The House at Sea's End - Elly Griffiths

The House at Sea's End is the third book in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. I read the first two books in the series over a year ago & enjoyed them very much. However, I was going through my anti-crime fiction period when this was published last year so I've only just gotten around to reading it.

Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist living on the Norfolk coast. She's often called in to help the police when bones are discovered. This is how she met DCI Harry Nelson. The immediate attraction between Ruth & Harry resulted in Ruth's pregnancy after a one night stand. Ruth decided to continue with the pregnancy alone as Harry is married & neither of them really wanted a relationship. The tentative relationship that has developed between Ruth & Harry is the main attraction of this series for me. Ruth is an unconventional heroine. Overweight, unfashionable, a loner, & now, juggling work with caring for her daughter, Kate. Harry is a native of Blackpool & only moved to Norfolk at the urging of his wife, Michelle, when promotion beckoned. Harry is blunt & touchy but a good policeman who is confused by his feelings for Ruth & overwhelmed by his love for hid new daughter. He also loves his wife & their two daughters. By the end of this book, the well-kept secret of Kate's parentage looks as though it may be about to crack.

The investigation involves the discovery of six skeletons on a remote section of the coastline where erosion has revealed their burial place.  The skeletons had their hands tied & the men had been shot in the back of the head. When isotope analysis discloses that they were of German origin, attention turns to the legend that German troops had attempted to invade Britain along the Norfolk coast, during WWII. On the cliffs above, Sea's End House, owned by politician Jack Hastings, is also affected by erosion & looks as though it will topple into the sea at any moment. The Hastings family have lived in Broughton for generations & Jack's father had been in charge of the local Home Guard. Could the skeletons have been part of an advance force sent by the Germans? If so, how did they die? Then two old men, former members of Broughton's Home Guard, die in suspicious circumstances, just as they were about to talk to a German academic who is researching the aborted invasion. The WWII mystery of the German soldiers suddenly becomes a modern murder investigation. Ruth's investigation of the historic remains intersects with Harry's search for the truth as the elderly survivors of the Home Guard are conveniently murdered before they can talk.

I do enjoy this series. The setting is atmospheric. Ruth lives in a desolate area called the Saltmarsh with no neighbours for miles. Ruth has few friends. Old school friend, Shona, & the druid, Cathbad, who is sometimes a little too perceptive for Ruth's comfort. As I said earlier, the relationship between Ruth & Harry is very subtly handled & is always interesting. I don't usually like present tense narration & it always disconcerts me although, I must say, once I'm into the story, I don't notice it. My main complaint is that Ruth is in peril of her life at the end of every book & I'm a bit sick of it. I enjoyed the setting up & investigation but the dénouement left me cold. I think we've had every variation on Ruth being attacked in her lonely house, on the marshes, on a remote beach with the tide coming in etc etc. I know it's fiction but I would love Ruth to get to the end of the book with a little less effort next time! The new book in the series, A Room Full of Bones, has just been published. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not sure when I'll post my next book review as I've done very little reading since Tuesday when my copy of series 2 of Sherlock arrived in the post. The first series of Sherlock was one of my TV highlights of last year & I couldn't wait for the new series to come to a TV screen near me so I ordered the DVD as soon as it was available. Martin Edwards has reviewed all three episodes on his blog. It is brilliant. I've watched two episodes & I'm looking forward to watching the third tonight. I love the way the writers have updated the original stories so cleverly. I could go on & on but the allusions to the originals (Geek Interpreter, Speckled Blonde), the number of direct quotes from the original stories, usually from Sherlock are so well-done. The way that the relationship between Holmes & Watson has been updated but not changed in essentials. The excellent performances from Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman. I've read the Conan Doyle stories many times & I can't help but think that knowing the originals adds to the enjoyment of watching Sherlock.

DVD splurge

I’ve had a little splurge on DVDs at Amazon. Having too many unwatched DVDs is a vice only comparable to the number of unread books I have on those tbr shelves. If I live to be 100, & keep working full time, I probably have as much chance of watching all these DVDs as I have of reading all my books. Still, as vices go, it’s a pretty harmless one. The only threat is putting on too much weight if I watch DVDs instead of getting out into the garden or taking the occasional walk. This current splurge started when I heard from several members of my online book group about the new version of Sherlock Holmes with Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman. I’ve just watched the first episode, A Study in Pink, & I thought it was brilliant.

Set in contemporary London, it has all the aspects of the original stories that I love so much. Holmes is brilliant but odd. He seems even odder but somehow more understandable in the present because we’re so much more aware of medical conditions like Asperger’s & mental illnesses like sociopathy. The original Holmes was treated with deference by almost everyone, which I think was partly a class reaction of the period. His eccentricities were seen as brilliance rather than mental illness. The modern Holmes is quite openly called a freak by one of the police officers; the rest of the force, except Lestrade, beautifully played by Rupert Graves, are contemptuous of him & just think he’s a nut. Watson is an army doctor invalided out after serving in Afghanistan, just as the original was. The case involves a series of suicides. The victims have no links, except that they all use the same method of killing themselves. The fourth victim, a woman in a pink suit, is found in an abandoned house. In her last moments, she has scratched RACHE into the floor with her fingernails. Anyone who has read the original story, A Study in Scarlet, can see the resemblances here.

The scene where Holmes & Watson meet for the first time is exactly the same as the original, only the setting & the technology has changed. They decide to share a flat at 221B Baker St. Sherlock walks in & stabs a penknife into the mantelpiece. If he receives any letters, that’s where he will keep them. I wonder whose initials he’ll shoot into the wall? The flat is reminiscent of the Victorian period, it has the armchairs on either side of the fireplace where so many conversations will take place and, of course, their landlady is Mrs Hudson. Cumberbatch & Freeman are terrific in the lead roles. The script is witty, with enough allusions to the original to satisfy the fans but I don’t think it would matter if you hadn’t read the stories. I’m looking forward very much to the other episodes.

Then, I had a look at my Amazon wishlist & chose a few other goodies. The Peter Cushing versions of the Holmes stories were made in the late 60s. I’ve never seen them but they’re generally well-regarded so when I saw this boxset at a bargain price, I had to have it. Trent’s Last Case was another bargain. I’m a Margaret Lockwood fan & I’ve never seen this movie based on the classic novel by E C Bentley.

Then, a couple of classic serials based on books I love. I’ve read Vera Brittain’s Testament of Youth many times & I have the series on video but I couldn’t resist the DVD. Sooner or later my VCR is going to break down – well, that’s my excuse anyway. This is a beautiful adaptation of the classic book about a woman’s experiences during & after WWI. Cheryl Campbell & Rupert Frazer are especially good as Vera & her brother, Edward. Then, the 1970s series of Winifred Holtby’s South Riding with Dorothy Tutin & Nigel Davenport. I’ve never seen this but I loved the book & I love those sprawling 13 part TV series they used to make in the 60s & 70s. Nowadays they tell a story in just a few hours & so much necessarily has had to be left out.

There have been some excellent adaptations in recent years - the latest versions of Jane Eyre, Northanger Abbey & Emma – but also some dreadful ones – the latest Wuthering Heights & Persuasion. I’m looking forward to watching all these new acquisitions, I just have to find the time. Hopefully they'll end up on my excellent list rather than the dreadful one!