There is unexplained death of course, and hints of more other-worldly happenings alluded to in an earlier book. I've read a stand-alone by this author and she did a decent job but this series of hers is just terrible and I can't believe her publisher continues with it! Dr Ruth Galloway and DI Harry Nelson are developing into well rounded characters with plenty happening in each book to keep the reader engaged. You're not good at suspense anyway, you might as well have written that Ruth spent hours squinting at the skeleton like serious professionals do and then came up with the answer.

Meanwhile, there's a heated stoush brewing over the retention by the Smith family of several Australian Aboriginal skulls, other remains and artifacts, that are currently poorly cared for in the museum's basement. We revisit old characters and meet some new ones, and the complicated lives and relationships continue to unfold. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. She’s an uncommon, down-to-earth heroine whose acute insight, wry humor, and depth of feeling make her a thoroughly engaging companion.BUT, it doesn't dominate the storyline, and the solution was something I had never thought of, and really very clever. There are a couple of characters that are far from ordinary and, of course, strange things happen to them. Each character approaches the strange happenings in different ways, allowing the reader to find the answer that suits them.

I am thinking about creating a new shelf for the Galloway series - "coronavirus escapes," which will include anything I have read since March 2020 that helps me avoid the present reality.Aboriginal bones, animal cruelty, animal rights activists leaving deadly presents (an asp in an envelope? Nelson's wife, Michelle having become aware of this fact in the closing lines of the previous book has created inevitable complications in Ruth and Harry’s professional and personal relationship. Not surprising then that when the opportunity arises to renew her acquaintance with Max, she embraces it fully! She has found Roman bodies buried under walls, offerings to Janus, the two-faced God, and she has unearthed the bones of soldiers killed only seventy years ago. Another case for DI Nelson and it is not long before the dead body of the museum's owner lies dead in his stables too.