Review: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

This is a new series for me, recommended by several fellow readers on LibraryThing. I really didn't need another series to follow, but since there are only four, and the first one was available in front of my face at the local library, I thought I'd give it a try. I had planned to read it in September for the series and sequels bash, but just because I didn't make that deadline wasn't a reason to abandon it.
The publisher tells us

When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, quirky, tart-tongued archaeologist Ruth Galloway lives happily alone in a remote area called Saltmarsh near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants--not quite earth, not quite sea.
When a child's bones are found on a desolate beach nearby, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson calls Galloway for help. Nelson thinks he has found the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing ten years ago. Since her disappearance he has been receiving bizarre letters about her, letters with references to ritual and sacrifice. The bones actually turn out to be two thousand years old, but Ruth is soon drawn into the Lucy Downey case and into the mind of the letter writer, who seems to have both archaeological knowledge and eerie psychic powers. Then another child goes missing and the hunt is on to find her. As the letter writer moves closer and the windswept Norfolk landscape exerts its power, Ruth finds herself in completely new territory--and in serious danger. The Crossing Places marks the beginning of a captivating new crime series featuring an irresistible heroine.

Archaeologist Ruth Galloway's smart-aleck attitude is the perfect foil for curmudgeonly detective Harry Nelson.  The wide and rich span of attitudes, life experiences and motives of all the players in this mystery. along with well-sketched descriptions of the Saltmarshes where Ruth lives, give the reader a host of suspects and allows for some spectacular plot twists.  There's something for everyone in this story, and I'm ready for the next one in the series.  Ruth and Harry both have lots of room to grow and Griffiths appears to have the skills to take these stories forward to the next adventure.

Author: Elly Griffiths
Publisher-Format: Mariner Books (2010), Paperback, 320 pages
Subject: missing children, archaeology
Setting: salt flats in Norfolk England
Series: Ruth Galloway #1
Genre: mystery- amateur detective
Source: public library