Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths

Other Titles by Elly Griffiths

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'THE MOST LOVABLE OF CURRENT CRIME SERIES' Sunday Express

Dr Ruth Galloway returns to the moody and beautiful landscape of North Norfolk to confront another killer. A devastating new case for our favourite forensic archaeologist in this acclaimed and bestselling crime series.

The Night Hawks, a group of metal detectorists, are searching for buried treasure when they find a body on the beach in North Norfolk. At first Nelson thinks that the dead man might be an asylum seeker but he turns out to be a local boy, Jem Taylor, recently released from prison. Ruth is more interested in the treasure, a hoard of Bronze Age weapons. Nelson at first thinks that Taylor's death is accidental drowning, but a second death suggests murder.

Nelson is called to an apparent murder-suicide of a couple at the isolated Black Dog Farm. Local legend talks of the Black Shuck, a spectral hound that appears to people before they die. Nelson ignores this, even when the owner's suicide note includes the line, 'He's buried in the garden.' Ruth excavates and finds the body of a giant dog.

All roads lead back to this farm in the middle of nowhere, but the place spells serious danger for anyone who goes near. Ruth doesn't scare easily. Not until she finds herself at Black Dog Farm ...

ISBN:: 9781787477810
Publication Date:: 09 / 02 / 2021
Pages:: 368
Dimensions:: 153 x 234mm

A gripping new instalment in the Ruth Galloway series
It's always cause for celebration when a new Elly Griffiths novel comes out! The Night Hawks is the lucky thirteenth instalment in Griffiths' archaeologically-themed Dr. Ruth Galloway series, and is just as gripping as her legion of fans have come to expect. A group of "Night Hawks", amateur but registered metal detectorists, come across the body of a young man, while searching for coins in the dunes of the Blakeney National Nature Reserve. Dr. Ruth Galloway has returned from Cambridge to head up the archaeology department at the University of North Norfolk, her former boss Phil Trent having retired. She's called in by D.C.I. Harry Nelson to consult when an apparently Bronze-age skeleton is unearthed, together with a hoard of ancient weapons, not far from the current crime scene. Within days, a police officer who was a first responder at Blakeney Head has died suddenly and an apparent murder-suicide occurs at a Norfolk farmhouse, two of the "Night Hawks" again happening on the scene. How are the deaths connected, or is the presence of the same witnesses purely coincidental? Elly Griffiths' plotting is of a superlative standard, as usual. The Night Hawks has a complex, multi-layered plot with many seemingly separate narrative threads, all drawn cleverly together for a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. There's plenty of archaeological material for Ruth to get her trowel into, in addition to themes involving medical ethics, dysfunctional families and local legend. The main character, Dr. Ruth Galloway, is well-developed and three-dimensional, balancing the challenges of single parenthood with a demanding career. In many ways, she's pleased to be back in familiar territory at UNN, albeit in a management role, with all that entails. She, 11-year-old Kate and Flint are all pleased to be living back at their Saltmarsh cottage. However, a new colleague is antagonising her and her relationship with D.C.I. Nelson, who's also Kate's father, continues to be somewhat prickly. The wonderful Cathbad, Ruth's multi-talented druid / intuitive friend, plays an important supporting role throughout The Night Hawks, his personality leaping off the page in every scene in which he appears. While The Night Hawks would be an engrossing read as a standalone, reading as a continuation of the series is especially rewarding, given the wonderful cast of recurring characters and their evolving relationships. Highly recommended for all readers who enjoy intelligent character-based mysteries and psychological dramas.
Sarah, 04/02/2021