The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths

I have recommended several other titles by Elly Griffiths: The Postscript Murders; The Stranger Diaries; and The Dark Angel. Her latest is titled THE LOCKED ROOM and again features Ruth Galloway, a forensic archeologist based in Norfolk, England. In this story, Ruth and her daughter, eleven-year-old Kate, bring several concerns to the police unit run by Harry Nelson, Kate’s father and Ruth’s sometimes lover. This is one of the first books that I have read which directly addresses the 2020 COVID lockdown experience and Griffiths does an excellent job of weaving in points about social distancing, mask wearing, Zoom breakout rooms, and “clapping for the carers” as well as the physical and emotional dangers of the disease. The plot is intricate and includes details about suspicious suicides, unmarried mothers, abuse, kidnapping, rumors of a ghost called The Grey Lady of Tombland, and, of course, an ancient skeleton. Yet, there also is a sense of community and comfort. THE LOCKED ROOM reads quickly – it is entertaining and suspenseful and received a starred review from Booklist.