The Chalk Pit

Summary

In this labyrinthine mystery, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway and DCI Nelson investigate a string of murders and disappearances deep within the abandoned tunnels hidden beneath the streets of Norwich.

Norwich is riddled with old chalk-mining tunnels, but no one’s sure how many. When Ruth is called in to investigate a set of human remains found in one of them, she notices the bones are almost translucent, a sign they were boiled soon after death. Once more, she finds herself at the helm of a murder investigation.

Meanwhile, Nelson is hunting for a missing homeless woman, Barbara, who he hears has gone “underground.” Could she have disappeared into the labyrinth? And if so, is she connected to the body Ruth found? As Ruth, Nelson, and the rest of their team investigate the tunnels, they hear rumors of secret societies and ritual killings. When a dead body is found with what appears to be a map of the full maze, they realize their quest to find the killer has only just begun—and that there may be more bodies underfoot.