The Locked Room: A Mystery

Covid-19 has hit Norfolk, and Ruth Galloway and her daughter Kate must shelter in place at their remote home; luckily they have a new neighbour, a nurse who joins in their yoga practice and tennis games on the beach. Meanwhile, DCI Nelson is hampered in his investigation into the deaths of several women, all seeming to be suicide but something just doesn’t smell right to him. And while his wife is away at her mother’s home, Nelson finds he has time to play, with Ruth that is…. Reading the Ruth Galloway series (of which this is the fourteenth, I think) is like visiting with old friends after a time apart - we can catch up on our friends’ lives and sometimes just sit in mutual quiet contemplation for a while as well. This is one of the first novels I’ve read where the pandemic is front and center, rather than being kind of in the background, and I had a few quibbles along that line. For example, a week into the first lockdown nobody knew it was an airborne illness (remember people washing their groceries just in case?) and masks were discouraged because they were needed for essential personnel. But by and large, Ms. Griffiths captures the anxiety of the early days of the crisis, while also providing a complex mystery to solve and a continuation of relationships that her readers have come to know and love. I think it is vital to have read these books from the beginning (“The Crossing Places” is the first one), but if you haven’t read them before, you’ll be in for a treat; very highly recommended!

I'd read all the books prior to this one in the series and was looking forward to this novel. This is the 14th and I know that the 15th is the final book so I'm starting to feel sad that the end is close.The book is 357 pages split into 44 chapters and was first published in 2022. The recurring characters are strong and I was looking forward to seeing Elly Griffiths could write another great story.I was impressed that the author had decided the set the story during the initial lockdown period. It was a mad time for everyone and she does a great job of allowing covid to be another element of the plot without taking away from the police investigation.The start of the book has the shadow of the pandemic everywhere. Ruth and Nelson aren't taking the threats seriously but there are signs of serious escalation and, of course, the reader know what is going to happen. EG has chosen to use parallels with historical plagues as the link for Ruth's involvement which is effective (although she is so closely linked to everyone now that a formal connection isn't completely necessary).I found the descriptions of the lockdown and the various ways in which households adapted brought back lots of anxiety from the time. EG has a natural way of describing an unnatural situation and illustrates that here.Although the plot is about serious matters set in difficult times, there is a gentle rhythm to the narrative that makes this an easy story to read - I think that EG is relaxed with these characters and her narrative is an illustration of that.What lifts this book (and this series) above many in this genre is the humanity and sensitivity of the relationships between characters that any regular reader will know so well. They are a family - dysfunctional yet caring - sometime distant but always in each others thoughts.Every single book in this genre seems to have a moment when at least one of the characters is in mortal danger. There is a moment of extreme drama in this novel but, to the book's credit, the author has learnt to play down the length and effects of the seemingly inevitable plot development.Looking forward to the next one!

Sad last book of the series

I like that she captures your interest and pulls you in from the very beginning of the story.

One of my most favourite authors