The Locked Room

May 9, 2022
The Covid pandemic provides the backdrop for Edgar winner Griffiths’s meandering 14th mystery featuring forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway (after 2021’s The Night Hawks), set during the first few months of 2020. Ruth is asked to examine a skeleton found at the site of a medieval cemetery near Norwich Cathedral. Meanwhile, her on-again, off-again lover, Norfolk Det. Chief Insp. Harry Nelson, is looking into the death of a part-time librarian. All signs point to the middle-aged woman’s suicide, but Nelson isn’t convinced of this, “because who puts a Weight Watchers’ chicken and lemon risotto in the microwave if they’re planning to kill themselves”? His investigation turns up the names of other local women—all seemingly happy churchgoers—who have recently died by suicide. Ruth eventually joins Nelson in the search for a connecting thread between the victims, which touches on such personal matters as relationship breakups, rapprochements, family reunions, loved ones in hospital with Covid, lonely lockdowns, and Zoom meetings. A surfeit of detail about the impact of the pandemic slows the crime solving. Established fans will best appreciate this one. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

June 10, 2024

Ruth Galloway's 14th outing (after The Night Hawks) is set in the early days of the COVID pandemic and finds Ruth once more assisting Harry Nelson with an investigation, this time into a series of murder-suicides that have an archaeological connection. But Ruth is working on a more personal investigation at the same time: attempting to figure out the meaning of a photograph with a mysterious inscription found in her late mother's belongings. Then Harry learns that Ruth's friendly new neighbor, Zoe, has a sinister past just before Ruth, Zoe, and Ruth's daughter, Kate, go missing. Not everyone will be ready to revisit that stretch of 2019 when people struggled to figure out how to stay safe in the face of a deadly pandemic--How and when to mask? Do we need to disinfect our groceries?--adjusting to the new reality of virtual meetings and applauding frontline workers, but Griffiths does an excellent job capturing the widespread fear and uncertainty. Jane McDowell continues her series narration, providing familiar voices for the beloved characters and introducing the new ones. VERDICT The mystery is solid, but it's Ruth's discoveries about her family history that make this installment one series fans shouldn't miss.--Stephanie Klose

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.