This installment of Ruth Galloway was not quite as satisfying as the previous volumes, possibly because all the players are waiting for the other shoe to drop (or at least for Michelle to give birth). Ruth herself is still the independent woman that I appreciate. She is building an academic reputation and has become a recognized forensic anthropology expert. This expertise results in her involvement in an archeological site in Italy and dealing with a former lover, Angelo Morelli.
This is the book where I came to the conclusion that Harry Nelson is much more interested in Ruth than I had realized before. He is brought up short when he turns up at a site where bones have been found and is confronted with Ruth's manager Phil, who is filling in for her. Harry is immediately pissed that he doesn't get to see Ruth and that she and Kate have gone to Italy without telling him. Despite the fact that his wife is pregnant, not feeling great, and about to undergo a prenatal scan, when there is an earthquake in Italy Nelson buys a plane ticket and hares off to make sure they're okay. This seems to also cinch things for Michelle.
Needless to say, Ruth has distinctly mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, she was quietly sad at Dave Clough's wedding at the beginning of the novel. However she has no desire to have anyone trying to run her life, which Nelson would surely try to do (even more than he already does).
Griffiths gives us good, tense situations in both Italy and Norfolk. They both provide the momentum driving the plot, while she further tangles the personal relationships. The whole Ruth-Harry-Michelle-Tim conundrum gets altered irrevocably by book's end, but we get no closer to knowing how things will shake out. That's an excellent hook to get me invested in the next book, although (as usual) I will try to hold out as long as possible before grabbing it.
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