Ruth Galloway Books in Order

by Elly Griffiths · 15 books · ★ 4.6 average rating · Updated 11 October 2026

A forensic archaeologist on England's windswept Norfolk coast is drawn into police investigations whenever old bones surface.

Here is the complete Ruth Galloway reading order — all 15 books by Elly Griffiths, in the order you should read them:

Reading order

1. The Crossing PlacesForensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway is called in when bones are found on the Norfolk salt marshes, drawing her into DCI Harry Nelson's decade-old missing child case.2009312 pages
2. The Janus StoneRuth investigates a child's remains unearthed during the demolition of a former children's home, uncovering a dark history tied to the site.2010336 pages
3. The House at Sea's EndA set of WWII-era skeletons buried in a collapsing Norfolk cliff pulls Ruth into secrets from wartime Britain.2011376 pages
4. A Room Full of BonesThe suspicious death of a museum curator during the opening of a coffin of Aboriginal remains draws Ruth into a case touching colonial history and artifact smuggling.2011352 pages
5. A Dying FallThe suspicious death of an old university friend leads Ruth to a dig in the Lancashire hills where ancient bones and modern extremist violence collide.2012390 pages
6. The Outcast DeadRuth's excavation of a notorious Victorian 'child murderess' coincides with a spate of real child disappearances in Norfolk.2014384 pages
7. The Ghost FieldsThe discovery of a WWII plane wreck containing a body pulls Ruth into a case involving a prominent Norfolk family's buried secrets.2015384 pages
8. The Woman in BlueA series of attacks on pilgrims in the shrine town of Walsingham, alongside a reported ghostly sighting, draws Ruth and Nelson into a case with religious undertones.2016358 pages
9. The Chalk PitBones discovered in Norwich's underground tunnels lead Ruth into an investigation involving the city's homeless community.2017368 pages
10. The Dark AngelA trip to Italy to examine ancient bones turns into a murder investigation that pulls Ruth and Nelson's circle into a case abroad.2018357 pages
11. The Stone CircleAnonymous letters echoing Ruth's very first case accompany an excavation that turns up remains connected to old and new disappearances.2019384 pages
12. The Lantern MenA convicted killer newly released from prison leads Ruth to the supposed burial site of his victims, raising doubts about his guilt.2020368 pages
13. The Night HawksA group of amateur metal detectorists finds a body on a Norfolk beach near a wartime plane wreck holding old secrets.2021
14. The Locked RoomAgainst the backdrop of the pandemic's early days, Ruth investigates a suspicious death that echoes an old unsolved crime.2022352 pages
15. The Last RemainsA decades-old skeleton found during a café renovation reopens a cold case that implicates Ruth's old friend Cathbad.2023

Good news: for this series, reading order and publication order are the same — just read straight down the list.

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