Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed on 2/20/2018 + 1032 more book reviews

Another excellent book featuring forensic anthropologist Ruth Galloway; sixth in the series. In this series, there's always a mystery (or two) to be solved, but Griffiths uses it as a more as a theme to illustrate the characters than as a puzzle for the reader to solve. There are three parenthood mysteries here; the first are the bones of "Mother Hook" that Ruth is excavating. Mother Hook was a notorious child murderer in the Victorian age - at least that's the myth. Will the excavation reveal something new? DCI Nelson investigates a mother whose third child has died under suspicious circumstances; the previous two were ruled an accident but three dead kids is just too much. And then a child is kidnapped with a note from "The ChildMinder". I love how Griffiths is developing DCI Nelson's team into great 3D characters, they all get some time in this book. I'm less happy with the Mother Hook subplot - Ruth acts in a way that seems completely contrary to her training. I thought surely that would be an important point but Griffiths doesn't do anything significant with it. The conclusion they draw at the end seems very thinly supported. The child murder investigation takes a back seat to the kidnapping, but that's very suspenseful. Cathbad returns with his usual otherworldly insights, but he's not infallible. IMHO, too much character history for a reader new to this series to fully enjoy it, although Griffiths does a good job filling in the background for each.

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