This book is part of a series of mysteries set in Norwich, UK, involving the work of Dr Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist. In this case, some bones are found during an excavation for a restaurant, and the Ruth soon finds that rather than being of medieval date, they’re less than 10 years old. When local homeless people start to disappear, the cases appear to be linked, and Ruth is drawn into the life of DCI Nelson again, the married father of her child.

Although there are recurring characters in this book, I liked that you don’t need to have read previous books to dive into this one. And there are no real spoilers, so you can go back and read earlier ones.

I also really liked the way the crimes revolve around a forensic archaeology, it’s an interesting slant to take on the mystery genre.

The characters play quite a strong role in this book. There are quite a few recurring ones, each with their own personal colour and backstory. You end up liking them a lot and caring about what’s going on in their lives, without it descending into melodrama. The local people and sense of place are part of the charm of this book.

On the whole, I really liked this mystery. I liked the location and the premise, the characters, it’s very well constructed. I did find that the plot wandered away a little and left a plot hole that I didn’t like, but it didn’t really stop me from enjoying the book. It moves along at a nice clip and flows really well, so I powered through it, wanting to know what happened next. It’s also not an overly gruesome story. If you’re looking for a rainy day mystery, this one might please you.

Read It If: you like UK mysteries, add this one to your reading list. It’s a good bestseller type mystery, with an original idea.