strands of the story with great expertise and leads you along the different paths of discovery with a light touch. I live the historical and archaeological bits and spend time looking them up as I go along for the journey. Thanks for the mention of chia seeds as well. They're on order and coincidentally - not Nelson's type of coincidence - I told my daughter about them and discovered she purchased some last week. I'm hoping they might help my sister and give her a much needed, simple way to improve her health.Like all the series there are mysterious happenings, red herrings and lots of clues that aren't too obvious. As in real life, clues don't always leap out at you but are put together gradually and come together as others are investigated and eliminated.It's all fascinating and there's always a twist, or three.Thank you Elly. I'm now going to reread the story preceding this book and will, no doubt, read this again and again. I'd reread 'The Stranger Diaries, immediately before reading this and the local references in that, as well as the others located in Sussex, add another layer of enjoyment as I know many of them well. I grew up near Brighton and still live near it. My son even did a little work at the abandoned Cement Factory and immediately recognized the houses nearby. One of my niece's thought that clouds were made by the factory. We passed it often, on the way way to Granger, or Arundel, in times gone by and occasionally when visiting family now.I digress.In summary, I enjoyed this book and found it as fascinating and delightful, as the others. There was tension, drama, fun and laughter; all in abundance and we'll brought together. I do hope there's more to come.Also, I wish I could attend one of Elly's creative writing courses. Perhaps if I win the lottery.......