Ruth Galloway, a forensic archeologist, is called in to examine some bones unearthed by the police. Though the bones turn out to be ancient rather than connected to a modern missing-child case, Ruth becomes involved with the recent case when another child disappears, and a killer begins to stalk and harass her for that involvement.

I’ve been saying for so long that I want another mystery/crime-procedural series to read, and I have finally found exactly what I’ve been looking for! Though Ruth Galloway isn’t a detective – which makes the book more cozy mystery – the book reads more like a crime-procedural. Much like I stated with Griffith’s The Stranger Diaries, this is a book that reads deeper than its genre typically does. The characters are well drawn, and the pacing is superb – not too fast but definitely not slow. And I’m excited because there are a dozen or so books in this series, tons for me to dive into.

The book isn’t without a few minor flaws, though. The beginning reads a little cliched (like using a reflection in a mirror to describe the narrator) and the motivations of a particular character (Erik) never seem to be explained. I can imagine people having trouble with the climax of the book as well – can’t say more without spoilers – but I thought it was perfect. Other than that, though, it was a really phenomenal story and I had to dive into The Janus Stone immediately.