Elly Griffiths


Elly Griffiths is the pen name of Domenica de Rosa, a British crime novelist. She has written two series as Griffiths, one featuring Ruth Galloway, the other featuring Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens and Max Mephisto.

Early life

After reading English at King's College London, Griffiths worked in publishing for many years.

Writing career

Griffiths' first series features as a main character forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway, who lives in a remote seaside cottage near King's Lynn in Norfolk and teaches at the University of North Norfolk. This character was inspired by Griffiths' husband, who gave up a city job to train as an archaeologist, and her aunt, "who lives on the Norfolk coast and filled her niece’s head with the myths and legends of that area". Griffiths released the first book in this series, The Crossing Places, in 2009.
Griffiths' second series, set in Brighton in 1950, features as a main character Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens. Griffiths released the first book in this series, The Zig Zag Girl, in 2014.
In 2017 Griffiths was the Programming Chair for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, part of the Harrogate International Festivals portfolio.
Griffiths won the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel for The Stranger Diaries.

Personal life

Griffiths lives near Brighton. She is married, and has two children and a cat.

Ruth Galloway series

  1. The Zig Zag Girl
  2. Smoke and Mirrors
  3. The Blood Card
  4. The Vanishing Box
  5. Now You See Them

    Other Novels