Reading order · 15 books · 2009 to 2023 · Set in King's Lynn
Ruth Galloway Books in Order
Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist at a university in Norfolk, a happily single woman who lives with her cats on the edge of the bleak saltmarsh. When bones are found, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson calls her in. Atmospheric mysteries rich in archaeology and folklore, with the druid Cathbad and a memorable cast.
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Series facts
- Books
- 15
- Published
- 2009 to 2023
- First book
- The Crossing Places
- Latest
- The Last Remains (2023)
- Setting
- Set in King's Lynn
The reading order
Every Ruth Galloway book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
15 books · Set in King's Lynn
- 1The Crossing Places2009With Ruth GallowayRuth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist, is asked by Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson to look at bones found on the Norfolk saltmarsh.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Janus Stone2010With Ruth GallowayThe bones of a child are found beneath a doorway in a house that was once a children’s home in Norwich.Buy on Amazon
- 3The House at Sea’s End2011With Ruth GallowaySix bodies are found at the foot of a crumbling cliff in Norfolk, and the evidence suggests they died during the Second World War.Buy on Amazon
- 4A Room Full of Bones2011With Ruth GallowayA museum curator is found dead beside the coffin of a medieval bishop he was about to open.Buy on Amazon
- 5Dying Fall2012With Ruth GallowayAn old university friend of Ruth’s dies in a fire, shortly after telling her about an extraordinary find, and Ruth travels to Lancashire.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Outcast Dead2014With Ruth GallowayRuth is excavating the remains of a notorious Victorian child murderer, while in the present day, a child goes missing.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Ghost Fields2015With Ruth GallowayA Second World War plane is uncovered by builders in a Norfolk field, and inside is a body that should not be there.Buy on Amazon
- 8The Woman in Blue2016With Ruth GallowayCathbad sees a vision of a woman in a blue cloak in a graveyard in the pilgrimage village of Walsingham, and the next day a woman is found dead.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Chalk Pit2017With Ruth GallowayBones are found in the old chalk tunnels beneath Norwich, while a homeless woman disappears.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Dark Angel2018With Ruth GallowayRuth is invited to Italy to examine bones in a small mountain village, and Nelson faces trouble at home.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Stone Circle2019With Ruth GallowayNelson receives anonymous letters like the ones that began their first case, and the bones of a girl are found at a prehistoric stone circle.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Lantern Men2020With Ruth GallowayA convicted killer offers to tell Nelson where more bodies are buried, but only if Ruth does the digging.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Night Hawks2021With Ruth GallowayA group of metal detectorists known as the Night Hawks find a body on a Norfolk beach.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Locked Room2022With Ruth GallowayAs Britain goes into lockdown, Ruth finds a photograph of her late mother outside a cottage in Norfolk, while Nelson investigates a series of deaths.Buy on Amazon
- 15The Last Remains2023With Ruth GallowayBuilders find a skeleton in a bricked-up room of a café in Norwich, and Ruth identifies it as a young woman who went missing years ago.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Crossing Places. Ruth’s life and her relationship with Nelson develop through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Ruth Galloway | Harry Nelson | Cathbad | Michelle Nelson | Judy Johnson | Dave Clough | Kate | Frank Barker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Crossing Places | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 2 The Janus Stone | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 3 The House at Sea’s End | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 4 A Room Full of Bones | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 5 Dying Fall | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 6 The Outcast Dead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 7 The Ghost Fields | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 8 The Woman in Blue | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 9 The Chalk Pit | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 10 The Dark Angel | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 11 The Stone Circle | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 12 The Lantern Men | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 13 The Night Hawks | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 14 The Locked Room | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 15 The Last Remains | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Ruth Galloway books
8 characters from Elly Griffiths’s chart, with the number of Ruth Galloway books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Ruth GallowayForensic archaeologist at the University of North Norfolk | 15 | The Crossing Places 2009 |
| Harry NelsonDetective Chief Inspector | 15 | The Crossing Places 2009 |
| CathbadDruid and Ruth’s friend | 15 | The Crossing Places 2009 |
| Michelle NelsonNelson’s wife | 15 | The Crossing Places 2009 |
| Judy JohnsonDetective Sergeant, Cathbad’s partner | 15 | The Crossing Places 2009 |
| Dave CloughDetective Sergeant | 15 | The Crossing Places 2009 |
| KateRuth’s daughter | 13 | The House at Sea’s End 2011 |
| Frank BarkerAmerican historian | 4 | The Outcast Dead 2014 |