Elly Griffiths on Knowing When to Say Goodbye ‹ CrimeReads

When I wrote The Crossing Places in 2009, I didn't think that it would be the start of a long-running series. I was only grateful that it was published at all. My first four books, written under my real name of Domenica de Rosa, were romances and my publisher didn't want a crime novel. Luckily, my agent suggested a name change and a new publisher. Jane Wood at Quercus took a chance on the unknown Elly Griffiths and I will be forever grateful.

The Crossing Places tells the story of forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway who is consulted by the police when a child's bones are found on the Norfolk mashes. The bones turn out to be over two thousand years old, but Ruth is drawn into the case and into a very complicated relationship with the officer in charge, DCI Harry Nelson. I knew that theirs would be a long story but I did not know if I'd get the chance to write it. So many writers start a series with high hopes but are blighted by bad luck and disappointing sales. The Crossing Places was not an overnight success, but my publishers had enough faith to allow me to write the next book and the next. It wasn't until about Book 6 that the series started to sell really well.