The Last Remains: The unmissable new book in the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries

Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Dr Ruth Galloway, Nelson, Cathbad and the rest of the crew. As with all of the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.I live in hopes that Ellie Griffiths will bring them back, maybe in one off specials.

Good action throughout with all characters contributing to an unexpected twist and revelations that finally lead to happy endings allround

What else to say? I always enjoy the Dr Ruth Galloway books and the characters have become beloved and familiar since I read the first book, The Crossing Places. The last remains are no exception to the rule of excellence which keeps the reader glued to the story line to the end, which seems to tie up loose ends where the characters are concerned and left me a little misty eyed. I’ve since found out this is the final book n this series which after reading one a year leaves me a little saddened. It does however mean new readers don’t have to wait for the next book in the series and can binge as much as they like. For me I feel I’d like to revisit the series from the beginning again. Thank you Elly Griffiths for such an enjoyable series.

This was a bittersweet read as it seems it’s the last in what has been one of my favourite series, despite a little frustration with with the Ruth/Nelson storyline. The indecisiveness continues with Ruth second guessing herself, even though Nelson and Michelle have separated after his soul searching at the end of the previous book.When an old and empty shop in Kings Lynn is being renovated, the unsuspecting builder gets a huge shock when he discovers a complete skeleton in a cavity behind the wall he was knocking down. Ruth is called in and is happy to escape the university as all the talk is regarding the future of the Archeology Department. The unwelcome news is that the department, and consequently her job, are under threat.The remains are found to be that of a young archeology student who went missing around 20 years ago during a camping trip which included Cathbad, who is still recovering from the after effects of Covid, and was one of the last people to see the victim alive. His potential involvement brings things too close to home for Ruth and Nelson. As well as being involved in the cold case investigation, Ruth is lending her support to the campaign to save the Archeology Department, trying to gain the support of as many high profile people as possible.I enjoy the way folklore and myths are interwoven into the plot lines in this series, and The Last Remains is no exception with Grime’s Graves, a Neolithic flint mine, featuring. The threads of the mystery, with echoes from the past, are very well plotted and woven together, the characters driving the story as always, the descriptive prose sprinkled with humour, and with Norfolk playing its not insignificant part in the unfolding drama. Cold cases are a draw, so this ranks as one of my favourite investigations.So, The Last Remains is a story full of potential changes and questions — will Ruth and Nelson get together at last…what’s going to happen to Ruth’s archeology department…will Cathbad survive and will Nelson finally be pushed into retirement by his boss. It could go any of several ways…

I kept putting off reading this one as it's the last Ruth Galloway/Nelson book, but I have to say I savoured every moment of it and was totally satisfied with the way it was written. I'm sure this was a difficult book to write, but it was a delightful mix of nostalgia and new investigation, with some surprise links to the past. I thoroughly enjoyed this albeit it I had a tear in my eye as I approached the 90% mark and slowed my reading right down. Great read

Oh how I have loved this series, I am jealous of those who haven’t read these books yet and have them all to come.This is as good as all the rest but finally there is a resolution to the Ruth, Nelson , Michelle issue - but not without a final possible glitch . As usual an intriguing thriller combined with a human interest dilemma. This feels like the end of the series and Elly Griffiths has more or less said that it is, understandable but such a shame. I’m going to re read the whole series for the third time and hope that maybe there’ll be some more one day. Brilliant series, great story telling combined with strong character definition. I’ll miss them.

It feels like it is the end of the series, but I do hope there will be more. I am just not ready to say goodbye to Dr Ruth Galloway, her daughter Kate, DI Nelson and the other regular characters in the series. Bones are found by builders, renovating an old cafe and once again Ruth is drawn into a police investigation. She has also found out that there are plans to disband her archaeology department and she could be out of a job, also DI Nelson and his wife have separated, so Ruth has a lot of decisions to make about her future. I really hope the series will continue but if this is the end, then thank you Ms Griffiths for writing the books, I have loved every single book.

Characterisations are spot on. All the characters as are true to life and their parts in the stories stick to their personalities.Any fan of Elly Griffiths will love this book, you will feel a part of the Ruth Galloway circle of close friends.