Library Journal
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When a body is found in a downed World War II plane that was accidently uncovered by a construction crew, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson are called in to investigate. The corpse is unusually well preserved, and there is a bullet in the pilot's forehead. In Griffith's seventh Galloway mystery (after The Outcast Dead), the historical focus this time is on the "ghost fields," abandoned airfields once used by the U.S. military during the war. The surrounding land has been in the hands of the Blackstock family for generations and DNA tests link the corpse to the family. No one is talking to the investigators, but attacks on family members and another murder raise the stakes. Even the encroaching sea and Norfolk's dramatic weather add to the suspense as Ruth gets dangerously close to a killer. VERDICT Series fans and readers interested in World War II history will enjoy the detailed research; Ruth and Harry are engagingly human protagonists, and Griffiths neatly wraps up her intriguing mystery to satisfy the pickiest of crime fiction buffs. [See Prepub Alert, 11/1/14.]-Cheryl Bryan, Orleans, MA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.