1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Britain is in lockdown and Ruth is in danger from those closest to her. Can Nelson save her in time?
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew the book would take place in Tombland, an ancient area around the cathedral in Norwich. Lockdown only added to the spookiness of the setting.
4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life?
Definitely! Although I like parties more than she does.
5–What are three words that describe your sleuth?
Intelligent, private, determined.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learnt a lot about the plague. My book is set during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, but Norwich went through two outbreaks of the plague, in the 14th and 16th centuries. There were some similarities. ‘Watchers’ were appointed. They went round with long sticks to check that people were socially distanced. More grimly, lockdown meant being sealed in your house to die. I also found out about the Grey Lady of Tombland, a very tragic ghost…
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do a light edit as I go along but mostly plough through to the end. Then I go back and fix all the mistakes – although my editor always finds loads more!
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I prefer savory food to sweet. My indulgence would probably be some kind of cheese or olives.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
I’ve got a writing shed in the garden. It’s very peaceful with a distant view of the sea. There’s just room for a desk, chair, and bookcase. Until recently I shared it with my cat, Gus, who sadly died in April, aged 18.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Val McDermid. She doesn’t rest on her laurels, is constantly reinventing herself as a writer and is unfailingly kind to new authors.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is the first book I remember reading by myself. I loved the dreamlike elements: talking animals, secret doorways, Alice getting bigger and smaller. I’m sure you can still find echoes of this book in my work.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
I was in the station car park, waiting to collect a friend. I think I screamed. I was 39 and had wanted to be a writer since I was 11.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
I genuinely love all genres: crime, romance, historical, sci-fi. I read them all!
14–What’s your favorite movie?
The Godfather Part 2.
15–What is your favorite season?
Summer
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With a party! Ideally it would include the beach and swimming at midnight.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Book: The Companion by Lesley Thomson – a creepy Christie-esque murder mystery.
Show: Derry Girls – a comedy set in Northern Ireland in the 80s and early 90s. Very funny – especially for anyone taught by nuns – but also a poignant reminder of the importance of the peace process.
Podcast: Red Hot Chilli Writers – hosted by Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan, brilliant authors who are also extremely funny.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I love to swim in the sea. I’m lucky enough to live near the ocean so I can get to the beach most days. I start in April, when the water is still very cold, but haven’t quite got the nerve to swim all year round. My daughter and I do swim on Christmas Day though.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
THE LOCKED ROOM is out on 28th June. Then there’s BLEEDING HEART YARD, the third book to feature DI Harbinder Kaur, on November 15th. I’ve also got a short story in the new Miss Marple collection, out in September.
THE LOCKED ROOM by Elly Griffiths
The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries #4
Ruth Galloway and DCI 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
‘SET IN DIVINE NORTH NORFOLK. INTENSELY ATMOSPHERIC AND GREAT’ India Knight
Ruth is in London clearing out her mother’s belongings when she makes a surprising discovery: a photograph of her Norfolk cottage taken before Ruth lived there. Her mother always hated the cottage, so why does she have a picture of the place? The only clue is written on the back of the photo: Dawn, 1963.
Ruth returns to Norfolk determined to solve the mystery, but then Covid rears its ugly head. Ruth and her daughter are locked down in their cottage, attempting to continue with work and home-schooling. Happily, the house next door is rented by a nice woman called Zoe, who they become friendly with while standing on their doorsteps clapping for carers.
Nelson, meanwhile, is investigating a series of deaths of women that may or may not be suicide. When he links the deaths to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit the cottage where he finds Ruth chatting to her neighbour whom he remembers as a carer who was once tried for murdering her employer.
Only then her name wasn’t Zoe. It was dawn.
Mystery Woman Sleuth [Quercus, On Sale: June 28, 2022, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780358671398 / eISBN: 9780358694922]
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About Elly Griffiths
Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway novels take for their inspiration Elly’s husband, who gave up a city job to train as an archaeologist, and her aunt who lives on the Norfolk coast and who filled her niece’s head with the myths and legends of that area. Elly has two children and lives near Brighton. Though not her first novel, The Crossing Places is her first crime novel.
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