At the end of the walk there are three tearooms in Otford: The Olive Tree in the Hospices of Hope charity shop (01959-524322; open to 5pm Sat & Mon–Fri summer, 4pm Sun & Mon–Fri winter); Sally's Cake Emporium (01959-928447; open to 4pm Tue–Sun); and the Pond View Café (01959-522150; open daily to 4.30pm). There are also two pubs on the High Street, The Bull (01959-523198) and The Woodman (01959-522195). Water House is associated with Samuel Palmer (1805-1881), one of the group of artists influenced by William Blake who called themselves The Ancients. He lived in the village from 1826 to 1835, for some of the time with his father (also called Samuel) who had rented Water House. Ruth meanwhile has been called in to investigate some bones uncovered in the excavations of a property developer (a favourite trope of the series) trying to set up an underground dining concept in Norwich – the bones seeming much more modern than first assumed (and with some possible hint of cannibalism). Several her colleagues also enter the book – one something of an expert on the tunnels, and one who is researching the rumours of an underground society.

The other places are on the left of the large roundabout encircling the village pond ? at the end of the High Street, the Pond View Café and The Woodman pub. Make your way to the far side where there are two footpath signs, with the left-hand path leading to the parish church of St Bartholomew ? (if you want to visit the church, use the set of modern doors on its north side). Contrast this to what happens when further women disappear and the police response becomes more rapid and completely ranked up, with widespread publicity and deployment of resources.I love these books. I love the characters and the relationships (though could do with less soap opera style content) and the humor is great. I love Kate and seeing her grow & change. I love the settings, though I know some of the uses of some of the ones in this book are made up for the story, but so much is real too. One reason it’s particularly fun reading with Hilary is that she is a local so she knows so many landmarks, towns, etc. that appear in these books. The Chalk Pit’ by Edward Thomas is a fifty-eight line poem that’s contained within one single stanza of text. The lines do not follow a specific rhyme scheme, but the majority of the lines do conform to the metrical pattern of iambic pentameter. This means that each (or in this case almost every) line contains five sets of two beats. The first of these is unstressed and the second stressed. When he’d finished with his laptop, Farrant pointed downhill. “If you stood here during the Anglian Glaciation you would have seen an ice sheet coming right up to the base of the chalk scarp there.”

If you wanted to abandon the walk there is a very limited bus service (Mon–Sat) along the A225 between Sevenoaks and Swanley, but it will nearly always be better to head for the nearest station. Meanwhile, DS Judy Johnson is investigating the disappearance of a local rough sleeper. The only trace of her is the rumour that she’s gone ‘underground’. This might be a figure of speech, but with the discovery of the bones and the rumours both Ruth and the police have heard that the network of old chalk-mining tunnels under Norwich is home to a vast community of rough sleepers, the clues point in only one direction. Local academic Martin Kellerman knows all about the tunnels and their history – but can his assertions of cannibalism and ritual killing possibly be true? Elly Griffith's new book in her excellent Ruth Galloway series, The Chalk Pit has its inspiration in the tunnels under Norwich. As a forensic archaeologist, she is call to a system of tunnels near under the City when bones are discovered. It is the characters. I feel that I have grown to know them through the books. I want to catch up with their lives and see what it happening. I like every one of the repeating characters. Ruth is a special protagonist. She is intelligent and does the best she can raising her daughter Kate as a single parent. As readers, we are watching Kate grow up. It made me smile when she wanted to show off her petticoats. She is a bright lively child who is loved so much by Kate and Harry Nelson. The Shoreham Cross was cut into the chalk hillside above the village in 1920, to commemorate those who lost their lives in World War Ⅰ.On the British Geological Survey’s map, chalk is represented by a swathe of pale, limey green that begins on the east coast of Yorkshire and curves in a sinuous green sweep down the east coast, breaking off where the Wash nibbles inland. In the south, the chalk centres on Salisbury Plain, radiating out in four great ridges: heading west, the Dorset Downs; heading east, the North Downs, the South Downs and the Chilterns. They go inside. Clough and Tom Henry are chatting at the front desk. Judy hears the word 'penalties'. Like its predecessors (The Woman in Blue, 2016, etc.), Griffith’s ninth is complex and character-driven, providing an excellent mystery whose very last sentence will leave you yearning for the next installment. She applies the same talent to her characters, they are flawed but real. Dealing with many of the same things we deal with daily. In this book, I came to appreciate Judy, her quest to do right by those forgotten by most of society. As for Ruth, an incident that looks promising come to an abrupt and startling halt. Or does it? Well that's the cliffhanger for the next book, form which I will now wait impatiently.

As I've stated, the author doesn't make a big play of this, it just happens in the telling of the story. However, in so doing she speaks again about a separate class of homeless individuals that would rather seek refuge in caves and tunnels, out of sight, rather than more structured living and the process of hostel into council accommodation, rarely of their choosing or close to people they know and understand.

must-reads

One of my top five series, a series that I wait impatiently for the next offering. Adore the mix of archeology, police procedural and the personal lives of these oh, so interesting characters. The pace is always swift, and the plot intriguing. This is not the onward route, but a short detour would finally let you see the motorway, in a deep cutting. The officers' report said: "The granting of an express planning permission covering the Certificate of Lawful Existing Use or Development area would, for the first time, give the County Planning Authority control over the operations which could take place within that specified area.

The Darent Valley Path follows the course of the river for 31 km, from Sevenoaks (near its source in the Greensand Hills) to the River Thames at Dartford. Engrossing...[Griffiths's] portrayal of issues surrounding homelessness is compassionate and nuanced."-- Publishers Weekly

Yay! You got in touch and I'm pleased as punch that you did. I'll be in touch x

Head east along the High Street, passing several refreshment places. At the far end skirt around the village pond and take a footpath going up to the church. Head east through the churchyard and continue on an enclosed path to the station car park. Ruth Galloway is called in to investigate and discovers the bones are relatively new and have been boiled. That's a sign of cannibalism and people become worried about what's going on in those tunnels. Then two homeless men are murdered and three women are abducted off the street and the police have their hands full. They discover there is a Brotherhood and secret societies using the tunnels and search is on for the missing women and the murderer. He was also terrified his children would end up in state care and become prostitutes. When one of his girls said innocently that she would very much like to go to heaven, Williams became convinced this was the only course left open to him. There is one event in particular that happens at the end of this book that has me even more curious about and eager to go on and read book 10. Michelle’s third pregnancy, when Ruth’s Kate is six. Adapted from Notes From Deep Time: A Journey Through Our Past and Future Worlds by Helen Gordon, published by Profile and available at guardianbookshop.com