A Dying Fall by Elly GriffithsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I can resist everything but temptation! (Thank you, Oscar Wilde.) There are other books due at the library or partially read, asking to be finished, but I couldn't resist the lure of another Ruth Galloway mystery. I was somewhat worried because I'd read the previous book in the series just last month that this volume would feel less enchanting as a result. I needn't have been concerned.
Griffiths manages to transport us almost a year from A Room Full of Bones. Kate is nearing her second birthday and has become a talkative, enthusiastic child. She and Ruth have settled into a comfortable routine and her godfather Cathbad has bonded with this little dyad. Harry Nelson is still struggling with his marriage, his desire to be Kate's daddy, and the incompatibility of these two things.
The author also reminds us of Ruth's past, so prominent in the first book of the series, when she hears of the death of a popular member of her university friendship circle. He has posted her a letter, which arrives the day after Ruth hears the bad news, giving her an uneasy premonition. Of course, she is promptly contacted by his faculty with a request to evaluate a recent archaeological find and wouldn't you know that it's in Nelson's home stomping grounds.
Because Ruth has asked Harry to find out some details for her, they both end up travelling to Blackpool, without informing each other. This serendipity does not impress Harry's wife and I wonder if Griffiths is setting up a permanent rift between them. As usual, there is a high stakes situation before the dust settles and Griffiths trifles mercilessly with the reader's assumptions and emotions. She also uses the King Arthur story to provide a focus for the mystery portion of the story. I am always a sucker for the High King and I love the spin that the author gives to the old story.
The temptation to binge these books is strong, but I must control this urge! I am caught up to date on too many of my favourite series and I don't want to lose the sweet tang of anticipation.
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