Secret societies, cannibalism, and ritual killings? Bones found in an old chalk-mining pit? Labyrinths and tunnels and a forensic specialist who keeps finding herself embroiled in murders?

Where do we find all of this?

Deep inside The Chalk Pit, the ninth book in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths.

The novel finds our intrepid forensic archeologist far beneath the streets of Norwich, England. The seed for the setting of this book was planted when Griffiths gave a talk at an independent bookstore in Norwich.

“The manager happened to mention that there was a tunnel under the store and asked if I wanted to see it,” Griffiths says. “(The chalk tunnel) was low-ceilinged and damp and led off into darkness. (My research) found that you can walk the length of Norwich underground because there are so many old chalk-mining tunnels, crypts, and undercrofts.”

In addition to the usual favorites, The Chalk Pit introduces the character of Jo Archer, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson’s new boss. Griffiths promises more of Archer in future books. “I’ve had the character in my head for a long time as I thought it would be interesting to see Nelson with a woman boss.” Readers know that while Nelson works well with strong women, he can be “be a bit of a dinosaur.”

In addition to the new boss, Nelson spends the book hunting for a missing homeless woman. Meantime, Galloway investigates the bones found in the tunnel and finds evidence that they were boiled shortly after the victim was killed. This throws the team into to a murder investigation which points them to the rumors of those secret societies and cannibals -- and may also lead to more underground murders.

Elly Griffiths will appear at AADL's downtown branch on Tuesday, June 27, as part of her book tour; the event is co-sponsored by independent bookstore Aunt Agatha’s. Griffiths credits independent bookstores for helping shape her career. “I would have no writing career without them, both (in England) and in the states. It was the independents who really took up the books and urged people to buy them. There’s no substitute for a trusted bookseller saying to a customer, 'I really think you’d like this book.'”

Aunt Agatha’s co-owner Robin Agnew is particularly enthusiastic about Griffiths’ books. “Ruth Galloway is certainly one of the greater creations in mystery fiction in the last decade or so,” Agnew says. “Her human foibles coupled with her strength and intelligence, not to mention her status as a single mother, make her seem so ‘real’ it would not be at all surprising to meet her in the flesh. This is absolutely one of the best mystery series being written at the moment."

And there is more to come: Griffiths shares that she is hard at work on the next installment. “It’s called The Dark Angel and starts the second that The Chalk Pit finishes. Ruth is surprised to receive a call from an Italian archaeologist wanting her help. She wants to get away from Norfolk for a while so, accompanied by her friend Shona and their children, she travels to the hill-top village of Castello degli Angeli which turns out to be full of tension.” These tensions include an enigmatic priest, someone trying to stop an archaeological dig at all costs, and secrets dating all the way back to the second world war.

Next year marks the 10th anniversary of Ruth Galloway, an accomplishment that Griffiths says “hardly seems possible.” Lucky for lovers of good mysteries with solid female leads, it’s true.

Patti F. Smith is a special education teacher and writer who lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and cats.

Elly Griffiths appears at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library on June 27 at 7 pm to discuss and read from The Chalk Pit.