Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway novels (*possible spoilers)

Sam is in her 40s. Just saying.

She's over 60 now.

Caroline quintin is surely too old to play someone who gets pregnant /has a small baby. She must be in her 50s?

I am on a Facebook group that discusses this (with tedious regularity). Lots of people favour Caroline Quentin for Ruth. (NOOOOO) Or Ruth Jones.

My favourite suggestion (and only one that I have though "yep, maybe" is Katy Wix.

Hmmm. I think casting is a very difficult one and so it's possibly a good thing it's not my job! I'd certainly like to see some unknowns or relative unknowns and not the usual faces. Good actors, possibly with their roots firmly in theatre. I think if you get the right Ruth, everyone else will fall into place. Not an unknown at all, but a departure from her usual work - I'd like to suggest the multi-faceted, seriously talented, very human and highly relatable Samantha Morton. There, I've stuck my neck out. Anyone else?

I love the Ruth Galloway books, the sense of place is the best thing , then the characters/ relationships - the plot comes at the bottom for me, although if it is too stupid it does throw me out.
I do like the Brighton ones too, but am a bit pedantic about some of the things people say and do which doesn't seem to fit with the era - the policeman coming home to his small rented flat/ boarding house and having a shower for example, I wasn't convinced showers were a thing then, especially in boarding houses/ rented flats/ whatever.
I have just read Nicci French's Frieda Klein series which I feel has a similar vibe, with a professional, single, slightly prickly woman (well quite a lot prickly in Frieda's case) implausibly getting involved in murder after murder given their job is nothing to do with the police, and dancing round relationships. There is an attempt at tying those books to geography, they are all based around one of London's "hidden" rivers, but I am not sure that really works they do seem shoehorned in at times.

I always imagined that Ruth lived either near Holme next the sea because of seahenge or at Ongar Hill. I got lost at Ongar Hill once and it was exactly how I imagined where Ruth would live.

I've often thought they'd make good TV dramas, but I'm sure the wrong people would be cast and it would ruin them. That said, I'm not really sure who would be right 😆

I finished The Crossing Places, sped through The Janus Stone like Nelson's driving and have started The House at Sea's End. I'd watch this as a TV series and Norfolk is so photogenic.

I'd recommend the Bruno series by Martin Walker. Set in France they will make you want to cook and eat!

Sorry, I think #2 in the Devon series is due out this month. I still occasionally read books in advance of publication as well as ones that have been out for a while, via Netgalley - a website that provides advance ebook copies to reviewers and bloggers as well as to people working in books. I've been shockingly bad at actually reviewing what I read but I do try to at least share recommendations and hope people will buy them.

@bloodybridget

You can try the 8 books mostly set in Sussex - #6 in the historical Brighton series is due out this month, and then there are 2 featuring 21st century detective Harbinder Kaur.

Her kids' series features Justice Jones, set in a boarding school - I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried them out on tween daughters or nieces

As well as her 9 Vera books, Ann Cleeves has written 8 set in Shetland, 2 so far of her newest series set in north Devon and a much older series I know nothing about - about 8 books I think

Denise Mina, Alex Morrow series - 5 books - her older books are excellent as well, and I have to catch up with the standalones - Glasgow
Ian Rankin, Rebus - 24? books
Peter Robinson, Alan Banks series - North Yorkshire - 25/26
Mark Billingham, Tom Thorne - north London - 17 books
Peter Lovesey, Peter Diamond - Bath - 18 books

Historical - Frances Brody, Kate Shackleton series 12 books

Or there's the Ann Cleeves' more gritty series of 9 books set in Northumberland, starting with The Crow Trap. The TV series Vera is based on them. For something even grittier with a forensic science focus and set across the pond in Richmond, Virginia, there's Patricia Cornwell's Dr Kay Scarpetta series of 25 books, starting with Postmortem. Not forgetting good old Agatha Christie of course with over 60 books in her Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series. That's about 150 books in total to keep you going if you like any of them.

I think two of you have said that Blue Ted did exist. Thank you for that. It was one of my questions.

I'm just listening to The Ghost Fields on audible (already read them all) and Blue Ted was mentioned! This one though has a different reader than the others and I'm sorry to say I don't like her as much. Cathbad is pronounced as spelled in all the audio versions I've listened to. I love the series, massive comfort read for me. I know it's not too realistic at times but I don't care!

I used to really like the Ruth Galloway mysteries but the last few I have read have ended with stupid Keystone Kops chases around the marshes with Ruth or some other character in danger and it has really put me off them.

I don't live a huge distance away from the places she writes about. Not having been in that area since the 2020 start of Lockdown, I actually went to Wells next the Sea yesterday, but I didn't hunt for the primary school! I'll save that for a day when I'm on my own.

I once went to hunt for a place away from a main road in Norfolk. It was a place which Ruth and Frank went to. I can't remember which book it was in. I think they discovered something there.

It's no different from walking in Bath, with Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliott. You'll be telling me next that they were only the figments of someone's imagination.

The Saltmarsh, henge, King's Lynn police force and University of North Norfolk are all imaginary, as Elly says in the Acknowledgements. She also mentions having read Seahenge by Francis Pryor, about the Bronze Age henge found, as a pp says, at Holme-next-the-Sea.

Should be The Crossing Places, not Place.