The Outcast Dead

Historical crimes involving a Victorian child killer may hold the key to several contemporary deaths in this macabre outing for Dr Ruth Galloway, forensic archaeologist. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves.'Told with a deepening sense of the unease, seasoned with a touch of the occult' Daily MailRuth has excavated a body from the grounds of Norwich Castle, which was once a prison. The body may be that of Victorian murderess Jemima Green. Called Mother Hook for her claw-like hand, Jemima was hanged for the murder of five children. DCI Harry Nelson has no time for long-ago killers. Investigating the case of three infants found dead, one after the other, in their King's Lynn home, he's convinced that their mother is responsible. Then a child goes missing. Could the abduction be linked to the long-dead Mother Hook? Ruth is pulled into the case, and back towards Nelson. Review Told with a deepening sense of unease, seasoned with a touch of the occult ― Daily Mail If forensics, history, detectives, romance and some psychologically impaired individuals are your bag, this novel delivers them all ... The twist at the end will have you in a spin ― The Sun A compassionate novel that raises questions about parental love and guilt. ― Sunday Times Griffiths lovingly develops the complicated, often testy relationships between the continuing characters ― Kirkus Reviews Book Description Historical crimes involving a Victorian child killer may hold the key to several contemporary deaths in this macabre outing for Dr Ruth Galloway, forensic archaeologist. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves. Author Bio Elly Griffiths was born in London. She worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. Her bestselling series of Dr Ruth Galloway novels, featuring a forensic archaeologist, are set in Norfolk. The series has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, and has been shortlisted three times for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her Brighton-based mystery series is set in the 1950s and 1960s. Elly has also written a standalone mystery, The Stranger Diaries, which was a Richard & Judy bestseller and won America's most coveted accolade for crime fiction, the Edgar Award. Elly lives near Brighton with her husband, an archaeologist, and their cat, Gus.