Happily, the house next door is rented by a nice woman called Zoe, who they become friendly with while standing on their doorsteps clapping for carers.

Ruth and her daughter are locked down in their cottage, attempting to continue with work and home-schooling. Ruth returns to Norfolk determined to solve the mystery, but then Covid rears its ugly head. Her mother always hated the cottage, so why does she have a picture of the place? The only clue is written on the back of the photo: Dawn, 1963. I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on.Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth is in London clearing out her mother's belongings when she makes a surprising discovery: a photograph of her Norfolk cottage taken before Ruth lived there. 'Forensic archeologist and academic Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth-an inspired creation.

I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on.' -Louise Penny Highly atmospheric.' -New York Times Book Review 'Elly Griffiths draws us all the way back to prehistoric times. Readers will look forward to learning more about her.' -USA Today 'Galloway is an everywoman, smart, successful and a little bit unsure of herself. Winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award

PRAISE FOR ELLY GRIFFITHS AND THE RUTH GALLOWAY SERIES But the further Nelson investigates the deaths, the closer he gets to Ruth's isolated cottage-until Ruth, Zoe, and Kate all go missing, and Nelson is left scrambling to find them before it's too late. When he links a case to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit Ruth and enlist her help. Meanwhile, Nelson is investigating a series of deaths of women that may or may not be suicide. They struggle to stave off isolation by clapping for frontline workers each evening and befriending a kind neighbor, Zoe, from a distance. Ruth returns to the cottage to uncover its meaning as Norfolk's first cases of Covid-19 make headlines, leaving her and Kate to shelter in place there. Three years after her mother's death, Ruth is finally sorting through her things when she finds a curious relic: a decades-old photograph of her own Norfolk cottage-before she lived there-with a peculiar inscription on the back. Pandemic lockdowns have Ruth Galloway feeling isolated from everyone but a new neighbor-until Nelson comes calling, investigating a decades-long string of murder-suicides that's looming ever closer, in USA Today Elly Griffiths' penultimate novel in the beloved series.

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