In this highly atmospheric mystery, Ruth Galloway–described by Louise Penny as “a captivating amateur sleuth”–and DI Nelson have their summer vacations horribly disrupted by a murder in a medieval Italian town where dark secrets are buried as deep as bones.
The Dark Angel ,#10 in the Ruth Galloway series.
This book is set in summer hot Italy ; Ruth is invited to chime in on a dig by a former Italian fling. She is taking Shona and the kids along for a mini vacation. The dig was a minor point, most of the story is taken up with the drama between Ruth and Nelson. This was good, but a definite detour from Griffiths’ usual style.
357 pages
4 stars
Ruth is contacted by an old friend and colleague to visit him in Italy to consult on some bones found on a recent dig. Surprisingly, she drops everything and flies off to a little village in Italy with Kate, Shona and Louis. There, she finds intrigue, danger and duplicity.
This book was somewhat of a disappointment to me. I didn’t care for the change of venue to Italy. I didn’t like the way Nelson went off half-cocked to Italy when he thought Ruth and Kate might be in danger. It didn’t seem consistent with his personality. Especially with Michelle pregnant and about to have an ultrasound. I didn’t like Angelo from the get go. He seemed too polished, almost smarmy.
At least Cathbad, Ruth and Kate were on hand to save the book. I was teetering on giving the book a lower score than four stars, but that seemed so disloyal to one of my favorite authors.
As I have read ahead, I know that Ms. Griffiths redeems her characters in the next book.
If you have liked the Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series so far, you will enjoy this one too. Ruth takes a working vacation to Italy and mysterious deaths follow. I didn’t like the archaeological mystery in this book as much as I like prior ones, perhaps it wasn’t developed enough.
Love this series. Highly recommend.
I bought this book based on the many positive reviews. I have not read any of the other books in the series. The book is not quite what I expected, the title doesn’t quite fit with the story. It’s well written, with a seemingly clever plot that initially promises a great deal, but for me, it didn’t fully deliver. The story is set mostly in Italy, which is described well and the story does have suspense in parts. But there is too much self-reflection by the main character Ruth holding up the story, and I wasn’t that keen on the sub-story running back in England. Then there is a somewhat tedious, long-winded, Epilogue. 3.5.
Everyone needs to read this series! Great characters, edge-of-your-seat action, never a dull moment.
Ruth Galloway,a forensic archaeologist,goes to Italy at the request of a Italian colleague (and a former one-night stand). Bones have been found at an excavation that raise a lot of(historical)questions. While Ruth stays in a medieval village in the Lazio region,she is confronted with the strange behaviour of certain characters and of course,murder.
This is the 10th book in this series and as with all series,the quality is somewhat variable. The mystery of the Dark Angel feels like a frame story to the story of Ruth’s relationship with the father of her daughter,a married D.I.,who’s wife is pregnant but perhaps not by him(on/off,on/off, I want you,no,I don’t….)Perhaps closure of this particularly relationship might be a good thing for both the characters and for the storyline.
Outstanding new book in the Ruth Galloway series with new dimensions and relationships for the characters plus a good mystery adventure in Europe.
Ruth is back, and this time takes off for Italy with Kate and companions to consult with an old lover on a newly-discovered mystery fully-articulated skeleton. Unfortunately, she doesn’t tell Nelson first, and he’s having a hissy fit, plus worries of his own regarding wife Michelle’s pregnancy (also a mystery). Something has to give!
she has a great way with words. I hate long boring passages of description, but she will describe something with a few words that captures the mood, or feelings, or situation that is a joy to read. The plot is as new and interesting as are the rest of her ruth galloway stories.
Becoming reacquainted with the Ruth Galloway Mysteries is easier once we have reached Book 10, The Dark Angel. The title itself is an oxymoron, as we associate dark with evil and angels with light. But, as we read this fantastic novel, we also need to remember that every word contains its opposite. So when all kinds of angels are present — in the name of the town, Castello degli Angeli; in the name of the male archaeologist, Angelo; as well as in statues and buildings — it makes the reader notice them and try to figure out their meaning (or meanings).
The main characters are also old friends we have known and loved – Ruth and Kate, Nelson, Michelle, Shona, but above all (for me), Cathbad. Every time we see him we remember how special he is – not at all eccentric, as many will undoubtedly label him. He adds some mystery but also sensitivity to an otherwise sordid set of circumstances. The new characters also add to the story, and the ambience of the Italian towns and their characteristics (food too, naturally) are portrayed without making them sound alien or quaint. In all, Elly Griffiths manages to recreate these towns and their inhabitants to perfection. We see them and also feel them!
What drew me into the plot even more was the balance towards the end – the paragraphs switching from a scene in Italy to one in England, almost like a tennis game, when you need to turn your head from one player to the other. Some of the scenes are almost replicated in the exchange, and it becomes a real match. And it is indeed like a game — but a deadly one, where we reach the end panting, as we too have become players and have had to run along with the characters.
Everything comes to a close in perfect harmony, but the writer has kept two cards up her sleeve. We are left as Ruth is waiting for the gate for her flight to be called – “It’s a strange in-between place…, neither Italy nor England, neither earth nor air, …like the liminal zone between life and death.” And we shall have to wait until the next book to leave this zone and learn the outcome of one key aspect of the narrative, as well as of another one pertaining to the information in the new message on Ruth’s phone. We shall then, and only then, be able to leave this in-between zone that Elly Griffiths has masterfully created.
Loved it can’ wait till next in series
I have not read it yet. All her books are great. This one comes out soon.
I’m a fan of all of Elly Griffiths books