Maura (maura853) - , reviewed on 6/23/2019 + 542 more book reviews

An easy-enough, and entertaining-enough read.

I really want to love this series -- I love archaeology, I love thrillers with a strong female lead, and I love novels with a strong sense of place. And, as far as that goes, Elly Griffiths delivers.

But some of Griffiths' choices really rankle: for example, the use of present tense was presumably meant to create a sense of "immediacy," but just annoyed the heck out of me.

For example, making Ruth "relatable" by giving her lots of relatable flaws. She's fat, and she isn't -- threateningly? -- good looking. Fair enough -- Ruth has to look like something, and why shouldn't she buck expectations about female appearance? -- but it's the way we're constantly reminded of it. (Just as, every time Ruth's friend Shona or Nelson's wife appear, we have to be reminded how beautiful they are. Every ... single ... time ...)

As readers, we know we're being manipulated -- that's the author's job! -- but here, the snake-oil salesman, pulling the levers behind the curtain, is made all too obvious.

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