It’s a change of scene for Dr Ruth Galloway when she is invited to help an archaeologist she knew many years ago, at a dig in a hilltop village near Rome. Dr Angelo Morelli provides Ruth, her daughter Kate and Ruth’s friend Shona with a convenient apartment and they are soon enjoying a holiday alongside TV interviews about the discovered bones. She is glad to be well away from Norfolk where Kate’s father, Harry Nelson, is trying to restore his relationship with his pregnant wife, Michelle.
Ruth is surprised to discover that the villagers in Castello degli Angeli still maintain old feelings and prejudices about the behaviour of individuals during the Second World War. Angelo’s father was a Resistance hero, but some others collaborated with the German army. When she discovers one of the most respected citizens brutally murdered, she begins to feel threatened.
Meanwhile in Norfolk, Nelson is not happy that a criminal with a grudge against him has been released from jail, but the shocked news of an earthquake in the mountains near Rome, cause him to set out immediately for Italy. The encounter between Ruth and Nelson leads to some happy times together, but real life encroaches when both the women in Nelson’s life are in peril.
I was gripped by this tense story full of thrilling implications of imminent tragedy. The change of location brought different motives, but it was interesting to see how much Nelson had in common with the Italian detective. The conclusion was a surprise to me.
The Dark Angel on Amazon UK
Elly Griffiths winner of the Best Author Award from Crime Fiction Lover
My Review of The Crossing Places the first in the Dr Ruth Galloway series.
Lizanne lost in a good book 