THE LOCKED ROOM by Elly Griffiths
☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A wonderfully constructed mystery using the early realities of COVID to shape how the characters interact and the case unravels.
THE LOCKED ROOM is now part of the new wave of books grounding the fictional characters in our current realities. Griffiths expertly weaves together the emotions and uncertainty surrounding those within this book while still maintaining interest in an investigation of an apparent suicide.
What I loved so much about this book is that the author’s voice, which I adored in the Harbinder Kaur Series, was still maintained in this. Though there are different characters and settings, the pace, as well as the intrigue, was there. Having never read any of the books previously in Ruth Galloway’s journey, there were moments where I would have loved more background. However, this did not stop me from enjoying the book. Blending the investigation and the collection of side stories kept my interest and propelled the narrative forward.
Honestly, meeting Ruth, her daughter, and this full cast was so enjoyable. The reality each faces is compelling and honest. Ruth is a smart, complex character who came across as real. The flaws seen in the actions as well as the characters themselves only made me identify with them more.
Visiting this world for just one book seems to be not enough time for this reader. I cannot wait to jump in from the beginning and see what cases this amateur sleuth got herself wrapped up in.
Reviewer Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Pandemic lockdowns have Ruth Galloway feeling isolated from everyone but a new neighbor—until Nelson comes calling, investigating a decades-long string of murder-suicides that’s looming ever closer.
Three years after her mother’s death, Ruth is finally sorting through her things when she finds a curious relic: a decades-old photograph of her own Norfolk cottage—before she lived there—with a peculiar inscription on the back. Ruth returns to the cottage to uncover its meaning as Norfolk’s first cases of Covid-19 make headlines, leaving her and Kate to shelter in place there. They struggle to stave off isolation by clapping for frontline workers each evening and befriending a kind neighbor, Zoe, from a distance.
Meanwhile, Nelson is investigating a series of deaths of women that may or may not be suicide. When he links a case to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit Ruth and enlist her help. But the further Nelson investigates the deaths, the closer he gets to Ruth’s isolated cottage—until Ruth, Zoe, and Kate all go missing, and Nelson is left scrambling to find them before it’s too late.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ELLY GRIFFITHS is the author of the Ruth Galloway and Magic Men mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and The Postscript Murders. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Brighton, England.
Book Details:
Publisher: Mariner Books (June 28, 2022)
Language: English
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0358671396 • ISBN-13: 978-0358671398