The Lantern Men (Ruth Galloway #12) by Elly Griffiths

EXCERPT: ‘The lantern men. It’s an old legend round these parts. Mysterious figures carrying lanterns that haunt the fens and the marshes. If you follow their lights, you’re doomed. They can knock you down and leave you for dead.’

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Everything has changed for Dr Ruth Galloway. She has a new job, a new home and partner, and is no longer North Norfolk Police’s resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal.
Nelson was always sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March has confirmed this and offered to show Nelson where the bodies are buried – but only if Ruth will do the digging.
Curious, but wary, Ruth agrees. March tells Ruth that he killed two more women and that their bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travellers to their deaths.
Is Ivor March himself a Lantern Man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so crucial to it? And are the killings really over?

MY THOUGHTS: I love this series and always eagerly await the publication of a new book in this series. I love following Ruth’s on again/off again relationship with Nelson, whom I don’t envy at all. It seems to me that he is caught between a rock and a hard place by his love for both Michelle and Ruth. And I admire Michelle enormously. She handles the situation with far more maturity and dignity than I am sure I would ever be able to do. I do have to wonder though, if she ever took up with anyone else, just how well Nelson would react? Would he see it as his escape route to being able to be with Ruth? Or would his jealousy run rampant? But I digress.

We are two years on from the end of the previous book. Ruth and Kate have moved to Cambridge where Ruth is a professor at one of the colleges. They are living with Frank, the American introduced to us in The Stone Circle. I quite liked him initially, but I started to see another side of him, not so likeable, in The Lantern Men. He really is not a good fit for Ruth.

The Lantern Men has, as always with this series, an intriguing plot. Ivor March has been jailed for the murders of two young women. There was plenty of forensic evidence. And yet there’s a strong body of people, Cathbad included, that believe him to be innocent. Nelson is not one of them. He is totally convinced of March’s guilt and believes that he is also guilty of the murders of two more young women whose bodies have never been found. Then the body of another young woman is found murdered. Is it a copycat? It can’t have been Ivor – he is securely held in prison. Or is Ivor indeed innocent?

Now I thought – no, more than thought – I was convinced that I knew the answer, that I had it all figured out. 😂🤣😂🤣 I didn’t. Wasn’t even close….

Griffiths supporting characters are, as usual, varied, but all quite wonderful. From the serene Crissy Martin, ex-wife of the convicted murderer, to the enigmatic Chantal, Ivor’s lover, and the assortment of men, some decidedly creepy, who orbited the charismatic Ivor March and his women, this diverse cast of characters provides plenty of surprises.

Another excellent addition to this series which, I hope, still has many books to come.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have reread The Lantern Men November 2023 – I am reading the whole series from beginning to end – and have upgraded my rating from 4.4 to five stars. I am loving this whole series even more second time around.

One of my favorite lines: The loo in the waiting area had a sign on it saying, ‘Patient Toilet.’ Well, the WC must be the only thing around here not feeling frustrated. (Patience is definitely not Nelson’s strong point!)

THE AUTHOR: Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway novels take for their inspiration Elly’s husband, who gave up a city job to train as an archaeologist, and her aunt who lives on the Norfolk coast and who filled her niece’s head with the myths and legends of that area. Elly has two children and lives near Brighton.

DISCLOSURE: Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of the Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.