Review: The Ghost Fields (Ruth Galloway Mysteries, #7)
Gaby Meares
The Ghost Fields is the 7th instalment in the Ruth Galloway series. I recommend reading these books in order, as the book involves a lot of references to what has happened in the lives of the characters in the past.
A plane from the Second World War is found buried in a field. The pilot is still inside. Ruth is called in and quickly reveals that 1) the pilot has been shot in the head and 2) the body has been placed in the plane-wreck in recent years. A local aristocratic family, The Blackstocks, are implicated.
I knew nothing about “the ghost fields”. There are apparently 32 abandoned airfields from World War 2 in Norfolk and Griffiths convincingly conveys their eerie atmosphere. As always, Norfolk is a main character in this book. As my favourite character, Cathbad, a druid and close friend to Ruth, says “the boundaries between land and sea are blurred in Norfolk. That’s what makes it such a special place.” There isn’t as much mysticism in The Ghost Fields as there has been in earlier books. Although Ruth tells Nelson she can tell when death has been from unnatural causes: “A grave is a footprint of disturbance, and [I] think that the disturbance stays in the air and in the land for a very long time.”
Ruth is likeable and relatable. She is a single mum and her daughter Kate is never far from her thoughts. She is constantly worried about getting back in time to collect her, which adds authenticity to her character. Her strained relationship with DCI Nelson, Kate’s father, who has remained with his wife, is honest and messy - just as it would be in real life!