Tag: archeology

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman (Mystery / Thriller)

A completely gripping, classics based, mystery/thriller set in a classic Golden Age of Mysteries setting: a secluded Greek island, a group of invitees with a not-completely-positive history, a missing host, and … the first dead body. From there it’s one surprise after another and the reader is completely immersed in the whodunnit / who can I trust suspicion-laden head of the narrator, Maia. Why is this book so much more appealing (to me) than a typical mystery / thriller? It was engaging on an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and philosophical level — that doesn’t happen too often. As with almost all of Goodman’s books (I believe this is number 21), it was completely steeped in Greek mythology — the stories, the archeological remnants, the world of antiquity trading (and theft), and some compelling new (to me) interpretations of the myths as conveyed in the (almost too) vivid depictions of a physical (and mental) labyrinth. The imagery was captivating, and I don’t usually go for written imagery. The plot was perfectly paced, with a tug of war between confusion and epiphany, and the closure was smooth, clever, and completely satisfying.

I’m pretty sure I have read most, if not all, of Goodman’s 21 novels, but this is the first one I listened to. The reader was very good, though a little over the top (IMHO) with voice snottiness for certain unpleasant characters; however she kept my interest and did get me to slow down from rapid reading pace to take in some of the details I might otherwise have missed.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The audio book was published on July 15th, 2025.

The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery

This upbeat piece of women’s fiction starts with Laurel (one of the three main female characters in the book) getting called into school because her daughter has been telling the school that all men are terrible. Laurel realizes that her daughter has, in fact, not a single good male role model in her life so she sets out to make a male friend in order to show her daughter that some men are actually not terrible! Female lead #2 is Laurel’s best friend Paris whose husband left her ten years ago due to her uncontrollable rage. With years of therapy and learning anger management technique, Paris still worries she could flip out at any moment. Lastly, fem-hero #3 is Cassie — kicked out of the family home in Bar Harbor and told to get herself a life. It’s no surprise that by the end of the novel, everyone is doing great — that’s why we read these books!

Here is why I continue to read Susan Mallery novels, as opposed to many of the other women’s fiction selections. Yes, I have to suspend a lot of disbelief because in real life they just don’t make men like the ones these three manage to snag (except for my husband, of course!), but reading a Mallery book is kind of like reading an entertaining how-to manual for parenting and other relationships (including with yourself). Great advice, articulately doled out, and without having to resort to stupidity and game playing.

A couple of funny bits — the three women have a summer book club focused on Romance novels and the three men join in for one, pretty hysterical, discussion. And Mallery manages to make a thrift store shopping experience actually exciting to me (and trust me when I tell you that I dislike shopping for anything that doesn’t come with turning pages).

I read this while trying hard not to read about the horrible things happening in the world and found it very calming and reassuring. Even if it is fiction, it reminds me that not everybody is out there chanting horrible and ill informed slogans.

Thank you to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 13th, 2024.

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths (Mystery)

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 25th, 2023

Number 15 in the Norfolk based, archeologist Ruth Galloway series. I’ve read every single one so obviously think it’s a great series! This one takes place in mid-2021, smack dab in the middle of Covid lock downs / ease ups, etc. In this story, a body is found bricked up in the wall of a local cafe during remodeling which is quickly identified as the body of a young student who had gone missing in 2002. The regulars are all back: single-mom forensic archeologist Ruth Galloway, the gruff and somewhat tormented DCI Nelson, and the intuitive Druid Cathbad. As always, plenty of history — both bone and myth related. One character suffers from Long Covid, declining enrollments threaten to shut down the archeology department of the University of North Nofolk, and — for those who have been following the series — I will say (with no spoilers) that there is some real closure on one aspect of the long range storyline. Also, a delightful surprise near the end of the book.

Always enjoyable — read in a day.

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths (Mystery)

Keep writing, Elly! I always look forward to a new Ruth Galloway book and it never disappoints. I’m so glad Ms. Griffiths is making good use of her pandemic time to up her (already high) prolificity (I may have made that word up — not sure).

These books are a great mix of mystery and novel — full of Norfolk folk lore and history with plenty of archeology — with no repeats so far. In this novel we also get a group of Detectorists (defined as a person whose hobby is using a metal detector); an interesting (fictional but plausible) theory about the Beaker people who came to Britain about 4400 years ago and left only 10% of the native population after 200 years; and a timely plot line around dangerous and illegal vaccine trials. A high body count, some progression in the Nelson / Ruth saga, and a variety of eccentric and interconnected characters make this a real page-turner. Enjoy!

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on June 29th, 2021.

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths (Mystery)

I gulped this book down in (almost) a single sitting. Perfect for long quarantine days: part novel with great characters who have evolved over the 12 books in Griffiths’ Dr. Ruth Galloway series and part mystery with all that closure we crave in these anxious days.

Four dead woman and a convicted murderer, but do they have the right man? In this installment, Ruth has moved to Cambridge with a new partner and a new job but is drawn back to Norfolk by the prisoner offering to disclose the location of additional bodies if Ruth promises to do the excavation. An artist colony and cycling group feature prominently in the story with plenty of local history, folklore, and archeological digs. All our favorite characters are back, each slowly progressing in their own long term narrative arcs.

Now I just have to wait for the next one…

p.s. For those who are new to this series, Dr. Ruth Galloway is a forensic archeologist who, before this book, lived in a remote area near Norfolk amidst the marshes near the sea. She works with the large and brooding but spectacularly capable Detective Chief Inspector Nelson. Another favorite character is Cathbad — part-time University employee and full-time modern druid. You can start the series anywhere, really, but the it never hurts to start at the beginning!

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 14th, 2020.