100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

New on the blog! πŸ‡―πŸ‡΅ Japanese Healing Fiction & β˜• The Perfect Winter Reads

The Crossing Places

Ruth Galloway's first mystery - start this megaselling series here
3.93 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 64,208 ratings, 6,434 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths, readers are introduced to Dr Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist called upon to examine bones found near a coastal salt marsh. The discovery links to a decade-old missing person's case. As Ruth joins forces with DCI Harry Nelson, a mysterious series of letters entwined with ancient rituals adds layers of intrigue, drawing them deeper into danger.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2600
Elsewhere:
$2799
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy atmospheric mysteries set on eerie coastlines, interwoven with archaeology and intriguing character dynamics. Elly Griffiths crafts a compelling narrative featuring a strong female protagonist, which combines elements of suspense and the unraveling of ancient secrets. Fans of crime and thrillers with a unique twist will likely find this story captivating.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway is called in when child's bones are discovered on the windswept Norfolk marshes and a missing person case becomes a murder investigation.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Start right here! Discover the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and become obsessed with one of the most popular crime series in Britain.

'Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse' The Times

'I've never before read a crime novel in which archaeology and detection blend as successfully as in The Crossing Places' Shots

Dr Ruth Galloway is called in when a child's bones are discovered near a prehistoric site on the north Norfolk salt marshes. Are they the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years earlier - or are the bones much older?

DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for the missing girl. Since she vanished, someone has been sending him creepy anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice. He knows that Ruth's expertise and experience could help him finally to put this case to rest.

But when a second child goes missing, Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she's getting ever closer to the truth.

'Captivating! A quick, thrilling read that ends making you want to read Book 2 immediately!' 5* READER REVIEW

'I really enjoyed this book, the story kept me gripped to the end! Would definitely recommend it' 5* READER REVIEW

'Ruth is such an empathetic character, clever and warm yet she has human weaknesses' 5* READER REVIEW

'I envy those coming of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. They are in for a total treat' 5* READER REVIEW

'Atmospheric and character-driven, I'd no sooner finished this first book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series than I was reaching for the second' 5* READER REVIEW

Series: The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries

View all
  • A Room Full of Bones
    WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. Halloween night, and the dead are closer than ever for Dr Ruth Galloway. She is used to long-dead bodies, but a fresh corpse in the middle of a museum is a new challenge. The fourth beguiling Dr Ruth Galloway mystery. 'A wonderfully rich mix of ancient and contemporary' Guardian It is...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Dark Angel
    The Sunday Times Bestseller 'My favourite current crime series' Val McDermid Dr Ruth Galloway is flattered when she receives a letter from Italian archaeologist Dr Angelo Morelli, asking for her help. He's discovered a group of bones in a tiny hilltop village near Rome but doesn't know what to make of them. It's years since Ruth has had a holiday,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Night Hawks
    'SET IN DIVINE NORTH NORFOLK. INTENSELY ATMOSPHERIC AND GREAT' – India Knight Dr Ruth Galloway returns to the moody and beautiful landscape of North Norfolk to confront another killer. A devastating new case for our favourite forensic archaeologist in this acclaimed and bestselling crime series. The Night Hawks, a group of metal detectorists, are searching for buried treasure when they...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Stone Circle
    'My favourite series' Val McDermid DCI Nelson has been receiving threatening letters telling him to 'go to the stone circle and rescue the innocent who is buried there'. He is shaken, not only because children are very much on his mind, with Michelle's baby due to be born, but because although the letters are anonymous, they are somehow familiar. They...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Crossing Places
    Start right here! Discover the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and become obsessed with one of the most popular crime series in Britain. 'Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse' The Times 'I've never before read a crime novel in which archaeology and detection blend as successfully as in The Crossing Places' Shots Dr Ruth Galloway is called in...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Woman In Blue
    When Ruth's friend Cathbad sees a vision of the Virgin Mary, in a white gown and blue cloak, in Walsingham's graveyard, he takes it in his stride. Walsingham has strong connections to Mary, and Cathbad is a druid after all; visions come with the job. But when the body of a woman in a blue dressing-gown is found dead the...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Ghost Fields
    WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. A bullet-ridden body is unearthed from a buried WW2 plane, but the body isn't from WW2. Dr Ruth Galloway must discover who the victim was, and who put him there, in this atmospheric mystery for fans of Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves. 'An almost gothic plot, involving family feuds and a...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2699
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Locked Room
    THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson are on the hunt for a murderer when Covid rears its ugly head. But can they find the killer despite lockdown? 'GALLOWAY NOW SEEMS AS REAL AS MARPLE AND MORSE' The Times 'INTENSELY ATMOSPHERIC AND GREAT' India Knight Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth is in London...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Last Remains
    The Sunday Times Bestseller and Final Instalment of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries Ruth and DCI Nelson are working on a murder case in which their friend Cathbad emerges as the prime suspect. Can they uncover the truth in time to save him? 'Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse' The Times When builders renovating a cafΓ© in...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The House at Sea's End
    WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. The shadow of the Second World War looms dark over the third chilling mystery for Dr Ruth Galloway. Some buried secrets shouldn't be uncovered. 'A melancholy setting, an eerie discovery, a lone investigator... perfect for the long winter evening' Financial Times Dr Ruth Galloway is called in by a team of...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Janus Stone
    A gruesome discovery at an old children's home lays bare terrible secrets from Norwich's past in the second gripping mystery for Dr Ruth Galloway. The setting is enticingly atmospheric . . . a really intelligent murder story' Independent Dr Ruth Galloway's forensic skills are called upon when builders, demolishing an old house in Norwich, uncover the bones of a childβ€”minus...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Chalk Pit
    I refuse to apologise for being in love with Dr Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson... one of my favourite current crime series... a pleasure from start to finish. Val McDermid WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. Boiled human bones have been found in Norwich's web of underground tunnels. When Dr Ruth Galloway discovers they were recently...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Elly Griffiths' crime and thriller novel The Crossing Places is praised for skilfully blending myth and modern detection methods. It has been described as an outstanding series by the Guardian, well-researched and original by the Literary Review, and it successfully combines archaeology with crime fiction elements. The novel's characterisation and narrative style are highlighted as particularly exceptional.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786481863

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 June 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Quercus Publishing

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 230g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Elly Griffiths is the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and the Brighton Mysteries. She has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, has been shortlisted five times for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for The Lantern Men. Her new series featuring Detective Harbinder Kaur began with The Stranger Diaries, which was a Richard and Judy book club pick and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in the USA. It was followed by The Postscript Murders, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and Bleeding Heart Yard. Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband.

Also by Elly Griffiths

View all
  • The Frozen People
    A brand new series about a police officer with an extraordinary gift, the ability to travel in time. From No. 1 bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries - sparks fly and love ignites when past and present meet. SOME MURDERS CAN'T BE SOLVED IN JUST ONE LIFETIME. Ali Dawson is a police officer working on crimes so old,...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Marple: Twelve New Stories
    Marple: Twelve New Stories is a tantalising collection of short stories that reintroduces the legendary detective Jane Marple. This anthology, crafted by twelve bestselling and acclaimed authors, breathes new life into one of Agatha Christie's most beloved characters. Each author brings their unique voice and perspective to Miss Marple, whilst masterfully preserving the hallmarks of a traditional mystery. The tales...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Janus Stone
    A gruesome discovery at an old children's home lays bare terrible secrets from Norwich's past in the second gripping mystery for Dr Ruth Galloway. The setting is enticingly atmospheric . . . a really intelligent murder story' Independent Dr Ruth Galloway's forensic skills are called upon when builders, demolishing an old house in Norwich, uncover the bones of a childβ€”minus...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Night Hawks
    'SET IN DIVINE NORTH NORFOLK. INTENSELY ATMOSPHERIC AND GREAT' – India Knight Dr Ruth Galloway returns to the moody and beautiful landscape of North Norfolk to confront another killer. A devastating new case for our favourite forensic archaeologist in this acclaimed and bestselling crime series. The Night Hawks, a group of metal detectorists, are searching for buried treasure when they...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Dark Angel
    The Sunday Times Bestseller 'My favourite current crime series' Val McDermid Dr Ruth Galloway is flattered when she receives a letter from Italian archaeologist Dr Angelo Morelli, asking for her help. He's discovered a group of bones in a tiny hilltop village near Rome but doesn't know what to make of them. It's years since Ruth has had a holiday,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Room Full of Bones
    WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. Halloween night, and the dead are closer than ever for Dr Ruth Galloway. She is used to long-dead bodies, but a fresh corpse in the middle of a museum is a new challenge. The fourth beguiling Dr Ruth Galloway mystery. 'A wonderfully rich mix of ancient and contemporary' Guardian It is...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Marple: Twelve New Stories
    A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors. This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Locked Room
    THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson are on the hunt for a murderer when Covid rears its ugly head. But can they find the killer despite lockdown? 'GALLOWAY NOW SEEMS AS REAL AS MARPLE AND MORSE' The Times 'INTENSELY ATMOSPHERIC AND GREAT' India Knight Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth is in London...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Ghost Fields
    WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. A bullet-ridden body is unearthed from a buried WW2 plane, but the body isn't from WW2. Dr Ruth Galloway must discover who the victim was, and who put him there, in this atmospheric mystery for fans of Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves. 'An almost gothic plot, involving family feuds and a...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2699
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The House at Sea's End
    WINNER OF THE 2016 CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY. The shadow of the Second World War looms dark over the third chilling mystery for Dr Ruth Galloway. Some buried secrets shouldn't be uncovered. 'A melancholy setting, an eerie discovery, a lone investigator... perfect for the long winter evening' Financial Times Dr Ruth Galloway is called in by a team of...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Stone Circle
    'My favourite series' Val McDermid DCI Nelson has been receiving threatening letters telling him to 'go to the stone circle and rescue the innocent who is buried there'. He is shaken, not only because children are very much on his mind, with Michelle's baby due to be born, but because although the letters are anonymous, they are somehow familiar. They...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Last Remains
    The Sunday Times Bestseller and Final Instalment of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries Ruth and DCI Nelson are working on a murder case in which their friend Cathbad emerges as the prime suspect. Can they uncover the truth in time to save him? 'Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse' The Times When builders renovating a cafΓ© in...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

More from Crime & Thriller

View all
  • New Release
    It Could Have Been Her
    PREPARE TO BE HOOKED: The no. 1Β Sunday TimesΒ and MULTI-million-copy bestselling author is back with a brand-new spine tingling thriller. It was the night she almost died. Jane Trevally, newly divorced and feeling a little lost, agrees to accompany a man she doesn't know to his house in the darkest corner of Hampstead Heath. She's offered a drink, goes in, and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    26 Beauties
    The twenty-sixth thrilling novel in the globally bestselling Women's Murder Club series. Beautiful young women are disappearing by the dozen. A celebration is cut short when a concerned father crashes Detective Inspector Lindsay Boxer's party. His daughter is missing - and she's not the only one. DI Lindsay Boxer has been tracking a chilling pattern: a Jane Doe washed ashore,...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    The Secrets We Hide
    The stunning new North Falls thriller by the bestselling author ofΒ We Are All Guilty Here 'Quite simply, Karin Slaughter is the best of us' Dervla McTiernan Welcome back to North Falls -- a small town with big secrets. The house at 1601 Iris Drive looks like any other in the quiet, residential street. But rumours are rife about the Vickery...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Hope Rises
    'BALDACCI IS STILL PEERLESS' - THE SUNDAY TIMES REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD . . . Walter Nash, working under the alias of Dillon Hope, is on the road to revenge after becoming an informant for the FBI against a global criminal operation headed up by Victoria Steers. Steers has ripped everything Nash held dear away from him....
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Slash
    A year after a brutal shootout left her lover dead, ex-police sergeant Honey Chalmers is a hot mess, drinking too much and eating too little, working casual gigs for a shady firm of private investigators β€” while holding conversations with a ghost. A desperate father asks her to investigate his missing son β€” a double-murder suspect last seen during the...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    A River Red With Blood
    The players call it the Game, and its aim is simple: to abduct and kill a stranger without getting caught. They're very good at it. They've been playing it for a long time. And they can keep playing as long as everyone sticks to the rules: No Killing Close to Home and No Killing Outside the Game. But those rules...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Shadow Step
    The new Detective Miller thriller from bestselling author Mark Billingham, full of tension, wit and incredible twists. The Shadow Step: One taken simultaneously by a pair of dancers facing the same direction, one of them behind and slightly shifted leftwards ('in the shadow') Typically, such a step perfectly demonstrates synchronized elegance. It showcases a couple in near telepathic harmony with...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Backorder
    Ships mid August
  • New Release
    Some Sort of Justice
    The first time in print for the million-copy-selling crime writer. This time, a cast of good coppers, a wily ex-detective and a shadowy, well-connected operative are brought together by an aristocratic fatality. Only there's no body, no forensicsβ€”and enemies in the highest places. When Caroline Thorpe succeeded in casting doubt on the verdict of the inquest into her brother's death,...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Ending Writes Itself
    Secrets don't stay secret for long in publishing Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to write the ending that will change their lives. β€˜This is a house of novelists, not murderers. You dream up crimes. You don’t commit them.’ β€˜But a writer has. And so, who better than a writer to catch them?’ World famous author Arthur Fletch is...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Neighbourhood Watch
    Neighbourhood Watch is a sharp, stylish thriller with a killer opening hook, a generous dose of dark humour, and a truly distinctive voice. ― Christian White The annual Curlew Street scarecrow competition is back, and the residents of Melbourne’s inner north have never seen an entry like it. Shirt bloody, head and arms slumped over a scarecrow crucifix: Victoria’s most...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • For All the Dead Girls
    Tough and gutsy PI Lou Alcott returns with a terrifyingly gritty new case that takes her deep into the dark web. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Bublitz and Jane Caro. While juggling a missing person case with unexpected ties close to home and saving an innocent woman and her child from a dangerous domestic situation, Lou ends up in the...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Don’t Let Him In
    Prepare to be hookedβ€”the no. 1 Sunday Times and multi-million-copy bestselling author is back with a brand-new, spine-tingling thriller. He's the perfect man. He says he loves you. You think he might even be made for you. Before long he's moved into your houseβ€”and into your heart. And then he leaves for days at a time. You don't know where...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.