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Fiona Griffiths #3
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths
DC Fiona Griffiths 'brutal, freakish and totally original' [SUNDAY TIMES] must take on a new identity when she volunteers to go undercover - something she finds uncannily easy to do...
When DC Fiona Griffiths says 'yes' to her policeman boyfriend, it's an affirmation that she wants finally to put her psychological breakdown behind her, and become a resident of 'Planet Normal' like everybody else. But she still can't resist the challenge of an undercover policing course, and finding it remarkably easy to assume a new identity, she comes top of the class.
So when an ingenious payroll fraud starts to look like the tip of a huge criminal iceberg, Fiona is selected to infiltrate the fraudsters' operation, posing as a meek former payroll clerk now forced to work as a cleaner. But as she penetrates deeper into their operation, coming closer to identifying the mastermind behind it, she faces another, even more frightening danger - that her always fragile grip on her sense of self has now been lost and she may never find her way back.
When DC Fiona Griffiths says 'yes' to her policeman boyfriend, it's an affirmation that she wants finally to put her psychological breakdown behind her, and become a resident of 'Planet Normal' like everybody else. But she still can't resist the challenge of an undercover policing course, and finding it remarkably easy to assume a new identity, she comes top of the class.
So when an ingenious payroll fraud starts to look like the tip of a huge criminal iceberg, Fiona is selected to infiltrate the fraudsters' operation, posing as a meek former payroll clerk now forced to work as a cleaner. But as she penetrates deeper into their operation, coming closer to identifying the mastermind behind it, she faces another, even more frightening danger - that her always fragile grip on her sense of self has now been lost and she may never find her way back.
457 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 13, 2014
444 people are currently reading
1163 people want to read
About the author
Harry Bingham
47 books698 followersHarry Bingham is best known for his Fiona Griffiths crime series, which has drawn rave reviews from critics, authors and readers alike.
If you've read and enjoyed one of Harry's books, make diddle-darn sure that you've signed up to the Fiona Griffiths Readers Club, by hopping right over here:
http://www.harrybingham.com/lev-in-gl...
You'll get a free, lovely welcome gift - and you'll be the very first to know when Fiona Griffiths is back with a further adventure . . .
If you've read and enjoyed one of Harry's books, make diddle-darn sure that you've signed up to the Fiona Griffiths Readers Club, by hopping right over here:
http://www.harrybingham.com/lev-in-gl...
You'll get a free, lovely welcome gift - and you'll be the very first to know when Fiona Griffiths is back with a further adventure . . .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 290 reviews
July 13, 2019
Fiona Griffiths must be one of the most unusual detectives ever created. She's not at all like other people and knows most people of the people she works with at the Cardiff police station thinks she is a bit weird. As a teenager she suffered from a form of psychosis called Cotard's syndrome and while she is mostly recovered, she still struggles to feel that she belongs on 'Planet Normal' and has trouble being in touch with her feelings and worries about whether she displays normal responses in public. She is however a brave and resourceful detective who never gives up.
After attending a tough course in undercover policing in London, Fiona finds herself assigned to go undercover in a case of payroll fraud. It turns out to be a much bigger case than it first appeared and a lot more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. Fiona becomes so invested in her alter ego, Fiona Grey that she starts to act and think as Fiona Grey and thinks she might prefer to be her.
The plot is complex with many people involved in the scam as well as in the police operation. It all feels well researched in terms of the processes both groups would take to go undetected. Although there are some rather gory deaths, explosive violence and a building sense of danger there is also an undertone of humour to Fiona's quirkiness and thought processes that makes for a very engaging reading experience.
After attending a tough course in undercover policing in London, Fiona finds herself assigned to go undercover in a case of payroll fraud. It turns out to be a much bigger case than it first appeared and a lot more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. Fiona becomes so invested in her alter ego, Fiona Grey that she starts to act and think as Fiona Grey and thinks she might prefer to be her.
The plot is complex with many people involved in the scam as well as in the police operation. It all feels well researched in terms of the processes both groups would take to go undetected. Although there are some rather gory deaths, explosive violence and a building sense of danger there is also an undertone of humour to Fiona's quirkiness and thought processes that makes for a very engaging reading experience.
February 2, 2015
O.M.G! I loved this book! I love this whole series!
Fiona Griffiths is a wonderful, weird, quirky character. She is a remarkable thinker and doer, gets herself into jams, but always seems to know what she's doing. She has a backstory that is intriguing. She claims not to know herself, but she knows herself better than she thinks. Very well written stories that make for fast-paced reads.
I've given 5 stars to the first two books, and this one gets 5 stars as well. I highly recommend these books. Start with Talking to the Dead, then Love Story, with Murders, and third this book. There is a fourth book coming soon.
Fiona Griffiths is a wonderful, weird, quirky character. She is a remarkable thinker and doer, gets herself into jams, but always seems to know what she's doing. She has a backstory that is intriguing. She claims not to know herself, but she knows herself better than she thinks. Very well written stories that make for fast-paced reads.
I've given 5 stars to the first two books, and this one gets 5 stars as well. I highly recommend these books. Start with Talking to the Dead, then Love Story, with Murders, and third this book. There is a fourth book coming soon.
October 26, 2024
Well, here I am again, back on the case with DC Fiona Griffiths of the Cardiff police. Fiona struggles with Cotard’s Syndrome, a mental illness that triggers various forms of psychosis. For Fi, this means ongoing problems staying connected with “Planet Normal”, whether it’s her relationships with her family, lover and colleagues or simply her waking/sleeping/eating patterns. She also occasionally loses connection to her body, becoming unable to feel her legs, for instance.
Still, she’s an excellent detective, dedicated to finding answers and gifted with brilliant insights that escape others on her team or her superiors. On the flip side, she is prone to ignoring policy and pursuing her ideas in ways that put herself in danger.
In this installment, Fiona, after receiving flying colors on an undercover training course, is assigned to infiltrate an organization committing payroll fraud. She takes to this role smoothly, and quickly determines that the potential theft is much greater than originally assumed. Her deepening involvement puts her in constant danger of being found out. And killed, because this may be white-collar crime, but the perpetrators are ruthless.
This is a marvelous setup for author Bingham to explore the ways in which Fiona’s already dicey sense of self is on the edge of slipping into a multiple personality disorder. She becomes so comfortable with her undercover identity of Fiona Grey, office cleaner and payroll clerk, that she flirts with possibly losing her ties to Fiona Griffiths. Toward the end of the book a third personality is layered on top of the other two, the three of them fighting for dominance as the story’s climax is reached.
Fiona continues to be a marvelous character, subtly rendered by Bingham. In books 1 and 2 we see Fi interacting with her everyday work colleagues and family; in this volume she becomes involved with the larger world, and it is fascinating to see how Bingham maintains her typical Cotard’s problems. I will try to pace myself and hold off a while before indulging in book 4.
Still, she’s an excellent detective, dedicated to finding answers and gifted with brilliant insights that escape others on her team or her superiors. On the flip side, she is prone to ignoring policy and pursuing her ideas in ways that put herself in danger.
In this installment, Fiona, after receiving flying colors on an undercover training course, is assigned to infiltrate an organization committing payroll fraud. She takes to this role smoothly, and quickly determines that the potential theft is much greater than originally assumed. Her deepening involvement puts her in constant danger of being found out. And killed, because this may be white-collar crime, but the perpetrators are ruthless.
This is a marvelous setup for author Bingham to explore the ways in which Fiona’s already dicey sense of self is on the edge of slipping into a multiple personality disorder. She becomes so comfortable with her undercover identity of Fiona Grey, office cleaner and payroll clerk, that she flirts with possibly losing her ties to Fiona Griffiths. Toward the end of the book a third personality is layered on top of the other two, the three of them fighting for dominance as the story’s climax is reached.
Fiona continues to be a marvelous character, subtly rendered by Bingham. In books 1 and 2 we see Fi interacting with her everyday work colleagues and family; in this volume she becomes involved with the larger world, and it is fascinating to see how Bingham maintains her typical Cotard’s problems. I will try to pace myself and hold off a while before indulging in book 4.
May 29, 2020
This is the 3rd book in the Fiona Griffiths series by author Harry Bingham. The thing I particularly like about this series is that they are quirky and not quite like other book series. Leadcharacter Fiona Griffiths is a fierce detective constable from Cardiff who is certainly different. Fiona suffers from a rare psychosis called Cotard’s Syndrome and spent time in her youth in mental institutions. She overcame the illness to attend university and succeed in joining the police force. On top of all these anomalies her adoptive father is also a criminal in the area. Like I say this series is a little different and quirky.
In this book Fiona works under cover posing as a payroll clerk while investigating a minor payroll fraud at a furniture store but things are never straight forward in Fiona's world. She soon discovers the corpse of a woman who's starved to death and realises that this supposedly minor crime is much bigger and is actually a very bold theft.
It took me a while to get back into the feel of the character and probably accounts for the 3 star rating. In truth the more I read the more I enjoyed it and possibly would have marked higher if had of read the previous books more recently.
I have the next book in the series already to read.
In this book Fiona works under cover posing as a payroll clerk while investigating a minor payroll fraud at a furniture store but things are never straight forward in Fiona's world. She soon discovers the corpse of a woman who's starved to death and realises that this supposedly minor crime is much bigger and is actually a very bold theft.
It took me a while to get back into the feel of the character and probably accounts for the 3 star rating. In truth the more I read the more I enjoyed it and possibly would have marked higher if had of read the previous books more recently.
I have the next book in the series already to read.
May 26, 2017
Another wonderful book about the life of Fiona Griffiths and her alter ego (s).
August 12, 2017
Happy to report I liked the third book far better than book 2 in the Fiona series. I needed something on my kindle for the train and the dental office and gave this series another try. This book takes Fiona into undercover training and assignment on a complex scheme to skim payroll systems in a very big way. As she takes on the identity of Fiona Grey it seems a custom-made solution for this young woman who struggles to feel grounded in her own body.
The characters involved in this criminal enterprise are interesting and believable and the IT/Systems and financial work required to accomplish the heist is detailed and interesting.
It becomes clear toward the end that Fiona is not going to settle for what she calls "Planet Normal."
The characters involved in this criminal enterprise are interesting and believable and the IT/Systems and financial work required to accomplish the heist is detailed and interesting.
It becomes clear toward the end that Fiona is not going to settle for what she calls "Planet Normal."
December 14, 2019
Der erste rundum erfreuliche und überhaupt nicht ärgerliche Krimi seit wahrscheinlich Jahren. Auf Empfehlung von Marcus Gärtner gelesen und auf Empfehlung von Marcus Gärtner auch direkt mit diesem dritten Band der Serie eingestiegen. Kompetente, interessante Protagonistin, für mich solide aussehende britische Polizeiarbeit, kein Quatsch mit individuellen Morden, es geht nicht um Psychologie und Motivation, sondern einfach um Geld und am Ende bleiben Dinge unaufgeklärt. Muss weg, die anderen Bände auch noch lesen.
April 1, 2018
The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths is the third book in the series about a young police officer who suffers from Cotard’s Syndrome. While highly competent and driven, Fiona lives almost outside herself and has trouble identifying emotions or how people expect her to behaviour, constantly second-guessing what she should do or say in any situation. This gives her a vulnerability, yet at the same time she pushes boundaries and is not easily managed. She’s a wonderful literary creation, an engaging, complex, multidimensional, and often surprising character. In this outing, she trains to go undercover and then penetrates a sophisticated, careful and ruthless criminal gang who are perpetrating an enormous accounting fraud against several companies. The undercover work is challenging and places her fragile identity under pressure. The plotting is excellent, with Bingham spinning a multi-layered tale that also twists and turns and creates plenty of tension. The hook is a crime that is relatively unusual in crime fiction and is ingenious in its conception and implementation. The police procedural elements are very nicely done – rather than the formulaic boss and sidekick, Bingham provides the full panoply of units, forces, personalities, roles, procedures, and politics that operate during a major investigation. The undercover training and deployment instinctively feels realistic. Indeed, just about the whole book feels steeped in realism, though Fiona’s family life, with her father formerly being a major crime lord, has the feel of a plot device, and the denouement is also somewhat souped-up to be a dramatic finale. Nonetheless, this is a superb read and I’ve a keen sense of anticipation for reading the next instalment.
August 29, 2020
I'M SO HAPPY THAT I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK SO I CAN MOVE ON TO BETTER BOOKS.
This took me almost two weeks to complete because I really wasn't interested in the plot. It was too technical for me and felt too draggy :(
This took me almost two weeks to complete because I really wasn't interested in the plot. It was too technical for me and felt too draggy :(
April 14, 2014
In Talking to the Dead, Harry Bingham introduced DC Fiona Griffiths, who might one day rank with Tana French's Cassie Maddox & Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint as an attractive & intriguing protagonist, but who still needed further development as a character & an officer. The sequel, Love Story with Murders, let me down badly. But I'm pleased to find that in The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths she fulfills her earlier promise & earns promotion to join the team. Well done, Harry.
The aspects of Love Story with Murders that most annoyed me are mostly gone; the stereotypical Russian bore Lev doesn't appear, Fiona's ex-gangster with a heart of gold father plays but a minor role, we hear Fiona throwing F-bombs about mostly only under stress, and her relationship with Buzz achieves what I at least found a very satisfactory resolution. We also get a very smooth & very evil villain & a resourceful & very able heroine facing deadly perils.
A really good book is not just a pleasure in itself, but illuminates its entire genre. This is not only a great story about an undercover detective, but helped me better understand Tana French's The Likeness & other stories with characters with multiple identities, a theme that fascinates me. Fiona not only assumes a new identity, she lives it so completely that it becomes her real self, something that also seemed to happen with Cassie/Lexie in The Likeness.
Bingham is not as subtle & perceptive as French or Bolton, but no fan of British detective fiction should miss this one.
The aspects of Love Story with Murders that most annoyed me are mostly gone; the stereotypical Russian bore Lev doesn't appear, Fiona's ex-gangster with a heart of gold father plays but a minor role, we hear Fiona throwing F-bombs about mostly only under stress, and her relationship with Buzz achieves what I at least found a very satisfactory resolution. We also get a very smooth & very evil villain & a resourceful & very able heroine facing deadly perils.
A really good book is not just a pleasure in itself, but illuminates its entire genre. This is not only a great story about an undercover detective, but helped me better understand Tana French's The Likeness & other stories with characters with multiple identities, a theme that fascinates me. Fiona not only assumes a new identity, she lives it so completely that it becomes her real self, something that also seemed to happen with Cassie/Lexie in The Likeness.
Bingham is not as subtle & perceptive as French or Bolton, but no fan of British detective fiction should miss this one.
March 18, 2015
If someone set out to write a novel just for accountants, this would be it.
I liked the first two books in this series: Fiona Griffiths is at once truly weird but oddly compelling as a protagonist. She takes some getting used to but ultimately the reader is completely on her side. Until book three.
The first two novels had plots that engrossed the reader. The first two novels were peopled with interesting supporting characters. These novels dished out, at a great pace, events, tensions and ultimately the truth about the protagonist's past. The third novel, however, seemed stranded in an overabundance of uninteresting reality when Fiona goes undercover as both an office cleaner and a low-level accountant. The author trudges his reader, painstakingly, through
accounting tricks, heavy on the numbers, and computer/financial details better suited to a business classroom. It made this English major tremble in fright at all the MATH of it. I read mystery novels to escape hum-drum everyday. I resent getting plopped down in someone else's.
I liked the first two books in this series: Fiona Griffiths is at once truly weird but oddly compelling as a protagonist. She takes some getting used to but ultimately the reader is completely on her side. Until book three.
The first two novels had plots that engrossed the reader. The first two novels were peopled with interesting supporting characters. These novels dished out, at a great pace, events, tensions and ultimately the truth about the protagonist's past. The third novel, however, seemed stranded in an overabundance of uninteresting reality when Fiona goes undercover as both an office cleaner and a low-level accountant. The author trudges his reader, painstakingly, through
accounting tricks, heavy on the numbers, and computer/financial details better suited to a business classroom. It made this English major tremble in fright at all the MATH of it. I read mystery novels to escape hum-drum everyday. I resent getting plopped down in someone else's.
March 17, 2017
4.5 stars, Fiona Griffiths is one of the genre's more interesting characters
Dear oh dear, Fiona Griffiths gets herself into some situations! She has passed her undercover course with flying colours and is investigating a spot of payroll fraud. She can't get into too much trouble with this - right? Wrong. When an elderly woman is found dead of starvation in her home Fiona realises there are unintended victims from this fraud and vows to see justice done.
Her undercover skills are put to the test to infiltrate the payroll fraudsters. Fiona soon realises that the scale of the operation is far bigger than anyone thought. As she excels at infiltrating targeted computers, the fraud gang trust her with more and more. After attending a 'retreat' at a remote location, it dawns on her how vast this fraud actually is, and that anyone who threatens the business is expendable. Including possibly herself.
The 'strange death' in the title is about Fiona totally living the role she is playing. In fact she seems to enjoy being Fiona Grey the cleaner more than her real life. This is all to do with her strange affliction (Cotards) which sometimes has her feeling pretty unreal. Fiona has also learnt that her parents are not her real parents, that she was found at the age of two and a bit in the back seat of her father's Jaguar. She thinks some trauma before then may be what has caused her mental condition. In this book she takes further steps to find out where she really came from, who her real parents are, in the hope of becoming a permanent member of 'planet normal' as she refers to it. Fiona is quite an engaging character and really puts herself on the line in this story. A fantastic series.
Dear oh dear, Fiona Griffiths gets herself into some situations! She has passed her undercover course with flying colours and is investigating a spot of payroll fraud. She can't get into too much trouble with this - right? Wrong. When an elderly woman is found dead of starvation in her home Fiona realises there are unintended victims from this fraud and vows to see justice done.
Her undercover skills are put to the test to infiltrate the payroll fraudsters. Fiona soon realises that the scale of the operation is far bigger than anyone thought. As she excels at infiltrating targeted computers, the fraud gang trust her with more and more. After attending a 'retreat' at a remote location, it dawns on her how vast this fraud actually is, and that anyone who threatens the business is expendable. Including possibly herself.
The 'strange death' in the title is about Fiona totally living the role she is playing. In fact she seems to enjoy being Fiona Grey the cleaner more than her real life. This is all to do with her strange affliction (Cotards) which sometimes has her feeling pretty unreal. Fiona has also learnt that her parents are not her real parents, that she was found at the age of two and a bit in the back seat of her father's Jaguar. She thinks some trauma before then may be what has caused her mental condition. In this book she takes further steps to find out where she really came from, who her real parents are, in the hope of becoming a permanent member of 'planet normal' as she refers to it. Fiona is quite an engaging character and really puts herself on the line in this story. A fantastic series.
April 7, 2014
Having just read all three Fiona Griffiths books in a week, I have to say she is, and they are, quite brilliant. I was lucky to have had the time to read them consecutively as their stories followed seamlessly. What a change from the middle/high ranking cop heroes, Fiona is a lowly young DC with a severe mental illness in her recent past. She's intelligent and quirky, tough and focused on her work. Not a particularly likeable character at first, I soon found myself empathising with her problems, and her goals. Add to this some believable family, friends and colleagues, good depictions of Cardiff and surrounding Wales, and the background to some excellent crime thrillers is there. Harry Bingham then gives us some gory murders and related major crimes for Fiona to solve. Thoroughly enjoyable, gripping reads. The paperback covers are great too, very distinctive. I can't wait for a fourth book to be published.
March 12, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book. The style of writing is very easy to read and the plot so engrossing and thrilling it keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last page is reached. Fiona Griffiths is quite a character and after signing up for an undercover police course and passing, she is given an assignment which involves payroll fraud, but this turns out to be a major crime, which puts her in some very dangerous situations.
Along with the brilliant storyline, it is also an interesting look into how someone can completely take on the character of another, which I found fascinating.
If you like crime books you have really got to read this!
Along with the brilliant storyline, it is also an interesting look into how someone can completely take on the character of another, which I found fascinating.
If you like crime books you have really got to read this!
August 22, 2015
Interesting, but boring
I love this book, and this series, but it was kind of boring. It was too technical for my taste. I love the quirky, weirdness of Fiona but this went too far into police mumbo jumbo. The ending was bad as well. I didn't expect Fiona to marry Buzz but at least have an extended engagement. I don't know if it's me or this series, but I felt my connection with Fiona waning. I understand people with mental illness but I really did .not like how this book was written or its pov. Too depressing.
I love this book, and this series, but it was kind of boring. It was too technical for my taste. I love the quirky, weirdness of Fiona but this went too far into police mumbo jumbo. The ending was bad as well. I didn't expect Fiona to marry Buzz but at least have an extended engagement. I don't know if it's me or this series, but I felt my connection with Fiona waning. I understand people with mental illness but I really did .not like how this book was written or its pov. Too depressing.
February 6, 2015
Absolutely fantastic. I loved the first 2 Fiona Griffiths mysteries and the 3rd is as good, if not even better. What a wonderfully original character Harry Bingham has created. Hopefully he's writing no. 4 in the series (or has finished it!), I for one can't wait for the next one. Please keep writing them, Mr. Bingham...
March 7, 2019
“These days, I’m largely OK with my own craziness. I accept it, the way the lame accept their limp, the way the deaf their world of silence.”
How I love quirky, flawed, Fiona Griffiths and her fragile grip with "Planet Normal"! In this book, Fiona’s bosses need a copper willing to go undercover, and they ask Fiona to play the role of a timid payroll clerk so that she can penetrate a criminal gang from within. How she does it, and how she embodies her cover, is fascinating. Like too many who go undercover, Fi finds herself possibly getting into her cover too deeply, and lines between the detective and the felonious payroll clerk become blurred more than they should.
The plotting is excellent, with twists and turns that create plenty of tension. Love this series!
How I love quirky, flawed, Fiona Griffiths and her fragile grip with "Planet Normal"! In this book, Fiona’s bosses need a copper willing to go undercover, and they ask Fiona to play the role of a timid payroll clerk so that she can penetrate a criminal gang from within. How she does it, and how she embodies her cover, is fascinating. Like too many who go undercover, Fi finds herself possibly getting into her cover too deeply, and lines between the detective and the felonious payroll clerk become blurred more than they should.
The plotting is excellent, with twists and turns that create plenty of tension. Love this series!
March 30, 2018
Fiona is so complex and fascinating that she not only deserved that amazing ending but also a longer review. I will do that later. For now, I have to say that I enjoyed this third book even more than the previous. Fiona continues to go down unexpected paths and evolves in unexpected ways. I look forward to visiting her Cardiff/South Wales world soon.
April 16, 2015
Quite simply put, I love this series. Three books featuring Fiona Griffiths have been published so far. I've read all three, and I've given all three the highest rating possible. I've never done that before, and it will probably be a long time before I do it again.
My passion for this series has everything to do with the marvelous character Harry Bingham has created. Fiona Griffiths has Cotard's syndrome, a rare mental illness in which the afflicted person is deluded into thinking that they are dead, either figuratively or literally. This affects everything about her. Her behavior. What she eats. If she eats. The way she views the world. What she thinks of other people. Everything. What Fiona wants most in the world is to be a citizen of the planet Normal, and she has to work hard at it. She has to remember to say the things that her boyfriend expects to hear, for instance.
She's a by-the-book supervisor's nightmare. On the Cardiff police force, she's usually given work that's performed alone because she works best that way-- even if she has grown tired of it. If you begin reading the series from the beginning (Talking to the Dead)-- which I recommend you do-- Fiona's going to seem downright weird. But there's something appealing about her. Perhaps it's because she tries so hard to be normal. Before you know it, you realize that Fiona's stopped being weird; you've actually grown to care about her and to want her to succeed.
The plot of The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths is guaranteed to tie you into knots. The absolute worst thing a person with Cotard's syndrome can do is to work undercover, but that's exactly what Fiona does-- for months at a time. As I watched her begin to melt into her undercover persona, I actually became worried. This book-- and the entire series-- is something that you can easily lose yourself inside, just like Fiona Griffiths is losing herself in Fiona Grey.
The gang she finds herself working for puts her through incredible security measures, and her isolation grows steadily since the only person she has any real contact with is Vic, the extremely violent security specialist for the villains. Fiona's own unpredictability adds to the suspense and to a very real feeling of danger. You never know what she's going to do. Has she just done something incredibly stupid that's ultimately going to get her killed? Or has she just done something brilliant that will convince the bad guys that she's completely under their thumb?
Yes... you can read this book as a standalone if you must, but I don't recommend it. If you're looking for an excellent characterization and tightly woven, exciting plots, you deserve to read every single Fiona Griffith book. Fiona deserves it, too. She's brilliant.
My passion for this series has everything to do with the marvelous character Harry Bingham has created. Fiona Griffiths has Cotard's syndrome, a rare mental illness in which the afflicted person is deluded into thinking that they are dead, either figuratively or literally. This affects everything about her. Her behavior. What she eats. If she eats. The way she views the world. What she thinks of other people. Everything. What Fiona wants most in the world is to be a citizen of the planet Normal, and she has to work hard at it. She has to remember to say the things that her boyfriend expects to hear, for instance.
She's a by-the-book supervisor's nightmare. On the Cardiff police force, she's usually given work that's performed alone because she works best that way-- even if she has grown tired of it. If you begin reading the series from the beginning (Talking to the Dead)-- which I recommend you do-- Fiona's going to seem downright weird. But there's something appealing about her. Perhaps it's because she tries so hard to be normal. Before you know it, you realize that Fiona's stopped being weird; you've actually grown to care about her and to want her to succeed.
The plot of The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths is guaranteed to tie you into knots. The absolute worst thing a person with Cotard's syndrome can do is to work undercover, but that's exactly what Fiona does-- for months at a time. As I watched her begin to melt into her undercover persona, I actually became worried. This book-- and the entire series-- is something that you can easily lose yourself inside, just like Fiona Griffiths is losing herself in Fiona Grey.
The gang she finds herself working for puts her through incredible security measures, and her isolation grows steadily since the only person she has any real contact with is Vic, the extremely violent security specialist for the villains. Fiona's own unpredictability adds to the suspense and to a very real feeling of danger. You never know what she's going to do. Has she just done something incredibly stupid that's ultimately going to get her killed? Or has she just done something brilliant that will convince the bad guys that she's completely under their thumb?
Yes... you can read this book as a standalone if you must, but I don't recommend it. If you're looking for an excellent characterization and tightly woven, exciting plots, you deserve to read every single Fiona Griffith book. Fiona deserves it, too. She's brilliant.
February 10, 2015
Wow! I enjoyed the first two Fiona Griffiths books, but this one is on a whole different level. Harry Bingham is an extraordinary writer. His characterization of Fiona gets deep down into her psyche. Her bout with mental illness in her youth plays a major part when she takes a very difficult training course to become an undercover policeman. She does extremely well in the course, and is given a new identity to work on a major fraud case. Because of her previous mental issues, she finds herself having trouble separating her two identities. Her determination and keen intelligence make for a terrific story.
March 14, 2014
Almost a five star. Great protagonist, weird without being alcoholic, maverick without being out of step with her superiors. Great story, occasional ludicrous moments, but overall a fab read.
September 24, 2016
Slightly less exciting and humorous than the previous books but it gives a good impression of a lengthy undercover operation.
February 23, 2018
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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From the instant that it was mentioned in Love Story, With Murders that Fi Griffiths had signed up for a course in Undercover work, every reader knew that she'd end up doing some deep undercover work soon. Thankfully, Bingham didn't make us wait too long because here comes both the course and the assignment. But before we get to the assignment, Fi gets this wonderful reality check after her course:
I just loved that. Anyway, this seems like a perfect idea -- there's a real sense in which everyday life is an undercover assignment for Fi, letting her do it as part of her job seems like a no-brainer. Not that her superiors really understand that, but her readers do.
The case started off as a simple payroll fraud investigation -- a clever and ambitious fraud, make no mistake, but not the kind of things that excites any police detective (especially one like Fi). But then, she ties one suspicious death into this crime -- and then a particularly gruesome murder as well. These discoveries are enough to get The Powers That Be to take this seriously enough to put Fi and another officer undercover as payroll clerks to infiltrate this scheme. Eventually, Fi is recruited by the people they'd hoped recruit her and the game is afoot. Fi does things that will surprise the reader as much as they do to her targets in her efforts to bring some justice to the situation.
At some point, Fi is going over the results of her work thus far with our friend, DCI Jackson, and her handler from Organized Crime
Watching Fi go deeper into her cover and into the fraud activity is gripping -- and also very different from the earlier books. Fiona doesn't get to spend as much time with the dead as she likes, she can't have their pictures on display without ruining her cover. It doesn't stop her from doing what she can along those lines, but it gives Strange Death a different feel from its predecessors.
Fi's investigation of the deaths isn't the focus of this novel, it's her undercover work -- how she does it, how she embodies her cover, how as her cover she contributes to the community, how she learns things that can help her (both the fictional her and the real). Like too many who go undercover, Fi arguably gets too close to her targets (it's not much of an argument, really), and lines between the detective and the felonious payroll clerk blurred more than they should've. The same kind of focus, the same kind of attachment she makes to the victims in the other books (and cases we don't have record of) is brought to the people and work she encounters here.
At the same time, Fi's desire -- need -- for the emotional, familial and romantic connections she's made has never been stronger. Those things that she wanted, so she can be more like a citizen of "Planet Normal," act as an anchor to reality in a way that has to surprise her. Not only that, she forges new relationships as DC Griffiths through these events. Minor spoiler: the Fiona Griffiths that emerges from this assignment is a noticeably different, more well-rounded, and changed in other (less pleasant) ways.
It was good to see DCI Jackson at work again. The other police officers (particularly Brattenbury and his team) were more interesting than we've gotten before. The same could and should be said for the other supporting characters we encounter in these pages -- criminal and civilian alike. I hope that Bingham is able to find ways to bring many of these characters back in future novels (or he can just give us new characters that are as well constructed, but I like so many of these I'd prefer to see them).
I'm a sucker for undercover cop stories -- since the first time I saw Ken Wahl's Vinnie Terranova (when I was too young to be seeing such things) and what his work did to him. This was no exception -- and a strong sample of the type. This story of Fiona Griffiths' UC work is just as gripping, just as surprising as you could want and a sure sign that this character is more than a one-trick pony (if anyone was still wondering) and that Bingham is a writer to watch.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
From the instant that it was mentioned in Love Story, With Murders that Fi Griffiths had signed up for a course in Undercover work, every reader knew that she'd end up doing some deep undercover work soon. Thankfully, Bingham didn't make us wait too long because here comes both the course and the assignment. But before we get to the assignment, Fi gets this wonderful reality check after her course:
I’m tasked to process paperwork on a couple of cases that are coming to court. Someone assigns me to help on a team that is developing advice on how to avoid thefts from vehicles. The first of our meetings takes an hour and forty minutes and the gist of our advice will be, ‘Lock your car and hide your valuables.’ Or, to simplify further, ‘Don’t be a bloody idiot.’
I suggest that as a slogan and everyone looks at me.
I just loved that. Anyway, this seems like a perfect idea -- there's a real sense in which everyday life is an undercover assignment for Fi, letting her do it as part of her job seems like a no-brainer. Not that her superiors really understand that, but her readers do.
The case started off as a simple payroll fraud investigation -- a clever and ambitious fraud, make no mistake, but not the kind of things that excites any police detective (especially one like Fi). But then, she ties one suspicious death into this crime -- and then a particularly gruesome murder as well. These discoveries are enough to get The Powers That Be to take this seriously enough to put Fi and another officer undercover as payroll clerks to infiltrate this scheme. Eventually, Fi is recruited by the people they'd hoped recruit her and the game is afoot. Fi does things that will surprise the reader as much as they do to her targets in her efforts to bring some justice to the situation.
At some point, Fi is going over the results of her work thus far with our friend, DCI Jackson, and her handler from Organized Crime
Brattenbury says, ‘Fiona, this is remarkable work. You—’Which is essentially the outline for every Fiona Griffiths novel, really.
Jackson interrupts him. ‘Don’t flatter her. She’ll cock everything up. Or start shooting people.’
Watching Fi go deeper into her cover and into the fraud activity is gripping -- and also very different from the earlier books. Fiona doesn't get to spend as much time with the dead as she likes, she can't have their pictures on display without ruining her cover. It doesn't stop her from doing what she can along those lines, but it gives Strange Death a different feel from its predecessors.
Fi's investigation of the deaths isn't the focus of this novel, it's her undercover work -- how she does it, how she embodies her cover, how as her cover she contributes to the community, how she learns things that can help her (both the fictional her and the real). Like too many who go undercover, Fi arguably gets too close to her targets (it's not much of an argument, really), and lines between the detective and the felonious payroll clerk blurred more than they should've. The same kind of focus, the same kind of attachment she makes to the victims in the other books (and cases we don't have record of) is brought to the people and work she encounters here.
At the same time, Fi's desire -- need -- for the emotional, familial and romantic connections she's made has never been stronger. Those things that she wanted, so she can be more like a citizen of "Planet Normal," act as an anchor to reality in a way that has to surprise her. Not only that, she forges new relationships as DC Griffiths through these events. Minor spoiler: the Fiona Griffiths that emerges from this assignment is a noticeably different, more well-rounded, and changed in other (less pleasant) ways.
It was good to see DCI Jackson at work again. The other police officers (particularly Brattenbury and his team) were more interesting than we've gotten before. The same could and should be said for the other supporting characters we encounter in these pages -- criminal and civilian alike. I hope that Bingham is able to find ways to bring many of these characters back in future novels (or he can just give us new characters that are as well constructed, but I like so many of these I'd prefer to see them).
I'm a sucker for undercover cop stories -- since the first time I saw Ken Wahl's Vinnie Terranova (when I was too young to be seeing such things) and what his work did to him. This was no exception -- and a strong sample of the type. This story of Fiona Griffiths' UC work is just as gripping, just as surprising as you could want and a sure sign that this character is more than a one-trick pony (if anyone was still wondering) and that Bingham is a writer to watch.
December 21, 2022
Take a junior detective constable with a tenuous grip on her own personality, send her undercover under a false identity that suits her all too well, mix her in with villains willing to kill to protect their operation – what could go wrong? After a small-scale payroll fiddle adds two dead persons to the debit column, D.C. Fiona Griffiths learns that the fraud was only a rehearsal for a vastly larger criminal conspiracy in the making. Working undercover, Fiona endures petty humiliations, constant suspicion and increasing isolation from her family and colleagues. But: “I’m a world-class dissociator” (p411), says Fiona, who only provisionally occupies Planter Normal but clings to an outstanding motivation for a young copper (“I have to solve crimes because I can’t abide the violence that generates them” – p175). Tense, complicated and without a false note in the narrator’s unique voice, THE STRANGE DEATH OF FIONA GRIFFITHS breathes new life into the genre.
August 22, 2023
For a complex personality such as Fiona, the chance to do undercover police training is something she grasps with two hands. She quickly proves herself and suddenly finds herself undercover on a deep and long mission, a mission that unravels global crimes. But as Fiona gets deeper into the crime, she also gets deeper her into her alias, which Fiona will emerge?
A fantastic Fiona Griffiths novel. The tension of the undercover element feels totally real, and Fiona's issues really start to play a part in which personality emerges as the winner. Great read and I look forward to the next in the series.
A fantastic Fiona Griffiths novel. The tension of the undercover element feels totally real, and Fiona's issues really start to play a part in which personality emerges as the winner. Great read and I look forward to the next in the series.
February 21, 2022
I was struggling to finish this one.
The story is intriguing and exciting but temporarily dull; I love the character of Fiona Griffiths and enjoyed the last two books of this series. In this book, it was too evident that the female character was written by a man - a lot of internalised misogyny, which was just annoying.
In addition, some parts felt racially insensitive.
Overall I was very disappointed and will most likely not continue to read the series.
Maybe I am just over men writing female characters.
The story is intriguing and exciting but temporarily dull; I love the character of Fiona Griffiths and enjoyed the last two books of this series. In this book, it was too evident that the female character was written by a man - a lot of internalised misogyny, which was just annoying.
In addition, some parts felt racially insensitive.
Overall I was very disappointed and will most likely not continue to read the series.
Maybe I am just over men writing female characters.
November 15, 2025
Absolutely brilliant! It's been a long time since I read a book that had such a clever, exciting plot. In addition to the main story around fraud, cyber crime and the dangers of undercover work, we have the intriguingly slow piecing together of Fiona's back history and family. Sadly I feel I have to reduce my rating by one star as the book needs proof reading,, spelling mistakes and punctuation errors abound!
February 12, 2019
Fiona Griffiths is a troubled but very competent detective. This is an exciting story with frightening and vicious criminals who are planning a stunningly large cyber theft. Intertwined with the crime solving are Fiona’s personal and family issues. Her undercover work brings them forward in greater fashion than the earlier novels in the series. It will be hard to top in the next one.
March 28, 2023
YAWN!!!!
This book was not the crime fiction novel I enjoy. At no point was I on edge or wanted to find out what was going to happen.
The plot was too simple and just not believable.
I found the main character annoying and dull. She seems to struggle with who she really is between the real her and her undercover character. The author should have taken this further maybe to make it more gripping. However the whole novel needed to go further…
They also use itsy-bitsy more than once to describe things… I’ll say no more…..
This book was not the crime fiction novel I enjoy. At no point was I on edge or wanted to find out what was going to happen.
The plot was too simple and just not believable.
I found the main character annoying and dull. She seems to struggle with who she really is between the real her and her undercover character. The author should have taken this further maybe to make it more gripping. However the whole novel needed to go further…
They also use itsy-bitsy more than once to describe things… I’ll say no more…..
July 20, 2018
OMG, OMG, OMG, this book is so good and Fiona is so amazing.
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