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THE JANUS STONE
by Elly Griffiths
Quercus, February 2010
320 pages
12.99 GBP
ISBN: 1849161585


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Ruth Galloway is a respected forensic archaeologist. She's slightly overweight, rather anti-social – and a thoroughly appealing lead character.

THE CROSSING PLACE introduced us to Ruth and her beloved remote cottage on the salt marshes of East Anglia. In her second outing, author Elly Griffiths reunites our heroine with the testy DCI Harry Nelson and provides us with another hefty – and highly atmospheric – dollop of archaeology.

When we left Ruth at the end of THE CROSSING PLACE, her previously straightforward private life looked like it was about to descend into turmoil. That turns out to be the case – but Griffiths, fortunately, doesn't let it overwhelm the plot or descend into melodrama.

In THE JANUS STONE Ruth is called in to advise when builders demolishing a former children's home discover the skeleton of a child – minus its skull – beneath a doorway. Harry Nelson has to discover whether it's a ritual sacrifice or murder.

As the investigations continue, the Catholic priest who used to be in charge of the home reveals that a brother and sister disappeared 40 years previously and were never found. And someone seems very determined to stop Ruth asking questions about the bones.

Griffiths hurries us on from the Iron Age history in THE CROSSING PLACE to Roman finds in THE JANUS STONE. And she strikes just the right balance between giving the book its individuality and burying the plot with too much information.

If you read THE CROSSING PLACE, you'll know that archaeologists seem to be a pretty rum lot! That's pretty much true of the latest book as well, although Griffiths's capable characterisation never descends into stereotypes. The complex relationship between Ruth and Nelson is rightly the focus of the book – and is handled with believable deftness. I'm particularly fond of Cathbad, a lab assistant by day and a druid by night, but Ruth's ghastly born-again Christian parents, sleeping-around best mate Shona and spineless boss Phil are all immensely believable.

Griffiths is one of the few writers who convinces me that she needs to use the present tense. Generally it gives THE JANUS STONE its immediacy and energy, but occasionally Griffiths writes herself into a corner when she needs flashbacks or the characters to reflect on something.

The whodunit isn't too unexpected, as it hinges on one fairly weak justification. But the characters and the dry wit make the book soar and ensure it's another must-read.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, February 2010

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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