The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

The Dark Angel (Ruth Galloway, #10) 
by Elly Griffiths (Goodreads Author)

Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones

Feb 13, 2018  

it was amazing

bookshelves: 2018, netgalley-arc, 4-star, crime, contemporary-fiction, murder-mystery

EXCERPT: Giving your son to God sounds sinister somehow. Ruth once found the body of an Iron Age girl who had been tied down and left on the marshes to die, an offering to some faceless, nameless diety. She thinks of Isaac carrying the wood on which he is going to be sacrificed by his father, a story which pops up quite often in her parent’s church, where it seems to be held up as an example of good parenting.

THE BLURB: Dr Ruth Galloway is flattered when she receives a letter from Italian archaeologist Dr Angelo Morelli, asking for her help. He’s discovered a group of bones in a tiny hilltop village but doesn’t know what to make of them. It’s years since Ruth has had a holiday, and even a working holiday to Italy is very welcome!

So Ruth travels to Fontana Liri, accompanied by her daughter Kate and friend Shona. In the town she finds a medieval shrine and a dark secret involving the war years and the Resistance. To her amazement she also finds Harry Nelson, who is enduring a terrible holiday at a resort nearby. But there is no time to overcome their mutual shock – the ancient bones spark a modern murder, and Ruth must discover what secrets there are in Fontana Liri that someone would kill to protect.

MY THOUGHTS: I completely understand why the Ruth Galloway series is, and I quote, ‘My favourite current crime series’ – Val McDermid.

Elly Griffiths writes in a quietly sinister fashion that keeps me glued to the page. Her characters are delightful, but all too human, all capable of deceit, guilt, indecision and bad judgment. It was lovely to catch up again with Cathcart (known as Michael in his pre-druid life) and his very perceptive pronouncements. He is a very deep character, and one of my favorites.

My favorite passage from the book is this- ‘As he speaks, he turns to the tombstone, white and stark among the older graves, like a false tooth in a mouthful of decaying molars.’ Wandering through graveyards is a pastime of mine. I make up stories about the inhabitants, and wonder about their lives. However, I doubt that I will be able to do so in the future without thinking of the ‘decaying molars’.

The setting for this book moves from Norfolk to the Liri Valley region in Italy, a rather beautiful and historic area. I soaked up the atmosphere, and swear I gained a kilo from all the delicious sounding pasta they ate. Although the village of Castello degli Angeli where Ruth is staying is completely fictional, other places they mentioned and visited are real, and I journeyed along with them, enjoying the sights if not the food, courtesy of Google Earth.

The plot is not particularly fast-paced, but the book loses nothing because of this. In fact it is, in this instance, a redeeming quality. That is not to say that there is no action, because there is plenty.

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths is an extremely satisfying read. I award it ☆☆☆☆1/2 simply exquisite stars.

Thank you to Quercus Books via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the ‘about’ page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my Goodreads.com page https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2260905155