The discovery of a missing woman’s bones forces Ruth and Nelson to finally confront their feelings for each other as they desperately work to exonerate one of their own. The unfolding mystery draws in DCI Nelson, and the stakes rise sharply as it becomes evident that someone is willing to resort to murder to keep the secrets of the bones under wraps. Meanwhile, DCI Harry Nelson is working on a chilling case: three children found lifeless in their home. The situation worsens with another child's abduction. An individual, identifying themselves as the “Childminder,” takes responsibility for the kidnapping. Could the Childminder also be the murderer?

While the location the character lives in is quite vague, she has always imagined her cottage to be near Titchwell or Holme. And the university is just outside King’s Lynn. When Ruth is called to look at a set of remains, she's surprised to find them nearly translucent, suggesting they had been boiled shortly after the victim's demise. Simultaneously, DCI Nelson is on the search for a missing homeless woman who may have gone missing in local underground tunnels. Could there be a link between her and the remains Ruth has found? Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. When Cathbad, a druid and a friend of Ruth, spots an apparition of the Virgin Mary in a nearby graveyard, he doesn't think much of it. Given Walsingham's historical ties to Mary, he assumes visions are part and parcel of his spiritual calling. However, the subsequent discovery of a dead woman the following day suggests a more earthly and grim reality. Thus Ruth worries about supporting her 12-year-old daughter Kate, who was conceived during Ruth's affair with Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, a married man.

This brilliant series, brimming with comedy and compassion, has demonstrated that archaeology, just like the best crime fiction, is the study of everyday people . . . Elly Griffiths has honed her skills to become one of our very best writers. Bravo!” (For The Last Remains) — The Times (UK) The case serves as a distraction for Ruth from her responsibilities with the university; but then it’s announced that due to lower enrollments and budget cuts, the Archeology Department may be eliminated at the University of North Norfolk. She has tenure and could remain in some to-be-determined capacity or easily be hired by another university — whether in England or abroad — but her colleagues’ positions would be eliminated. A massive campaign to publicize the importance of their work is soon underway. Elly Griffith’s second series is about another place she knows very well, which is Brighton. The Brighton Mysteries take place in the 1950s and follow Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and magician Max Mephisto.

She also has an “interesting” relationship with officer, DCI Nelson – who also happens to be her daughter’s father, another major character. Around that time, Ruth, Zoe, and Kate vanish without a trace, leaving Nelson in a desperate race against time to locate them. If The Last Remains is the finale, it will give the author more time to write additional novels such as the post-WWII based series, The Brighton Mysteries, the YA Justice Jones mystery novels, and one can hope for another work featuring DI Harbinder Kaur from Bleeding Heart Yard . I steadfastly refuse to believe this is the absolute end. I doubt the author fully believes her fans will take this threat seriously. Ruth, her extended family and friends, will doubtlessly rattle around Griffiths’ brain and clamor for more attention. How It All Began And also she has the future – what does she do with Nelson? But the story, I hope, does lead all the characters full circle.”Author Elly Griffiths has announced that this 15th book in the 'Ruth Galloway' mysteries is the last in the series. Anyway. I enjoyed the setting, characters, humor and writing in this, but the main theme mentioned in the spoiler always got under my skin, and I don’t understand the readers who wanted this series to wind up as it did, with the dissolution of a family. Every marriage and family has their issues, but without the manipulation by this author for readership and royalties, Nelson stays with Michelle and she with him. I got so tired of Ruth being resentful of his wife and Nelson’s time with his family throughout this book and series. In my view, the affair that started between them in the very first book was manipulated by this author from the start. It never seemed realistic to me. And you can’t expect to have equal time when you start an affair with a married man who seems to have no real intention throughout many many books of never leaving his wife and kids. You are not equal bc you chose to have an affair with this married person. Your relationship was never on equal footing with his wife and family, nor should it have been. I feel so badly for Kate, who didn’t ask to come into this situation. Ruth is supposed to be so smart, but her emotional IQ IMO is very low and a strong, smart woman does NOT tolerate or stay in a relationship with a man who, for many many years, shows he has no intention of leaving his family. What a bad depiction of a strong, intelligent woman. Meanwhile, renovations of an old Norfolk café, with the aim of re-opening as a fashionable tea room, reveal a skeleton hidden behind a wall.

This is it. The last book in Elly Griffiths ‘Dr. Ruth Galloway’ series. Fifteen books. Spanning 2009 to 2023. Oh, sure - Griffiths is being very gentle in adding “for now,” whenever she discusses this as the final book in the series … but her publisher Quercus is advertising it as “the final instalment in the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries,” and it does indeed read with finality. A lovely goodbye. I do believe, the author does justice, furthering the stories not only of Ruth and Nelson, but also Kate, Cathbad, Judy, Cloughie, Tanya…and even a surprise character from an earlier story (Kleenex, may be needed). Marge was a very good storyteller and quite often told rather ghostly stories about Norfolk – the gorier the better, Marge loved a gory story. So Norfolk was already in my mind, with the holidays and happiness, but also that mysterious side. Unfortunately, the latest book in the series, The Last Remains, is the last book in the series. This news prompted heartbroken outcry from fans. However, Griffiths has left a door, or at least a window, open with the possibility of one day returning to this beloved world. The Last Remains is the fifteenth and latest in Elly Griffiths’ series featuring archaeologist Ruth Galloway. It's another engrossing mystery with plenty of ongoing character storylines and fascinating historical content.

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Archaeologist Ruth Galloway's expertise is sought once again when workers, in the process of tearing down an old Norwich mansion, unearth the skeletal remains of a child under a doorway. Missing its skull, the immediate question is whether this is a relic from the Roman times, or if this is the work of a more recent perpetrator. She studied English at university and went on to work in publishing for HarperCollins – but that urge to write never left her. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. However, the police find that Emily was involved with several men, so there are plenty of suspects......possibly including Cathbad. This is significant to the cops because Cathbad's life partner Judy is a detective on Nelson's team, and must be recused from the investigation.