The lantern men : a Ruth Galloway mystery / Elly Griffiths.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway changed her life--until a convicted killer tells her that four of his victims were never found, drawing her back to the place she left behind.

Everything has changed for Ruth Galloway. She has a new job, home, and partner, and she is no longer North Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. Nelson was always sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March confirms this and offers to show Nelson where the other bodies are buried--but only if Ruth will do the digging.

Curious, but wary, Ruth agrees. March tells Ruth that he killed four more women and that their bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travelers to their deaths.

Is Ivor March himself a lantern man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so crucial to it? And are the killings really over?

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

In Griffiths's latest, forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway has a new home, job, and partner but pitches in to help old flame DCI Nelson. She's trying to locate a serial killer's victims, supposedly buried near the fens, where ghostly figures with lanterns are said to lure people to their deaths.

Booklist Review

This twelfth entry in Griffiths' series starring British forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway is set two years after The Stone Circle (2019) and finds Ruth living in Cambridge with her American partner and nine-year-old daughter, Kate. Ruth misses the quiet beauty of the Norfolk salt marshes, but her complicated relationship with Kate's father, DCI Harry Nelson, has driven her to create some distance. Meanwhile, Nelson is pleased that Ivor March has been convicted of the murders of two young women but remains convinced that he is also guilty of additional killings. March surprisingly offers to reveal where those additional bodies are buried, but only if Ruth will head up the excavation. The murder of another young woman complicates matters further, suggesting that a copycat could be at work. Grffiths not only puts Ruth in harm's way, forcing her to fight for her life against a terrifying assault, she also takes the reader's breath away with one final masterstroke in which a character's true identity is revealed. Once again expertly incorporating myth and folklore into the story--this time, it's the menacing Lantern Men, said to haunt the local fens and who may be responsible for the killings--Griffiths has delivered a perfect Halloween read.