Love finds itself right where it longs to be: THE LAST REMAINS

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

The 15th--and supposedly final book--in Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series is basically perfect in every way. I say it in every review of these books, but I find these characters completely beloved, with their own unique expressions and personalities. (I can just picture DCI Nelson exclaiming, "Jesus wept!") We've grown along with Ruth, Nelson, their daughter Kate, Nelson's team, Ruth's druid friend Cathbad, and so many more near and dear characters.

"She feels that she has been fighting things - Covid, the university, her own feelings - for too long."

Things come full circle in REMAINS, with mentions of cases from previous books, along with historical sites Nelson and Ruth have visited (read: been trapped at and/or found someone murdered at) before. It seems like one giant Easter egg for readers, and it's wonderful. We find Ruth at a crossroads, with her university department being shut down. A body is found in a nearby cafe, and when she's called in to excavate, the bones are recent, so she and Nelson must work together once again. The young woman's remains are identified as Emily Pickering, who disappeared in 2002. And we soon learn she knew Cathbad, who is still reeling from having Covid.

The mystery of Emily's murder--and how she was walled up in a cafe--keeps you guessing. It pulls in Cathbad and his partner Judy. Reading about these familiar and loved characters makes me feel so happy and content. And, of course, I love Nelson and Ruth and their attempts to figure out their own complicated relationship. REMAINS is nuanced and detailed--dark at times, but humorous at others (oh Nelson). Its ending was just perfect, and I cried at the end (and again when I read Griffiths note about her dear late cat, Gus). I adore this series and cannot recommend it enough!

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