The Killing Time - Elly Griffiths

61%

10.10.26

I read this over a lazy Saturday - evidently I was in the mood for a time-travel police procedural. As with the first in the series, it doesn't make a lot of sense if you think about it too hard, the person who's shaping up to be a baddie is the most interesting character and 'whodunnit' could not have been guessed, but it's still lots of fun (and the author clearly loves cats).

The Frozen People - Elly Griffiths

59%

13.06.25

Griffiths' depictions of North Norfolk have always been fanciful, so perhaps it's no surprise that she's gone full sci fi with her new time-travel series. It made no sense, the characters were poorly developed and the plot full of unresolved (worm)holes but it was a lot of fun - the culture-clash scenes set in Victorian London were particularly engaging.

The Night Hawks - Elly Griffiths

 47%

18.09.21

Notable only for the clunky 'Beware! Covid's on its way' references and the hilariously inaccurate local driving times. But still I read this series.

The Lantern Men - Elly Griffiths

 56%

08.11.20

The 12th in the series and the template is set - including the very optimistic journey times between places that are actually quite far apart. But this one was slightly more sophisticated in its plotting, and it was an undemanding - and uncontroversial - read.

The Stone Circle - Elly Griffiths

56%
04.10.19

I know I've just read a not-very-good Griffiths novel but this was there waiting for me in the library. And actually it wasn't too bad - better than some of the more recent books in this series. Admittedly, that's hardly glowing praise but it was engaging enough (once I ignore the factually inaccurate local references). And the covers are great.

The Stranger Diaries - Elly Griffiths

52%
23.09.19

This reads more like an under-edited first novel than the latest from a prolific novelist. Narrative, plot and characterisation make little sense, although it's entertaining enough.

The Zig Zag Girl - Elly Griffths

59%
31.01.19

I wondered what Griffiths' 'other' series was like. It was quite different, not just because of its 1950s Brighton setting, and the characters lack the baggage of their Norfolk counterparts in this first book. A pleasant enough read, but not particularly memorable.

The Chalk Pit - Elly Griffiths

49%
14.02.18

The ninth book in the series creaks under the weight of the characters' emotional baggage. Not a great deal happens, except in their heads - the actual crimes seem to be an afterthought. Readable enough, as always, but not a particularly thrilling thriller.

The Woman in Blue - Elly Griffiths

53%
20.03.17

I know I said this series is underwhelming but how could I resist one about a village 5 miles from me? Or an alternative-reality version of that village, anyway. As it happens, this one was a bit better than the previous couple, even if still more soap opera than thriller, and even if the murderer seems to have been picked at random (Christie-like) from the cast of characters.

The Ghost Fields - Elly Griffiths

49%
11.01.17

The Ghost Story, more like, in the sense of it being hardly there. As this series goes on, it becomes more like a soap opera and less like a tightly plotted set of murder mysteries. There was only one candidate for the murder(s) this time, which killed the suspense, and even that took a back seat to the tedium of the characters' relationships. Disappointing.

The Outcast Dead - Elly Griffiths

53%
21.12.16

By this point in the series, you'd expect to feel some emotional investment in the characters but neither they nor the story are particularly memorable in this sixth book. But I'll keep reading the series purely for the local interest.

Dying Fall - Elly Griffiths

51%
02.01.16

This was instantly forgettable - the plot, what there was of it, didn't make sense, and the characters seemed shoehorned in. But the prose is undemanding and it's readable enough for the holidays.

A Room Full of Bones - Elly Griffiths

52%
10.07.14

Yes, I know I've only just read the previous book in the series but it's light and undemanding for a thriller - although again there was more relationship angst than actual thrills in this rather pedestrian story. But this series is enjoyable in its way. If only the geographical inaccuracies about my local area weren't so annoying.

The House at Sea's End - Elly Griffiths

53%
06.07.14

Undemanding and so unmemorable that I almost forgot to review it. Too much relationship stuff and not enough murder mystery stuff. But good enough to have downloaded the next one.

The Janus Stone - Elly Griffiths

58%
03.05.14

So I read the sequel rather more quickly than I intended. That's what happens when I find this month's reading group book (not yet finished) so tedious. This was just like the first one - same geographical confusion (this time, King's Lynn was interchangeable with Norwich when they're a good 50 miles apart), same lack of suspects, even same type of victims. But fine for a diverting, undemanding read.

The Crossing Places - Elly Griffiths

64%
27.04.14

The problem with stories set locally is that I can't help noticing things like the (fictional) University of North Norfolk being located in King's Lynn, which is actually in West Norfolk. But once I got past that, and the fact that it was pretty clear "whodunnit" from an early point (more suspects required), I was swept up in a rather exciting story populated with interesting characters. I will no doubt read more in the series - and I've already got my ticket to see the author speak at my local library.

Saving Caravaggio - Neil Griffiths

15%
15.08.09

This is the worst book I've read in years. I'm having trouble coming up with any redeeming features. Characters? One-dimensional. Plot? Nonsensical. Style? Horrible. The concept of the anti-hero narrator could have been interesting - but wasn't.  Even "The Da Vinci Code" was better, and that's a phrase I never thought I'd use.