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Fiona Griffiths #4
This Thing of Darkness
The fourth novel featuring Fiona Griffiths, crime fiction's most unusual police detective.
A marine engineer who tumbles off a cliff path on a windy night.
A burglary where everything taken was returned by the thief.
The suicide of a man in love with life.
An accident, a mystery, an unexplained tragedy. And nothing at all to connect them. Until, that is, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths, searching for something - anything - to take her mind off the tedious job of evidence-cataloguing she's been assigned to, starts to wonder if all three incidents are not quite what they seem. It could just be her imagination. After all, she'd be the first to admit that she isn't exactly in the prime of psychological health right now, the darkness she's held at bay ever since she joined the police force now lapping dangerously at her door.
But something tells her there are invisible threads linking the crimes, and as she investigates further, she starts to see the outlines of a conspiracy so unlikely and on such a vast scale, that it takes her breath away.
And that's when they come for her.
A marine engineer who tumbles off a cliff path on a windy night.
A burglary where everything taken was returned by the thief.
The suicide of a man in love with life.
An accident, a mystery, an unexplained tragedy. And nothing at all to connect them. Until, that is, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths, searching for something - anything - to take her mind off the tedious job of evidence-cataloguing she's been assigned to, starts to wonder if all three incidents are not quite what they seem. It could just be her imagination. After all, she'd be the first to admit that she isn't exactly in the prime of psychological health right now, the darkness she's held at bay ever since she joined the police force now lapping dangerously at her door.
But something tells her there are invisible threads linking the crimes, and as she investigates further, she starts to see the outlines of a conspiracy so unlikely and on such a vast scale, that it takes her breath away.
And that's when they come for her.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
395 people are currently reading
962 people want to read
About the author
Harry Bingham
48 books701 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 216 reviews
October 9, 2019
I'm really enjoying this series by Harry Bingham. Constable Fiona Griffiths is a very unusual main character, with her strange health condition that makes it difficult for her to know what she feels and how she should respond to others. She is trying her best to be part of 'planet normal' and even has a few people she now counts as friends. However, she is a brilliant police officer, tenacious as a terrior and able to see connections it takes others much longer to make. She is fortunate to both have insight into her own weirdness (as she calls it) and to have superiors who get her and have come to value her theories and instincts.
This fourth book in the series is a little slower and less suspenseful initially than the previous three, but it's a complex, slow burning plot and boy, does it make up for it later, with high tension drama on the high seas in gale force winds. As I mentioned, the plot starts slowly, with Fiona being seconded to logging in exhibits from crime scenes. Because the bordering is excruciatingly boring, she asks for some extra work to keep her mind busy and is given some cold cases to look at. One of these is an impossible burglary of some minor art works in addition to two apparent suicide/possible murders of a security guard and a marine engineer. Only Fiona would make the link between the crimes, convince her superiors to put resources into solving them and uncover a planned major scheme worth millions if it can be pulled off by the syndicate involved.
It's important that this series is read in order as there are some threads that are being built on in addition to Fiona's own backstory. I do recommend this series set in Wales to anyone who enjoys a good thriller or police procedural. Bingham's intelligent writing is excellent and I really enjoy his building of Fiona's persona, particularly her views on the world and the thoughts that she keeps to herself while presenting her 'normal' self to others.
This fourth book in the series is a little slower and less suspenseful initially than the previous three, but it's a complex, slow burning plot and boy, does it make up for it later, with high tension drama on the high seas in gale force winds. As I mentioned, the plot starts slowly, with Fiona being seconded to logging in exhibits from crime scenes. Because the bordering is excruciatingly boring, she asks for some extra work to keep her mind busy and is given some cold cases to look at. One of these is an impossible burglary of some minor art works in addition to two apparent suicide/possible murders of a security guard and a marine engineer. Only Fiona would make the link between the crimes, convince her superiors to put resources into solving them and uncover a planned major scheme worth millions if it can be pulled off by the syndicate involved.
It's important that this series is read in order as there are some threads that are being built on in addition to Fiona's own backstory. I do recommend this series set in Wales to anyone who enjoys a good thriller or police procedural. Bingham's intelligent writing is excellent and I really enjoy his building of Fiona's persona, particularly her views on the world and the thoughts that she keeps to herself while presenting her 'normal' self to others.
August 1, 2015
This is the fourth Fiona Griffiths novel, and they really need to be read in order. That way the reader will "know" Fi and her history, both personally and professionally.
Fiona was put into a much darker place in this book than previous. With help from unconventional sources, she recovers slowly. In the midst of this, crimes are realized and investigated. She tries to stay within police procedures this time. The thing that happens with Fiona is she's far ahead of the curve in the investigation. From reading the previous books, I know how her mind works, and she does things for reasons I might not yet see. I'll understand when she reveals the bigger picture.
I really want to give this 5 stars, but I feel some reservation. First, there was not a lot of tension. Second, I had trouble keeping track of who was who on the ship. Third, in some places, the book bounced between descriptive paragraphs and then suddenly into short, choppy, incomplete sentences and then back to longer paragraphs again. I found this jarring and disruptive. I did enjoy the repartee between Fiona and her supervisors, including the thoughts in Fi's head that weren't said. It was an enjoyable read, but in my opinion, not the high quality of the previous books.
Fiona was put into a much darker place in this book than previous. With help from unconventional sources, she recovers slowly. In the midst of this, crimes are realized and investigated. She tries to stay within police procedures this time. The thing that happens with Fiona is she's far ahead of the curve in the investigation. From reading the previous books, I know how her mind works, and she does things for reasons I might not yet see. I'll understand when she reveals the bigger picture.
I really want to give this 5 stars, but I feel some reservation. First, there was not a lot of tension. Second, I had trouble keeping track of who was who on the ship. Third, in some places, the book bounced between descriptive paragraphs and then suddenly into short, choppy, incomplete sentences and then back to longer paragraphs again. I found this jarring and disruptive. I did enjoy the repartee between Fiona and her supervisors, including the thoughts in Fi's head that weren't said. It was an enjoyable read, but in my opinion, not the high quality of the previous books.
January 13, 2025
I’m still in a place where I’m sticking with “reliable” authors, those I can count on to distract me when I sorely need it. This unusual series rose to the occasion once again.
Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths struggles with Cotard’s disease, a rare and troubling psychological condition that can leave her unable to connect to other people, to her own emotions, and even to her body. She has an intense desire to become part of “Planet Normal”, where other people take these things for granted, but it’s a challenge.
What she can do, however, is connect with the deceased victims of crimes. This stimulates her to ponder the criminal activities that led to their deaths in an atypical way, and makes her a brilliant detective. Her superior officers make allowances for her sometimes bizarre behaviors and take time to listen to her theories even when they seem outlandish. For the most part Harry Bingham, the author, manages to pull this off without inducing too many eyerolls on the part of the reader. I have to say that it makes a pleasant change of pace from the overworked police procedural plots where the detectives fight not just bad guys but also their colleagues and bureaucracy.
Once again Fiona senses major wrongdoings behind some seemingly innocuous and definitely unconnected events when she is given cold case files to review. She gradually unearths two plot lines, one having to do with transatlantic underwater data transmission cables, and the other with high level rock climbing skills employed to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Bingham has clearly done a lot of research into the world of climbing, and I had to chuckle at the Easter egg buried in the name of a boat captain who appears late in the book.
Some of the most engaging aspects of these books are the insights into Fiona’s mind. Since the stories are told in first person, present tense, there are plenty of opportunities for Bingham to slip inside her brain as she drifts off into random thoughts or engages in behaviors that are inexplicable even to her. I’ve already read the next book in the series (it was the one I stumbled on that got me started), but there is one more beyond that. I think I read somewhere that Bingham plans a seventh, but I don’t think it’s been published yet. I will miss Fiona when it’s over.
Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths struggles with Cotard’s disease, a rare and troubling psychological condition that can leave her unable to connect to other people, to her own emotions, and even to her body. She has an intense desire to become part of “Planet Normal”, where other people take these things for granted, but it’s a challenge.
What she can do, however, is connect with the deceased victims of crimes. This stimulates her to ponder the criminal activities that led to their deaths in an atypical way, and makes her a brilliant detective. Her superior officers make allowances for her sometimes bizarre behaviors and take time to listen to her theories even when they seem outlandish. For the most part Harry Bingham, the author, manages to pull this off without inducing too many eyerolls on the part of the reader. I have to say that it makes a pleasant change of pace from the overworked police procedural plots where the detectives fight not just bad guys but also their colleagues and bureaucracy.
Once again Fiona senses major wrongdoings behind some seemingly innocuous and definitely unconnected events when she is given cold case files to review. She gradually unearths two plot lines, one having to do with transatlantic underwater data transmission cables, and the other with high level rock climbing skills employed to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Bingham has clearly done a lot of research into the world of climbing, and I had to chuckle at the Easter egg buried in the name of a boat captain who appears late in the book.
Some of the most engaging aspects of these books are the insights into Fiona’s mind. Since the stories are told in first person, present tense, there are plenty of opportunities for Bingham to slip inside her brain as she drifts off into random thoughts or engages in behaviors that are inexplicable even to her. I’ve already read the next book in the series (it was the one I stumbled on that got me started), but there is one more beyond that. I think I read somewhere that Bingham plans a seventh, but I don’t think it’s been published yet. I will miss Fiona when it’s over.
January 29, 2016
Whenever I see those "all-time favorite" book lists, I avoid them like the plague. I just don't feel like putting all the books that have touched me deeply into an organized and rated row. (Yes, it is a lot like asking a mother to name her favorite child.) However, if someone asked me to name the best mystery series being written today, without hesitation I would say Harry Bingham's Fiona Griffiths. To date, there are four books, and I have given all four the highest possible rating. I can't say that about any other author I've read.
Yes, the setting of Wales adds texture and richness to the books. Yes, the mysteries are some of the most intriguing you'll ever come across. Yes, the pacing draws you inevitably forward, faster and faster. You have to know what happens, and you have to know now. But the best and brightest thing about Harry Bingham's superb series is the main character, Fiona Griffths.
At one time Fiona suffered from Cotard's syndrome, a rare mental illness in which an afflicted person holds the delusion that they are dead, either figuratively or literally. Fiona is one of the brightest people you'll ever run across, but Cotard's syndrome has colored every aspect of her life, and most especially in the way she interacts with other people. As can be seen in This Thing of Darkness, Fiona now has two superior officers who--though they may not really understand her-- can see her almost limitless potential as an investigator. To the best of their ability, they are now trying to groom her for bigger and better things. Will Fiona cooperate? Your guess is as good as mine.
I will warn you that this book does contain scenes of torture, and they do involve Fiona. They are tough to deal with but not impossible because we see these scenes through Fiona's eyes... those eyes that do not see the world as we do. There are also scenes of humor that bring needed warmth and laughter to the book, as when Fiona and Inspector Watkins conduct an interview together.
As different as Fiona is, she can also be very familiar. When she says, "Just when I see a barrier saying Do Not Cross, I have an almost overwhelming impulse to cross it," I understand because I've felt the same way many times.
Harry Bingham is the first writer who's been able to write scenes that take place on board ship that made me seasick, so be forewarned. He also made me nervous about a purchase Fiona made-- an uneasy foreshadowing of what's to come in book five, The Dead House? Unfortunately I'll just have to wait and see.
If you haven't read any of the books in this series, I urge you to do so, and you need to start with the very first book, Talking to the Dead. If you do that, Fiona will make sense-- and then you will be as hopelessly hooked as I am. Fiona Griffiths is as wild and wonderful in her own way as Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander is in hers. I can't recommend Fiona-- or this entire series-- highly enough.
Yes, the setting of Wales adds texture and richness to the books. Yes, the mysteries are some of the most intriguing you'll ever come across. Yes, the pacing draws you inevitably forward, faster and faster. You have to know what happens, and you have to know now. But the best and brightest thing about Harry Bingham's superb series is the main character, Fiona Griffths.
At one time Fiona suffered from Cotard's syndrome, a rare mental illness in which an afflicted person holds the delusion that they are dead, either figuratively or literally. Fiona is one of the brightest people you'll ever run across, but Cotard's syndrome has colored every aspect of her life, and most especially in the way she interacts with other people. As can be seen in This Thing of Darkness, Fiona now has two superior officers who--though they may not really understand her-- can see her almost limitless potential as an investigator. To the best of their ability, they are now trying to groom her for bigger and better things. Will Fiona cooperate? Your guess is as good as mine.
I will warn you that this book does contain scenes of torture, and they do involve Fiona. They are tough to deal with but not impossible because we see these scenes through Fiona's eyes... those eyes that do not see the world as we do. There are also scenes of humor that bring needed warmth and laughter to the book, as when Fiona and Inspector Watkins conduct an interview together.
As different as Fiona is, she can also be very familiar. When she says, "Just when I see a barrier saying Do Not Cross, I have an almost overwhelming impulse to cross it," I understand because I've felt the same way many times.
Harry Bingham is the first writer who's been able to write scenes that take place on board ship that made me seasick, so be forewarned. He also made me nervous about a purchase Fiona made-- an uneasy foreshadowing of what's to come in book five, The Dead House? Unfortunately I'll just have to wait and see.
If you haven't read any of the books in this series, I urge you to do so, and you need to start with the very first book, Talking to the Dead. If you do that, Fiona will make sense-- and then you will be as hopelessly hooked as I am. Fiona Griffiths is as wild and wonderful in her own way as Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander is in hers. I can't recommend Fiona-- or this entire series-- highly enough.
August 29, 2019
3.5 stars. Now this is a series I really enjoy. Fiona Griffiths is a very different protagonist, she has issues but they make her quirky not needy/whiny. And she has a whole different way of thinking about solving crimes, one that gets her into some awkward situations. I must be due for another instalment soon.
December 9, 2018
This is the 4th book in the Fiona Griffiths series by author Harry Bingham. Fiona is a police woman who is haunted by her dark past. I have read other books in this series and to be honest this one did't quite reach the heights of the other ones for me. Maybe I set my bar too high and expected far more than realistic.
The book is a good read and the lead character Fiona Griffiths is certainly a very interesting character possessing many of the foibles that other great characters have so there is plenty of scope for other books.
Two deaths and a solved theft that although declared not suspicious or not required to pursue rile with Fiona and she decides to dig deeper. A marine engineer who tumbles off a cliff path on a windy night, a burglary where everything taken was returned by the thief and the suicide of a man in love with life. There is nothing to connect these three events but Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths starts to wonder if everything is quite all it seems.
Overall a good read and would work as a stand-alone and maybe on another day I would score higher.
The book is a good read and the lead character Fiona Griffiths is certainly a very interesting character possessing many of the foibles that other great characters have so there is plenty of scope for other books.
Two deaths and a solved theft that although declared not suspicious or not required to pursue rile with Fiona and she decides to dig deeper. A marine engineer who tumbles off a cliff path on a windy night, a burglary where everything taken was returned by the thief and the suicide of a man in love with life. There is nothing to connect these three events but Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths starts to wonder if everything is quite all it seems.
Overall a good read and would work as a stand-alone and maybe on another day I would score higher.
June 4, 2017
A slow start and less thrilling than the former books in the series, but only slightly so.
4,5 stars.
4,5 stars.
February 2, 2022
This Thing of Darkness (Fiona Griffiths, #4) by Harry Bingham.
Finished and I'm still out of breath. Fiona! Are you super woman or just plain out of this world. There's a burglary of the highest order in a quite well to do home...but then all is returned. Hmmm??? A man falls from a cliff. Suicide? Misstep? or as Fiona believes-murder.
A well liked man away on business is found hanging. Suicide for no apparent reason? Fiona has other thoughts.
Fiona's world has taken over lock, stock and barrel. There is no escape from her out of order life nor should there be. This ride was fantastic and I'm not getting off just yet...or ever.
To top it all off the author has questions after the story for anyone interested enough to answer or at least try to answer. The prize, if you are fortunate enough to answer correctly, are signed copies of this series.
Beyond highly recommended. It would be a wise thought to read these books in order.
Finished and I'm still out of breath. Fiona! Are you super woman or just plain out of this world. There's a burglary of the highest order in a quite well to do home...but then all is returned. Hmmm??? A man falls from a cliff. Suicide? Misstep? or as Fiona believes-murder.
A well liked man away on business is found hanging. Suicide for no apparent reason? Fiona has other thoughts.
Fiona's world has taken over lock, stock and barrel. There is no escape from her out of order life nor should there be. This ride was fantastic and I'm not getting off just yet...or ever.
To top it all off the author has questions after the story for anyone interested enough to answer or at least try to answer. The prize, if you are fortunate enough to answer correctly, are signed copies of this series.
Beyond highly recommended. It would be a wise thought to read these books in order.
September 23, 2016
I enjoy Fiona's declarative/disjointed narration. Her efforts at becoming (not just appearing) normal and following the official rules of policing continue. I like seeing her struggle less with Cotard's and make a life for herself, and happily she's managing to keep her weirdness as she develops. The investigations and research in this series are connected, so reading them in order is important.
April 11, 2019
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I have to say I struggled a little with This Thing of Darkness. The book felt very convoluted at the beginning. (Heck, even Fi's superior officers have trouble following what's going on in her brain. How am I supposed to follow, ha?) However, after about a third of the book, I was totally hooked! I'm happy Watkins seems to have become a permanent fixture in the series. Love her. I also loved that Fi was able to examine a stack of cold cases and find a connection. Her brain fascinates me. I may not always understand Fi's brain, but I am always fascinated.
If you decide to jump in and read this series, I highly recommend you start with the first book. 😁
I have to say I struggled a little with This Thing of Darkness. The book felt very convoluted at the beginning. (Heck, even Fi's superior officers have trouble following what's going on in her brain. How am I supposed to follow, ha?) However, after about a third of the book, I was totally hooked! I'm happy Watkins seems to have become a permanent fixture in the series. Love her. I also loved that Fi was able to examine a stack of cold cases and find a connection. Her brain fascinates me. I may not always understand Fi's brain, but I am always fascinated.
If you decide to jump in and read this series, I highly recommend you start with the first book. 😁
November 8, 2017
It has been two and a half years since I read a Fiona Griffiths novel, and I can’t really remember what made me think of it last night. Once I downloaded the Kindle edition of this one, though, I could not stop reading. I bitterly resented work, sleep, people talking to me—Did they not see I was READING ANOTHER FIONA GRIFFITHS? 😡. Anyway, home from work, and settled into a chair beside an outlet to keep my phone from dying during this extremely crucial time. WHY were my kids insisting on supper?! Despite these hold-ups, I managed to blaze through the entire scintillating read. I love the finely articulated personality of Fiona, the intricacy of the plotting, the whole thing. Now, I have to force myself to save the next book for Thanksgiving break, so I don’t risk getting fired for reading on the job.
April 20, 2016
Fiona Griffiths excels contemporary police detectives, even such high-maintenance items as Tana French’s Cassie Maddox & Sharon Bolton’s Lacey Flint, in psychological complexity. When young she suffered from a mental illness called Cotard’s Syndrome, characterized by the delusion that she was actually dead. This has left her conscious of being able to get directly in touch with murder victims, an appropriate affinity for a criminal investigator that gives her a more than routine desire to see the victims’ killers brought to justice. With the help of a psychological counselor who was also her first love, Fiona was able to overcome her affliction sufficiently to lead a more-or-less regular life & took a degree in philosophy @ Cambridge. Her career with the South Wales police force seems a deliberately contrarian choice to go against the grain - she was reared in the wealthy family of a successfully retired Cardiff crime lord (who provides Fiona with not only private means but her own personal unarmed combat instructor, a veteran of the Russian special forces). Like Cassie and Lacey, Fiona combines a strong independent steak that makes her instantly ready to cast her police career to the winds with a strong desire to prove trustworthy & to see justice done, whatever it takes, whatever the risks.
The ongoing background: as with many series police detectives, with Fi there are several mysteries unfolding simultaneously. Her father-the-crime-lord is apparently her foster father; she was 1st discovered @ age two sitting in the backseat of his Jaguar. There are also her relationships, with Ed the ex-counselor whom she pops in on when she needs a little steadying, Lev her combat trainer, who’s one of those boring characters who speaks English with Russian grammar, & the annoyingly named Buzz(!), an ex-Parachute Regiment policemen with whom Fi came to close to settling down in the second (& to my mind weakest) book in the series, but fortunately has been effectively written out of the story in this one. I think the author has realised that as a totally unstable personality, Fi ought to have but transitory affairs. (Also, readers like me who fall for her get jealous of lovers who hang around too long.) Additionally, Fi has a list of shady Cardiff businessmen (I think all men so far) and councilors whom she keeps on Google alert & provide the author with new villainous schemes that generate crimes for Fi to investigate & solve. In the first of the series it was sex trafficking, the second was arms dealing, I’ve forgot what was behind the third in which Fi went undercover as an office cleaner ` something to do with payrolls, I think. In this one it’s Transatlantic cables, which allows Fi to go undercover as well, for what I found the most exciting thriller ending in the series yet. There is also usually a gimmick in which Fiona (& the reader) are taught a new skill. In Talking to the Dead it was unarmed & armed combat, in Love Story with Murders it was how to blow up a motor car (I now carry one of those gas grille igniters in the VW just in case I should need to get the attention of a search helicopter), in The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths how to assume another identity (definitely my favourite), & here in This Thing of Darkness it’s rock climbing. (Never appealed to me, but then I’ve succeeded in breaking my neck in my living room so why bother?)
In comparison to other young police detectives, Fi ranks for me in the top echelon & Cotard’s gives her a paranormal or psychological (depending on whether you regard communicating with the dead as a gift - like me - or a delusion) dimension absent in her peers. But you don’t feel, as with Cassie or Lacey, that Fi is so real that she’s somebody you wish you could have as a friend, even tho’ it would be a very difficult friendship indeed. But I’d rank Fi above the impressive newcomers Angela Marson’s Kim Stone & Elizabeth Haynes’s Louisa Smith, who are still a little too flat, even tho’ as a literary artist Haynes excels all contemporaries besides French & Bolton. Another rising star police detective (this one in the Southern Cross) - whom I had the good fortune to encounter with another reading group is Candice Fox’s Eden Archer, who like Fi is also the foster daughter of a crime lord. Unlike Haynes, & of course French & Bolton, Bingham fails to portray really memorable minor characters & his villains are there just to commit crimes & ultimately get caught - nothing tragic about them & they are totally forgettable. But that quality makes the members of the series stand alone very well. Could you read a Harry Bingham for a 2nd time? Not sure, but I’d consider Strange Death for another go - what I learnt about undercover work made me appreciate Dead Scared & The Likeness even more. Should This Thing of Darkness be your first outing, you might like to go back & pick up Talking to the Dead for more of Fi’s back story. This one tho’ I cannot imagine wanting to read again, so I’ll hold @ four stars - but they’re very bright stars.
The ongoing background: as with many series police detectives, with Fi there are several mysteries unfolding simultaneously. Her father-the-crime-lord is apparently her foster father; she was 1st discovered @ age two sitting in the backseat of his Jaguar. There are also her relationships, with Ed the ex-counselor whom she pops in on when she needs a little steadying, Lev her combat trainer, who’s one of those boring characters who speaks English with Russian grammar, & the annoyingly named Buzz(!), an ex-Parachute Regiment policemen with whom Fi came to close to settling down in the second (& to my mind weakest) book in the series, but fortunately has been effectively written out of the story in this one. I think the author has realised that as a totally unstable personality, Fi ought to have but transitory affairs. (Also, readers like me who fall for her get jealous of lovers who hang around too long.) Additionally, Fi has a list of shady Cardiff businessmen (I think all men so far) and councilors whom she keeps on Google alert & provide the author with new villainous schemes that generate crimes for Fi to investigate & solve. In the first of the series it was sex trafficking, the second was arms dealing, I’ve forgot what was behind the third in which Fi went undercover as an office cleaner ` something to do with payrolls, I think. In this one it’s Transatlantic cables, which allows Fi to go undercover as well, for what I found the most exciting thriller ending in the series yet. There is also usually a gimmick in which Fiona (& the reader) are taught a new skill. In Talking to the Dead it was unarmed & armed combat, in Love Story with Murders it was how to blow up a motor car (I now carry one of those gas grille igniters in the VW just in case I should need to get the attention of a search helicopter), in The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths how to assume another identity (definitely my favourite), & here in This Thing of Darkness it’s rock climbing. (Never appealed to me, but then I’ve succeeded in breaking my neck in my living room so why bother?)
In comparison to other young police detectives, Fi ranks for me in the top echelon & Cotard’s gives her a paranormal or psychological (depending on whether you regard communicating with the dead as a gift - like me - or a delusion) dimension absent in her peers. But you don’t feel, as with Cassie or Lacey, that Fi is so real that she’s somebody you wish you could have as a friend, even tho’ it would be a very difficult friendship indeed. But I’d rank Fi above the impressive newcomers Angela Marson’s Kim Stone & Elizabeth Haynes’s Louisa Smith, who are still a little too flat, even tho’ as a literary artist Haynes excels all contemporaries besides French & Bolton. Another rising star police detective (this one in the Southern Cross) - whom I had the good fortune to encounter with another reading group is Candice Fox’s Eden Archer, who like Fi is also the foster daughter of a crime lord. Unlike Haynes, & of course French & Bolton, Bingham fails to portray really memorable minor characters & his villains are there just to commit crimes & ultimately get caught - nothing tragic about them & they are totally forgettable. But that quality makes the members of the series stand alone very well. Could you read a Harry Bingham for a 2nd time? Not sure, but I’d consider Strange Death for another go - what I learnt about undercover work made me appreciate Dead Scared & The Likeness even more. Should This Thing of Darkness be your first outing, you might like to go back & pick up Talking to the Dead for more of Fi’s back story. This one tho’ I cannot imagine wanting to read again, so I’ll hold @ four stars - but they’re very bright stars.
August 16, 2018
I recently reviewed the Jeffery Deaver novel, The Cutting Edge. In my review I noted how a Deaver novel was like a text book because you learned so much.
Deaver has nothing on Harry Bingham. I don't know that Bingham is better at that than is Deaver but I would say they both offer great opportunities for learning. I know for sure there was much to learn in this novel and that's been true of all of the Fiona Griffiths novels I've read.
Oh, one thing I learned reading the author's notes at the end of the book, Bingham reads reviews both on Amazon and Goodreads. But I will not be intimidated. I will give what I feel is an honest review and just because I'm prepared to heap praise on this book doesn't mean I'm bothered by Bingham's review of my review one bit. So HA! Harry Bingham, just Ha!
(Scurry's to the door to make sure the locks are thrown just in case Harry is on the prowl.)
So what subjects did we learn about from this book? Rock climbing of course, and how an adept climber of rocks can also be an adept climber of buildings. (Thankfully my house is a single story so I don't have to worry about a climber getting into the third story and stealing my fabulously expensive cobwebs that have taken years to build up.)
We learn a bit about trans Atlantic cables. And like Fiona, I thought all of that data was done via satellite! We learned that time is money and when I say time we are talking milliseconds. I had no idea how those things worked but Bingham, having done his research taught us how that is so.
We learned a bit about trawlers out on the Irish Sea but not nearly as much as those two subject previously mentioned.
But we also learned a bit about Fi.
In the vernacular of our British friends, Fiona Griffiths is a nutter. Oh we knew that before but in this novel that nutterness comes out even more. But that shouldn't be used to denigrate Fi because she's also a genius at times. As dumb as she can be at times she has moments of brilliance and thus the basis of the stories Bingham weaves for us.
Fiona lives and works in Wales, for the mast part that is. She does traipse off to other parts of the UK from time to time and even to foreign countries. Well they are all foreign to me ensconced as I am in the U.S. but I mean foreign to Fi. Specifically in this novel we are talking about Spain, Portugal and France.
So what is this novel about? It's about 2 cold cases that Fi is given by Jackson, her uber boss in order to keep her mind going in the right direction. One was a break in and theft of a third story (second story in British terms if I'm not mistaken), a seemingly impossible feat that could be performed only by, say, Peter Pan. The other is the death of a night watchman, not as he made his rounds but after he partook of a couple of pints and feel off of a cliff while walking home.
But Fi, in her screwed up but insightful way doesn't see it that way, neither of them. She doesn't believe it was Peter Pan that broke into the third (or second) story nor does she feel that the night watchman fell to his death but rather was dead or close to it on his way down the cliff.
So what do those unrelated events have to do with trawler's on the Irish Sea and trans Atlantic cable? Oh ye who have read my reviews; you know this is coming. . . READ THE BOOK!
Along with those crimes which set off a massive investigation, we have a kidnapping and torturing of a young female Detective Constable (Fi herself). We have the suicide which isn't a suicide of a marine engineer who, it turns out, was also tortured. We have a world class climber of rock and, as we learn, buildings. We have insurance fraud. And we have a young female Detective Constable (yes, our beloved Fiona again) taking the exam for Sergeant. Does she pass? Yes, you guessed it; READ THE BOOK!
Watkins, Jackson, Penry, Ed and even Buzz plus Mike all play excellent supporting roles and they read their lines quite well and never miss their marks. Add Lev to that mix and you have. . . well, quite a mix.
In the past I have given the Bingham novels I've read 4 stars. Not this time. No, this time Bingham got that 5th star. He earned it, and no I'm not intimidated that he might read this review. Well, not much at least.
I loved the prose of this book and, as Harry himself points out in the afterward, he doesn't Americanize his books but keeps them true to the UK and even more precisely, to Wales at times. The spelling wasn't a problem at all. I mean if you can't figure out that colour and color are the same thing then you probably should be listening to an audio book. There are times when I had to look something up, usually on Wikipedia or in the dictionary and I seldom have to do that with most books written for the American audience. I don't mind that. Remember, earlier on I said this was text book and that is part of the learning.
So OK Mr. Bingham, can I take my catcher's mask off, the one that I've been wearing in case you don't like my review and want to punch me in the nose? Did I do OK?
Guess what? I don't really have a catcher's mask and I didn't write this for Harry Bingham, I wrote it for me, and for anyone of our Goodreads readers who want to know what this book is about and if they should read it. I've given you hints as to the former and the answer to the latter is, if you like suspense, action, if you like delving into the mind of a young lady who has problems but also has lots of answers, then not just yes but HELL YES! Read this book.
Deaver has nothing on Harry Bingham. I don't know that Bingham is better at that than is Deaver but I would say they both offer great opportunities for learning. I know for sure there was much to learn in this novel and that's been true of all of the Fiona Griffiths novels I've read.
Oh, one thing I learned reading the author's notes at the end of the book, Bingham reads reviews both on Amazon and Goodreads. But I will not be intimidated. I will give what I feel is an honest review and just because I'm prepared to heap praise on this book doesn't mean I'm bothered by Bingham's review of my review one bit. So HA! Harry Bingham, just Ha!
(Scurry's to the door to make sure the locks are thrown just in case Harry is on the prowl.)
So what subjects did we learn about from this book? Rock climbing of course, and how an adept climber of rocks can also be an adept climber of buildings. (Thankfully my house is a single story so I don't have to worry about a climber getting into the third story and stealing my fabulously expensive cobwebs that have taken years to build up.)
We learn a bit about trans Atlantic cables. And like Fiona, I thought all of that data was done via satellite! We learned that time is money and when I say time we are talking milliseconds. I had no idea how those things worked but Bingham, having done his research taught us how that is so.
We learned a bit about trawlers out on the Irish Sea but not nearly as much as those two subject previously mentioned.
But we also learned a bit about Fi.
In the vernacular of our British friends, Fiona Griffiths is a nutter. Oh we knew that before but in this novel that nutterness comes out even more. But that shouldn't be used to denigrate Fi because she's also a genius at times. As dumb as she can be at times she has moments of brilliance and thus the basis of the stories Bingham weaves for us.
Fiona lives and works in Wales, for the mast part that is. She does traipse off to other parts of the UK from time to time and even to foreign countries. Well they are all foreign to me ensconced as I am in the U.S. but I mean foreign to Fi. Specifically in this novel we are talking about Spain, Portugal and France.
So what is this novel about? It's about 2 cold cases that Fi is given by Jackson, her uber boss in order to keep her mind going in the right direction. One was a break in and theft of a third story (second story in British terms if I'm not mistaken), a seemingly impossible feat that could be performed only by, say, Peter Pan. The other is the death of a night watchman, not as he made his rounds but after he partook of a couple of pints and feel off of a cliff while walking home.
But Fi, in her screwed up but insightful way doesn't see it that way, neither of them. She doesn't believe it was Peter Pan that broke into the third (or second) story nor does she feel that the night watchman fell to his death but rather was dead or close to it on his way down the cliff.
So what do those unrelated events have to do with trawler's on the Irish Sea and trans Atlantic cable? Oh ye who have read my reviews; you know this is coming. . . READ THE BOOK!
Along with those crimes which set off a massive investigation, we have a kidnapping and torturing of a young female Detective Constable (Fi herself). We have the suicide which isn't a suicide of a marine engineer who, it turns out, was also tortured. We have a world class climber of rock and, as we learn, buildings. We have insurance fraud. And we have a young female Detective Constable (yes, our beloved Fiona again) taking the exam for Sergeant. Does she pass? Yes, you guessed it; READ THE BOOK!
Watkins, Jackson, Penry, Ed and even Buzz plus Mike all play excellent supporting roles and they read their lines quite well and never miss their marks. Add Lev to that mix and you have. . . well, quite a mix.
In the past I have given the Bingham novels I've read 4 stars. Not this time. No, this time Bingham got that 5th star. He earned it, and no I'm not intimidated that he might read this review. Well, not much at least.
I loved the prose of this book and, as Harry himself points out in the afterward, he doesn't Americanize his books but keeps them true to the UK and even more precisely, to Wales at times. The spelling wasn't a problem at all. I mean if you can't figure out that colour and color are the same thing then you probably should be listening to an audio book. There are times when I had to look something up, usually on Wikipedia or in the dictionary and I seldom have to do that with most books written for the American audience. I don't mind that. Remember, earlier on I said this was text book and that is part of the learning.
So OK Mr. Bingham, can I take my catcher's mask off, the one that I've been wearing in case you don't like my review and want to punch me in the nose? Did I do OK?
Guess what? I don't really have a catcher's mask and I didn't write this for Harry Bingham, I wrote it for me, and for anyone of our Goodreads readers who want to know what this book is about and if they should read it. I've given you hints as to the former and the answer to the latter is, if you like suspense, action, if you like delving into the mind of a young lady who has problems but also has lots of answers, then not just yes but HELL YES! Read this book.
August 15, 2017
I'm exhausted. Fiona is at risk so many times in so many ways in her own undercover operations without police knowledge/support that I am just gasping. This book includes a good deal of climbing information as well as some wonderfully descriptive scenes at sea where Fiona engineers the sinking of the ship she is on.
Right. Tiny little Fiona. Always the one to see the big picture no one else can guess at by connecting deaths that don't feel right with wealthy Welsh businessmen who don't seem right and using every trick she can come up with to defeat their plans to interfere with undersea cables.
This book could lead a person to believe that it is ok to break all the rules to catch the bad guys. Fiona breaks the laws of nature now and then as well.
Happy to report she is still alive against all reason, is now DS after passing test and is in good shape reporting to Jackson.
Right. Tiny little Fiona. Always the one to see the big picture no one else can guess at by connecting deaths that don't feel right with wealthy Welsh businessmen who don't seem right and using every trick she can come up with to defeat their plans to interfere with undersea cables.
This book could lead a person to believe that it is ok to break all the rules to catch the bad guys. Fiona breaks the laws of nature now and then as well.
Happy to report she is still alive against all reason, is now DS after passing test and is in good shape reporting to Jackson.
September 19, 2015
While I don't think this book is as good as the previous book in this series (few reach that level) it was very good. The early portions of the book were on the slow side (perhaps the author wanted us to share some of Fiona's boredom) but eventually it picked up steam with an especially exciting climax. Some mysteries/police procedurals have an abrupt ending. This one was the opposite. First we have a recap of the major climax, then go over Fiona's continuing concerns, and finally a mini climax at the very end.
I have read these books as they came out which makes it hard for me to retain details about the continuing story which is very much in the background. I may have to reread these books before number 5.
I have read these books as they came out which makes it hard for me to retain details about the continuing story which is very much in the background. I may have to reread these books before number 5.
August 27, 2015
Elaborate
A series of "impossible" crimes and two murders that do not look like murders. Could all if these incidents be related? This problem makes for a strong beginning for a story that unfortunately loses its way. Large scale conspiracies are seldom believable and this one is no exception . The other problem is Detective Griffiths who is too mentally unstable to be a career police officer and while some officers stretch rules, it is not credible to have an officer who conducts independent investigations. Moreover, her long musings about her problems and her strange behavior do not provide much entertainment.
A series of "impossible" crimes and two murders that do not look like murders. Could all if these incidents be related? This problem makes for a strong beginning for a story that unfortunately loses its way. Large scale conspiracies are seldom believable and this one is no exception . The other problem is Detective Griffiths who is too mentally unstable to be a career police officer and while some officers stretch rules, it is not credible to have an officer who conducts independent investigations. Moreover, her long musings about her problems and her strange behavior do not provide much entertainment.
February 2, 2019
Glad this wasn't the first of this series that I read because I wouldn't have read any others. This is the weakest of the 5 I have read so far. Too far fetched even for a character like Fiona Griffiths, was quite disappointed and kind of glad to finish reading it. Good thing I have already read number 5 and know it gets better again!
March 2, 2019
Die Prüfung
Wenn sie ihm echte Fälle bringt, lässt ihr Chef sie aus dem Verlies. Eigentlich sollte Fiona Griffiths sich auf die Prüfung vorbereiten. Während der freien Tage, die sie deshalb genommen hat, macht sie vieles, Lernen ist nicht dabei. Wieder zurück im Dienst, landet sie in der Asservatenkammer, um jede Menge Beweismittel zu archivieren und zu katalogisieren. Viel lieber wäre Fiona draußen beim Polizeieinsatz. Nun, sie muss das Beste daraus machen. Die alten Fälle, die Jackson ihr gegeben hat, arbeitet sie eher nebenbei durch. Bei ihrer unnachahmlichen Spürnase dauert es nicht lange, bis aus einem vermeintlichen Unfall und einem vermeintlichen Selbstmord zwei Tötungsdelikte werden.
In diesem vierten Band der Fiona Griffiths Reihe muss die junge Polizistin ihr ganzes Geschick aufbringen. Natürlich will sie nicht in der Asservatenkammer versauern, doch wie immer, wenn sie mal wieder naseweis war, muss sie eine Weile kleine Brötchen backen. Doch wissend um ihre Fähigkeiten lassen die Vorgesetzten ein paar Fälle sichten, deren Ermittlung zu nichts weiter geführt hat. Fiona ergreift die Chance, sich wenigstens hin und wieder auf etwas Interessantes konzentrieren zu dürfen als auf ungeordnete Beweisstücke. Einiges kommt ihr komisch vor bei den erwähnten Todesfällen. Haben die eigentlich zuständigen Beamten etwas übersehen? Nicht unbedingt, die meisten sind einfach nicht mit Fionas Fähigkeiten ausgestattet, aus kleinsten Ungereimtheiten ein Delikt herauszuschälen.
Man will hier wirklich nicht zu viel verraten, wie Fiona aus Nichts ein Verbrechen konstruiert. Die Entdeckungen, die einem im Rahmen der Lektüre erwarten, sind einfach zu brillant und verwegen. So manches „Häh?“ entfleucht einem, gefolgt von einem „Cool“. Da wird einem beim Mitdenken schon die eine oder andere Kletterpartie abverlangt. Was einen zu Beginn manchmal zum Absetzen zwingt, wird im Verlauf der Handlung zu einem echten Pageturner, den man nicht mehr aus der Hand legen will. So langsam schält sich auch das Große und Ganze heraus, was es angeraten erscheinen lässt, die Reihe mit Band eins zu beginnen.
Vielleicht muss man Fiona Griffiths erst etwas besser kennenlernen, um ihre komplexe, aber durchaus sympathische Persönlichkeit erfassen zu können. Doch je länger man einen gemeinsamen Weg mit ihr beschreitet, desto wohler fühlt man sich mit ihr.
4,5 Sterne
Wenn sie ihm echte Fälle bringt, lässt ihr Chef sie aus dem Verlies. Eigentlich sollte Fiona Griffiths sich auf die Prüfung vorbereiten. Während der freien Tage, die sie deshalb genommen hat, macht sie vieles, Lernen ist nicht dabei. Wieder zurück im Dienst, landet sie in der Asservatenkammer, um jede Menge Beweismittel zu archivieren und zu katalogisieren. Viel lieber wäre Fiona draußen beim Polizeieinsatz. Nun, sie muss das Beste daraus machen. Die alten Fälle, die Jackson ihr gegeben hat, arbeitet sie eher nebenbei durch. Bei ihrer unnachahmlichen Spürnase dauert es nicht lange, bis aus einem vermeintlichen Unfall und einem vermeintlichen Selbstmord zwei Tötungsdelikte werden.
In diesem vierten Band der Fiona Griffiths Reihe muss die junge Polizistin ihr ganzes Geschick aufbringen. Natürlich will sie nicht in der Asservatenkammer versauern, doch wie immer, wenn sie mal wieder naseweis war, muss sie eine Weile kleine Brötchen backen. Doch wissend um ihre Fähigkeiten lassen die Vorgesetzten ein paar Fälle sichten, deren Ermittlung zu nichts weiter geführt hat. Fiona ergreift die Chance, sich wenigstens hin und wieder auf etwas Interessantes konzentrieren zu dürfen als auf ungeordnete Beweisstücke. Einiges kommt ihr komisch vor bei den erwähnten Todesfällen. Haben die eigentlich zuständigen Beamten etwas übersehen? Nicht unbedingt, die meisten sind einfach nicht mit Fionas Fähigkeiten ausgestattet, aus kleinsten Ungereimtheiten ein Delikt herauszuschälen.
Man will hier wirklich nicht zu viel verraten, wie Fiona aus Nichts ein Verbrechen konstruiert. Die Entdeckungen, die einem im Rahmen der Lektüre erwarten, sind einfach zu brillant und verwegen. So manches „Häh?“ entfleucht einem, gefolgt von einem „Cool“. Da wird einem beim Mitdenken schon die eine oder andere Kletterpartie abverlangt. Was einen zu Beginn manchmal zum Absetzen zwingt, wird im Verlauf der Handlung zu einem echten Pageturner, den man nicht mehr aus der Hand legen will. So langsam schält sich auch das Große und Ganze heraus, was es angeraten erscheinen lässt, die Reihe mit Band eins zu beginnen.
Vielleicht muss man Fiona Griffiths erst etwas besser kennenlernen, um ihre komplexe, aber durchaus sympathische Persönlichkeit erfassen zu können. Doch je länger man einen gemeinsamen Weg mit ihr beschreitet, desto wohler fühlt man sich mit ihr.
4,5 Sterne
April 7, 2019
The author has a knack for coming up with fascinating scenarios. This one is an adventure on the high seas, as well as a locked room mystery, a crash course in extreme rock climbing, and an attempted scam of international proportions. And through it all, Fiona Griffiths, the main character, trusts her instincts, if not her mental state, to push through to a satisfying ending.
December 18, 2019
Wieder besser als Band 1 und 2. Die Stellen, an denen es um Interaktion mit Fionas Vorgesetzten geht, haben mir viel Vergnügen bereitet. Der Plot, naja, ist halt so ein Plot. Es passieren Dinge und am Schluss werden Leute festgenommen.
December 23, 2017
Difficult to get into at first, but by halfway I was totally hooked.
Maybe not as good as the previous one, but enjoyable not the less. Book 5 now downloaded.
Maybe not as good as the previous one, but enjoyable not the less. Book 5 now downloaded.
February 28, 2018
I'm completely taken with this series.
June 19, 2018
Fiona Griffiths is a wonderful, weird character. Excellent humor, truly strange psychology. I love this series.
May 24, 2021
Gripping read. Great plot.
September 25, 2023
The next in the series featuring DC Fiona Griffiths, an intriguing lead character with some mental health issues and obsessive commitment to solving crimes. She links two cold cases involving burglary and potential murder, leading to a complex investigation linked to transatlantic cables.
February 9, 2019
My favourite so far..... Great plot to this one and I love how it keeps you guessing when it comes to the perps and how the whole crime fits together!
July 15, 2024
I am addicted to this series. I love the main character because of her intelligence, her struggles, and her wit. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series.
November 2, 2016
I absolutely love the quirky DI Fiona Griffith and the uncontrolled running commentary that constantly races through her head. Her past: mental illness and mobster father. Her present: feels more connection with the dead than the living, medicates the disquiet with weed, eats only because she is supposed to, doesn’t recognize emotions, and has trouble following rules. All this makes for a rather unorthodox detective. But the rub is, she is an effective one; her idiosyncratic mind allows her to think outside the box and see through the jumble of clues that stump the other detectives. All these aspects of Fiona Griffith make her one of the most enjoyable reads.
Somehow I missed This Thing of Darkness (Book 4) and went straight to The Dead House (Book 5). So I had to retrace Fiona’s steps back to the days that followed her breakup with Buzz, her undercover gig, her newly discovered penchant for cleaning and found a rather depressed Fiona. In book 4, her fragilely pieced together sanity had started to unravel and the blackness of her mental illness crept allowing shards of suicidal ideation and self-harm to invade her thoughts. Her new job in the basement evidence cave with a monosyllabic coworker does not help either.
Given cold cases to keep her busy, she picks the impossible ones: a second floor robbery that turns out is no longer a robbery and a fatal fall that seems rather cut and dried. With her brain in high gear (pun intended as she continues to smoke her wacky weed even on the job) and using her bottomless barrel of energy she discovers these two seemingly unrelated cases are clues to an amazingly complex criminal scheme that is worth billions.
The first third of the book was d-e-p-r-e-s-s-i-n-g. I missed the eccentric Fiona and her unethical impulsiveness. I cringed when she wondered how it would feel if she burned her arm with a cigarette. I grew just as bored as she does with day after day of entering evidence into the computer. And, worse, page after page, I felt myself go into a Fiona-like fugue state. To fully explain the monotony of the first third, the book was, in her words, less “corpsier” than usual. Just like Fiona, I needed a dead body.
Finally, the book grew corpsier, and darker, and weirder. There is a barn scene that will test the readers’ fortitude. There is a denouement that will test the readers’ plausibility meter. But, it is finally Fiona: the woman with lopsided relationships with live humans and an unreliable ability to recognize or even feel emotion. It is the Fiona who somehow is able to think five steps ahead of her co-workers to avoid getting into trouble. The Fiona who puts hand lotion and a pencil jar on her desk, not because she uses any of these things, but because that’s what normal people do. The Fiona who hires convicts and hangs out with former Russian spies and constantly smokes weed.
She may wish she could be normal or even live on the same planet as other humans, but I sure like her just the way she is.
Somehow I missed This Thing of Darkness (Book 4) and went straight to The Dead House (Book 5). So I had to retrace Fiona’s steps back to the days that followed her breakup with Buzz, her undercover gig, her newly discovered penchant for cleaning and found a rather depressed Fiona. In book 4, her fragilely pieced together sanity had started to unravel and the blackness of her mental illness crept allowing shards of suicidal ideation and self-harm to invade her thoughts. Her new job in the basement evidence cave with a monosyllabic coworker does not help either.
Given cold cases to keep her busy, she picks the impossible ones: a second floor robbery that turns out is no longer a robbery and a fatal fall that seems rather cut and dried. With her brain in high gear (pun intended as she continues to smoke her wacky weed even on the job) and using her bottomless barrel of energy she discovers these two seemingly unrelated cases are clues to an amazingly complex criminal scheme that is worth billions.
The first third of the book was d-e-p-r-e-s-s-i-n-g. I missed the eccentric Fiona and her unethical impulsiveness. I cringed when she wondered how it would feel if she burned her arm with a cigarette. I grew just as bored as she does with day after day of entering evidence into the computer. And, worse, page after page, I felt myself go into a Fiona-like fugue state. To fully explain the monotony of the first third, the book was, in her words, less “corpsier” than usual. Just like Fiona, I needed a dead body.
Finally, the book grew corpsier, and darker, and weirder. There is a barn scene that will test the readers’ fortitude. There is a denouement that will test the readers’ plausibility meter. But, it is finally Fiona: the woman with lopsided relationships with live humans and an unreliable ability to recognize or even feel emotion. It is the Fiona who somehow is able to think five steps ahead of her co-workers to avoid getting into trouble. The Fiona who puts hand lotion and a pencil jar on her desk, not because she uses any of these things, but because that’s what normal people do. The Fiona who hires convicts and hangs out with former Russian spies and constantly smokes weed.
She may wish she could be normal or even live on the same planet as other humans, but I sure like her just the way she is.
September 16, 2018
This Thing of Darkness is the fourth book in the Fiona Griffiths series set in Cardiff and South Wales. In this outing, Fiona is back to negotiating life without Buzz, and still struggling with her mental health and with following police procedure and the law. The larger criminal conspiracy that she’s been piecing together across the series comes to the fore, while her family and personal life recede. While working on a rape case, she spends any free time focusing attention on two deaths – one ruled accidental, the other suicide – and a handful of seemingly impossible burglaries. Other officers struggle to see the crimes for what they are, let alone the connections between them, but Fiona has a mind that works laterally and relentlessly. What Fiona sees is a play for millions; a scheme worth killing for. As with the previous books, Bingham does an excellent job at continuing to spin Fiona’s character development and advancing the longer arcs of the series with respect to her personal life (her adoption, her condition, and her criminal father) and her tangle with a set of dodgy Welsh businessmen. The plot is a little convoluted, unspooling and interlinking a handful of plotlines and subplots, and it’s sometimes tricky to see quite how Fiona made her deductions (for me, in solving the rape case), but narrative is so seductively readable and the story highly compelling and entertaining that it barely matters. Another excellent addition to the series.
September 2, 2015
I rarely advocate reading a series in perfect order and, admittedly, I did not read Harry Bingham's initial books in this series in order. That said, this is book 4 in the Fiona Griffiths Mysteries and I believe that most readers would prefer to watch Fiona and the other characters develop rather than just drop in on this installment. Fiona is a Welsh detective who suffers, adapts, and tries to thrive in spite of her mental illness (Cotard's Syndrome). Her mind is brilliant and what she lacks in physical size, she more than makes up for in doggedness and feisty behavior. This one character makes the story into much more than a police procedural and mystery. I gained stronger positive feelings about her bosses, Jackson and Watkins, and their management styles in this novel.
While I agree that this is a bit slower going at times, it grows in momentum and segues into a grand ending that makes it clear the author has future plans for this series. My concern about the characters and the cases they are involved in kept me interested while the author's writing style carried me along. As I read, I learned a bit about rock climbing, how data being shared via fast cable connections can be a financial drain/boost in its own right, and that I should never seek employment on a fishing vessel.
Looking forward to the next installment!
While I agree that this is a bit slower going at times, it grows in momentum and segues into a grand ending that makes it clear the author has future plans for this series. My concern about the characters and the cases they are involved in kept me interested while the author's writing style carried me along. As I read, I learned a bit about rock climbing, how data being shared via fast cable connections can be a financial drain/boost in its own right, and that I should never seek employment on a fishing vessel.
Looking forward to the next installment!
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