Reviews

The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths

Only show reviews with written explanations

bhnmt61's review against another edition

3.0

I almost hesitate to say what I think about this book because it’s going to make me sound like an uptight prude, but there’s no point in writing a review that doesn’t say what I think. One of the pivotal moments in this series happens in the first book when Ruth, a 30-something university professor of archeology, sleeps with DCI Harry Nelson, a married man and a career policeman. It seems to be a one-off, but since Ruth ends up pregnant and baby Kate is born not long before this novel opens, both the one night stand and the ongoing tensions between Nelson and Ruth are important to the series. And in fact, it was part of what made the second book and two-thirds of this book work so well.

But then toward the end of this book, the third in the series, they sleep together again, and instead of a forgivable single night of passion after a traumatic event, it looks like it’s going to be an ongoing affair. So I’m out. I’m just not interested in following a multi-book series where the main character wastes her affections on a man who is not going to return her interest or attention. Affairs make for interesting soap operas, I guess, but in real life, there’s always at least one person who is getting metaphorically (ok, and literally) screwed, and in this book, there are two—Nelson’s wife Michelle, and Ruth, who deserves better. No, thanks. Too bad, because I enjoy this series.

katiegilley's review

Go to review page

4.0

I'm glad that I stuck with this series! Griffiths perfectly captures what it's like to be a working mom - never feeling like you can give 100% at home or at work. There was also a fun WWII storyline in this novel that I enjoyed. I'm looking forward to the next!

booksnake386's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced

4.5

bookph1le's review

Go to review page

2.0

Spoiler

I think I'm done with this series. It was intriguing at first, but there are certain patterns I'm starting to find annoying because they give all the books a sameness:

- Ruth's life has been in peril in all three books I've read. The thought of reading another leaves me cold because I'll roll my eyes SO hard if Ruth ends up fighting for her life yet again. Not since Indiana Jones had archeology been such a dangerous career.

- No one in these books is faithful. No one. Nelson isn't. It's implied his boss wasn't. Judy isn't. Erik wasn't. The German historian in this book wasn't. I could make a whole list of Shona's exes who weren't. It's not that I'm taking some moral stance against adultery, it's that I simply find it both unrealistic and a little too soap operatic that there isn't a single character in this series who's happily monogamous.

Speaking of which, I don't really want to know what's going to become of Kate's parentage. Rather than making me want to find out what will happen next, the ending of this one just made me feel kind of depressed. I'm not rooting for Michelle, per se, but I just hated the idea of her finally putting the pieces together.

Which also leads me to the fact that I kind of hate Nelson, and I definitely hate that Ruth seems so determined to pine for him. He's been unfaithful multiple times to his wife, he's sexist, and it certainly sounds like he married his wife solely for her looks and is into Ruth because of her intellect. Tatjana was spot on when she said Nelson's wife wasn't clever enough for him, but to me that's an indictment against Nelson and not Michelle. He's the superficial one who apparently married a woman just because he liked how she looked in a dress. I've never liked the way Nelson and the series have treated her, as if she's an accessory more than she is a person.