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Fiona Griffiths #5
The Dead House
Midnight in a country churchyard. A corpse lying at peace. The dead woman looks totally peaceful and there are no marks of violence. But why is she here, in this remote spot? Why does no one come forward to identify her? And why is she wearing a thin white dress on this howling October night?When young Welsh police sergeant Fiona Griffiths starts to investigate, her enquiries take her to a quiet monastery buried deep in the Welsh hills. And when she finds that a young teenager from the area went missing a few years earlier, her anxieties start to deepen.In a terrifying denouement - with echoes of Edgar Allan Poe - Fiona discovers the true horror of this crime . . . and she risks becoming its very next victim.The Fiona Griffiths crime thriller series has won countless admirers round the world. If you're looking for a gripping thriller led by a strong female protgonist, then look no further. THE DEAD HOUSE is your kind of book.
474 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2016
415 people are currently reading
832 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 246 reviews
May 4, 2016
A superb thriller featuring the inimitable DS Fiona Griffiths set in Cardiff and the wilds of Wales. This is the first in the series which I have read and I have to say that I thought it was wonderful. You know how when you first meet a person and you are not sure if you like them? That is how I felt on encountering Fiona, thinking there is something not quite right about her and that I could find this woman irritating plus she has OCD issues. She oversees the dead body she names Carlotta and through the night has developed what seems to be an unhealthy relationship with her corpse. The body in the bier house, a remnant from the Victorian era, known as the Dead House turns out not to have been murdered, but this does not stop the tenacious Fiona from working very hard to identify her. She succeeds, and anomalies in the interview with the dead girl's parents reveals she was abducted for a ransom.
This in turn leads to the discovery that there is an organised business set up to kidnap the children of rich Eastern Europeans and Russians. None of this would have been uncovered without Fiona's off the scale persistence. I am beginning to like Fiona. Sure, she's an oddball, but she starts to get under your skin. Her and DI Burnett encounter a monastery and connections with the disappearance of Bethan Williams. Fiona and an injured Burnett are trapped in underground caves with a murdered guide and blocked exits. To ensure that rescuers will find Burnett, Fiona constructs a mind map of the caves based on the corpses she has known. Her favourite corpses are assigned significant landmarks. We encounter the medieval concept of anchorites, which Fiona becomes uncomfortably familiar with as she engages with a fight for her life later. The case turns out to have connections with the recently closed Operation April. This just might get Fiona and the police closer to the top tier of suspects as the novel closes.
My love for Fiona is cemented on her interactions with the grief stricken Neil Williams, her family and her relationships within the police department. Yes, she is not to be trusted, but you can be sure that her actions are instigated from a good place. In a overcrowded crime fiction genre, the Fiona Griffiths series makes an unusually distinct contribution. Highly recommended. Thanks to Orion for an ARC via netgalley.
This in turn leads to the discovery that there is an organised business set up to kidnap the children of rich Eastern Europeans and Russians. None of this would have been uncovered without Fiona's off the scale persistence. I am beginning to like Fiona. Sure, she's an oddball, but she starts to get under your skin. Her and DI Burnett encounter a monastery and connections with the disappearance of Bethan Williams. Fiona and an injured Burnett are trapped in underground caves with a murdered guide and blocked exits. To ensure that rescuers will find Burnett, Fiona constructs a mind map of the caves based on the corpses she has known. Her favourite corpses are assigned significant landmarks. We encounter the medieval concept of anchorites, which Fiona becomes uncomfortably familiar with as she engages with a fight for her life later. The case turns out to have connections with the recently closed Operation April. This just might get Fiona and the police closer to the top tier of suspects as the novel closes.
My love for Fiona is cemented on her interactions with the grief stricken Neil Williams, her family and her relationships within the police department. Yes, she is not to be trusted, but you can be sure that her actions are instigated from a good place. In a overcrowded crime fiction genre, the Fiona Griffiths series makes an unusually distinct contribution. Highly recommended. Thanks to Orion for an ARC via netgalley.
March 25, 2020
Fiona Griffiths is one of my favourite fictional detectives. Her unusual psychological condition that makes it difficult for her to know what she is feeling and to engage with people in a 'normal' way, makes her such an interesting character. She has a way of seeing things that others don't and looking at things from a different perspective that helps her quick and intelligent mind fit together the pieces of a puzzle way before anyone else.
For the last year Fiona has been working on a major investigation into an international ring of criminals that has stalled and is likely to be put on hold, so when the chance to investigate an unusual death appears, she is keen to take the case. The body of a young woman has been found in a building next to a church, originally used for laying out dead bodies. Dressed in white and surrounded by candles there isn't a mark on her but Fiona is determined to find out who she is and how she got there. Set mostly in the beautiful and rugged Brecon Beacon hills of Wales in early winter, Fiona will spend a lot of her time getting cold and dirty. The case will lead Fiona to look at the disappearance of another young women some years before and to uncover a bizarre crime.
As always, Harry Bingham's writing is smart and insightful and infused with wry humour. Fiona's thoughts that she knows are best kept to herself are often hilarious. As a character she has grown over the course of the series, she has a handful of people she can now count as friends and is getting better at interacting with others and even goes out of her way to help a depressed farmer. She still has a tendency to follow her own lead without talking to her seniors (especially when she knows they would refuse her proposals) and puts herself into danger, but as her exploits most often lead to breakthroughs she usually gets away with it.
Another great episode in this excellent series, which should be started at the beginning to fully understand Fiona's background and character.
For the last year Fiona has been working on a major investigation into an international ring of criminals that has stalled and is likely to be put on hold, so when the chance to investigate an unusual death appears, she is keen to take the case. The body of a young woman has been found in a building next to a church, originally used for laying out dead bodies. Dressed in white and surrounded by candles there isn't a mark on her but Fiona is determined to find out who she is and how she got there. Set mostly in the beautiful and rugged Brecon Beacon hills of Wales in early winter, Fiona will spend a lot of her time getting cold and dirty. The case will lead Fiona to look at the disappearance of another young women some years before and to uncover a bizarre crime.
As always, Harry Bingham's writing is smart and insightful and infused with wry humour. Fiona's thoughts that she knows are best kept to herself are often hilarious. As a character she has grown over the course of the series, she has a handful of people she can now count as friends and is getting better at interacting with others and even goes out of her way to help a depressed farmer. She still has a tendency to follow her own lead without talking to her seniors (especially when she knows they would refuse her proposals) and puts herself into danger, but as her exploits most often lead to breakthroughs she usually gets away with it.
Another great episode in this excellent series, which should be started at the beginning to fully understand Fiona's background and character.
March 28, 2020
I was hesitant to read this novel, since it was #5 in a series. Somehow I took the chance and loved it.
Can it be called a psychological thriller, apart from being a detective drama? It feels like it.
Medieval meets modern. Compelling and riveting so. Now give me five reasons, very good ones, why I should not relocate to Wales. And hurry up!
Like Inspector Gamache in Lousie Penny's novels, and Police chief Bruno in Martin Walker's shenanigans, DC Fiona Griffiths is the convincing protaganist in the author's quest to sell scary, but intriguing bucolic intrigue to his readers. And like with Louise Penny and Martin Walker's ode to Three Pines in Canada, and St. Denis in the South of France respectively, Harry Bingham inspires his readers to relocate and be at peace forever. That is, if you keep your nose clean!
From the blurb:
When the body of a young woman is found in an old 'dead house' - the annexe where the dead were stored before burial in medieval times - of a tiny Welsh church, it seems that past and present have come together in a bizarre and horrifying way. For DC Fiona Griffiths, the girl - a murder victim whose corpse was laid out with obvious tenderness - represents an irresistibly intriguing puzzle, given Fiona's unusual empathy with the dead. And when her investigations lead her to an obscure and secretive monastery hidden in a remote valley, she finds that the dead girl is far from the only victim of a sinister melding of modern crime and medieval religious practices. Only Fiona is capable of putting the mismatched pieces together in this disturbing puzzle, but immersing herself in this dark and obsessive world could threaten her fragile grip on her own sanity.
As Fiona puts it:"To have spent the night with a dead woman, quite likely murdered, and to have spent it alone, in a dead house, in a blowing country churchyard -- some things are beyond improvement."
Fiona's sanity was a precarious thing. A soap bubble dancing over rock. A butterfly trembling on the storm. This investigation would either push her over the edge of healing, or insanity for good.
I guess it's time to start reading this series from #1. I'm in. I love how the author speaks to me.
Can it be called a psychological thriller, apart from being a detective drama? It feels like it.
Medieval meets modern. Compelling and riveting so. Now give me five reasons, very good ones, why I should not relocate to Wales. And hurry up!
Like Inspector Gamache in Lousie Penny's novels, and Police chief Bruno in Martin Walker's shenanigans, DC Fiona Griffiths is the convincing protaganist in the author's quest to sell scary, but intriguing bucolic intrigue to his readers. And like with Louise Penny and Martin Walker's ode to Three Pines in Canada, and St. Denis in the South of France respectively, Harry Bingham inspires his readers to relocate and be at peace forever. That is, if you keep your nose clean!
From the blurb:
When the body of a young woman is found in an old 'dead house' - the annexe where the dead were stored before burial in medieval times - of a tiny Welsh church, it seems that past and present have come together in a bizarre and horrifying way. For DC Fiona Griffiths, the girl - a murder victim whose corpse was laid out with obvious tenderness - represents an irresistibly intriguing puzzle, given Fiona's unusual empathy with the dead. And when her investigations lead her to an obscure and secretive monastery hidden in a remote valley, she finds that the dead girl is far from the only victim of a sinister melding of modern crime and medieval religious practices. Only Fiona is capable of putting the mismatched pieces together in this disturbing puzzle, but immersing herself in this dark and obsessive world could threaten her fragile grip on her own sanity.
As Fiona puts it:"To have spent the night with a dead woman, quite likely murdered, and to have spent it alone, in a dead house, in a blowing country churchyard -- some things are beyond improvement."
Fiona's sanity was a precarious thing. A soap bubble dancing over rock. A butterfly trembling on the storm. This investigation would either push her over the edge of healing, or insanity for good.
I guess it's time to start reading this series from #1. I'm in. I love how the author speaks to me.
August 29, 2016
I started reading this series back in 2013, and I still love it. Fiona is quirky and smart. In this book, Fi gets herself assigned to work on a case with DI Alun Burnett. What a great relationship they have. Nothing romantic, but they can communicate with just a look. As usual, Fi is dogged in finding answers. She gets into situations that are truly scary to me, but she is resourceful. I love the setting in Wales and all the places with strange spellings and pronunciations.
July 2, 2020
This is the 5th book in the Fiona Griffiths series by author Harry Bingham. I have read the previous books in this series and to be honest I have not found the same enjoyment in the later ones. The main character Fiona Griffiths is a fascinating character, she talks to the dead, she suffers from Cotards syndrome, a rare condition that makes her depressed and psychotic. Dedicated to the force yet has a complete disregard for the law. Characteristics that are likely to be found in the villains rather than the police and in many ways completely unsuitable for the job. Yet despite all these flaws she is a very good at her job and was promoted to a Sergeant with the South Wales CID.
Fiona finds the body of a woman dressed in white, holding a Bible laid out in a church. The victims body is unknown but there appear to be links to a missing local girl who is believed murdered.
Fiona finds the body of a woman dressed in white, holding a Bible laid out in a church. The victims body is unknown but there appear to be links to a missing local girl who is believed murdered.
April 3, 2017
4.5 stars
Creepy, suspenseful read featuring one of my favourite fictional women. And yet another review to add to my To-Do list....sigh....
Creepy, suspenseful read featuring one of my favourite fictional women. And yet another review to add to my To-Do list....sigh....
May 26, 2024
This is my first venture into the world of Harry Bingham’s DS Fiona Griffiths. It’s the fifth entry in the series, and I’m not sure how it got onto my TBR, but I’m glad it did. Fiona is a compelling character, and Bingham writes well.
Throughout the book Fiona explains that she isn’t a normal/good person who follows all social conventions and plays by the rules set down by her superiors in the Cardiff, Wales police daepartment. She is prone to obsessing over aspects of a case that others see as inconsequential and to drift away from assignments to follow up on these wild hairs that have grabbed her attention. Bingham frequently refers to elements of her backstory, but with just enough detail to explain her current actions, and not enough to give a clear picture. As I read I thought she might be somewhere along the autism spectrum, but I just read a GR review that said she had Cotard’s syndrome. I found this book good enough that I am putting the earlier books on my TBR so that I can learn more about her.
The plotting and characterization for the first 80% of the book were excellent, but the climax seemed a bit peculiar. It didn’t come out of nowhere, but it did seem more than a little unrealistic - although Fiona’s part in it was consistent with what I’d learned of her behaviors. Although it is definitely within the police procedural sub genre, the series is really all about Fiona. I’m left wanting to know a more about her and I’m looking forward to reading the earlier books in the series.
All in all, an excellent choice for a day when I needed something to completely absorb my own attention.
Throughout the book Fiona explains that she isn’t a normal/good person who follows all social conventions and plays by the rules set down by her superiors in the Cardiff, Wales police daepartment. She is prone to obsessing over aspects of a case that others see as inconsequential and to drift away from assignments to follow up on these wild hairs that have grabbed her attention. Bingham frequently refers to elements of her backstory, but with just enough detail to explain her current actions, and not enough to give a clear picture. As I read I thought she might be somewhere along the autism spectrum, but I just read a GR review that said she had Cotard’s syndrome. I found this book good enough that I am putting the earlier books on my TBR so that I can learn more about her.
The plotting and characterization for the first 80% of the book were excellent, but the climax seemed a bit peculiar. It didn’t come out of nowhere, but it did seem more than a little unrealistic - although Fiona’s part in it was consistent with what I’d learned of her behaviors. Although it is definitely within the police procedural sub genre, the series is really all about Fiona. I’m left wanting to know a more about her and I’m looking forward to reading the earlier books in the series.
All in all, an excellent choice for a day when I needed something to completely absorb my own attention.
July 10, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Harry Bingham has done it again. Or perhaps I should give Fiona Griffiths the honour?
March 23, 2017
Much as I love the way this author writes, much as I love Welsh detective Fiona Griffiths and her decent but bizarre personality, I would recommend any of the earlier books in the series before recommending this one. That is, unless you enjoy a completely implausible, off-the-wall plot like those of contemporary Scandinavian mystery writers. The ending was fascinating, I admit, but thoroughly nutty.
We start off with Fiona being called to check out the body of a young woman in a part of Wales that is not normally her beat. The corpse has been carefully laid out in what used to be called a "dead house," a pre-funeral custom in the old days.
Fiona, having in her teens suffered a psychological condition that caused her to think she was dead, always feels empathy for corpses and is determined to find out what happened to this one.
Working with a local detective but as usual going her own way a bit too much, Fiona repeatedly gets herself in harm's way. At one point, she gets trapped in a baffling cave system, at another, she is captured by the bad guys.
Partly because she is so different from "normal" people, she notices things that others don't and asks questions that others never consider. Which is why she usually solves the case at hand.
But throughout the series, Fiona is working on two ongoing, larger cases. One concerns her own history before she was left at age 3 in the car of her beloved adoptive father, a gangster. The other is about a cabal of rich, sophisticated, and untouchable white-collar criminals who are behind all the immediate crimes in the books and who mostly get away.
All the books are fun. But no matter how clever you are, I guarantee you will never guess the ending of this one. And maybe you will like that. Looking back over the story, you will see that the author did lay proper clues, but ... really!?
We start off with Fiona being called to check out the body of a young woman in a part of Wales that is not normally her beat. The corpse has been carefully laid out in what used to be called a "dead house," a pre-funeral custom in the old days.
Fiona, having in her teens suffered a psychological condition that caused her to think she was dead, always feels empathy for corpses and is determined to find out what happened to this one.
Working with a local detective but as usual going her own way a bit too much, Fiona repeatedly gets herself in harm's way. At one point, she gets trapped in a baffling cave system, at another, she is captured by the bad guys.
Partly because she is so different from "normal" people, she notices things that others don't and asks questions that others never consider. Which is why she usually solves the case at hand.
But throughout the series, Fiona is working on two ongoing, larger cases. One concerns her own history before she was left at age 3 in the car of her beloved adoptive father, a gangster. The other is about a cabal of rich, sophisticated, and untouchable white-collar criminals who are behind all the immediate crimes in the books and who mostly get away.
All the books are fun. But no matter how clever you are, I guarantee you will never guess the ending of this one. And maybe you will like that. Looking back over the story, you will see that the author did lay proper clues, but ... really!?
August 18, 2017
These books only get better. There is Fiona, a unique and very different police sergeant who continues to follow her own path... growing her own weed and rarely reporting what she is working on while putting herself at great risk, buckets of physical action coupled with methodical yet obsessive thinking, and the working of cold crimes dumped on her that again become central to uncovering continued kidnapping crimes involving many surprising perpetrators - capping it off with the identification of one of Fiona's target group behind much of the major crime schemes in Wales.
The author knows his active sports - last time around was the intricacies of climbing arts and this time cave maneuvering. Really great action!
I don't want to get too descriptive of this book as it may spoil the plot for others. I have been reading this series as a benefit of Kindle Unlimited subscription and recommend it for the Wales setting as well as the very original main character.
Christmas made an appearance in this book and Fiona continues to work on her origins.
The author knows his active sports - last time around was the intricacies of climbing arts and this time cave maneuvering. Really great action!
I don't want to get too descriptive of this book as it may spoil the plot for others. I have been reading this series as a benefit of Kindle Unlimited subscription and recommend it for the Wales setting as well as the very original main character.
Christmas made an appearance in this book and Fiona continues to work on her origins.
May 23, 2016
I haven't read the previous books in this series and I think you really need to read them in order so that you get to know the main character - DS Fiona Griffiths. The book is narrated by her and I found it hard to like her as a character though she was growing on me by the end of the book. She is very much a maverick who only sticks to the rules when it suits her and who has at times a tenuous grip on her own sanity and a rather peculiar affinity with dead bodies.
The book is well plotted and I did like some of the other characters. By chance Fiona is involved in a case which isn't even in her area - a young woman found dead in a dead house attached to a church. The corpse has been treated with tenderness and there doesn't seem to be any signs of violence. Fiona is convinced it is murder or at the very least indicates something suspicious going on.
Then there's the possibility of a group of respected business men being involved in a major crime ring and a monastery which no one could possibly suspect of being involved in anything shady. I thought the ending was excellent and it did have me turning the pages faster because I wanted to know what was going to happen and it did send shivers down my spine. I may go back and read the other books in the series to see if I feel differently about Fiona when I know more about her. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
The book is well plotted and I did like some of the other characters. By chance Fiona is involved in a case which isn't even in her area - a young woman found dead in a dead house attached to a church. The corpse has been treated with tenderness and there doesn't seem to be any signs of violence. Fiona is convinced it is murder or at the very least indicates something suspicious going on.
Then there's the possibility of a group of respected business men being involved in a major crime ring and a monastery which no one could possibly suspect of being involved in anything shady. I thought the ending was excellent and it did have me turning the pages faster because I wanted to know what was going to happen and it did send shivers down my spine. I may go back and read the other books in the series to see if I feel differently about Fiona when I know more about her. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.
May 5, 2019
I have never come across a literary character like Fiona! She drinks a lot of peppermint tea, rarely eats or sleeps, and smokes a lot of joints. As always, Wales is the setting and it totally lends itself to the story. A beautiful place with remote villages, underground caves, a monastery straight out of a medieval era and quiet country roads. But back to Fiona. It's fascinating how she can see that cases exist where other detectives (or even her superior officers) don't have a clue. Also, she seems to be evolving and not keeping her quirkiness to herself as much as she did in the previous books. I very much liked the character DI Alun Burnett and hope to see more of him.
July 26, 2016
Fiona’s stubborn refusal to let sleeping corpses lie, and her affinity with the dead, begins to shine a light on the matter of a beautiful corpse tenderly laid out among candles. A quiet beginning gains momentum to screw-turning tension, as DI Burnett gets to trust and respect the weird, edgy, newly promoted detective sergeant, Fiona Griffiths.
There is another ongoing mystery woven into the series – how and why, as a baby, did she wind up on the seat of the car owned by the man who adopted her, and is this connected to that man’s shady past? For this reason, I recommend that the series is read in their order to pick up on these threads, but, in any order, I am an out and out fan of Fiona’s. She will go down in literary crime history as a strong contender for the most memorable character ever.
December 5, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyable, especially since my recent holiday in Wales in the same area where the action takes place. Can't wait for number 6 in the series.
June 2, 2018
I was disappointed to learn that I read this book out of order; that I have missed This Thing Of Darkness. Oh well, this was a thumping good read as the Brits say, in order or out.
A thought crossed my mind while reading this book; what would it be like if Fi were to meet Rachael Morgan of the Kim Harrison series? A totally different world but still, it would be interesting.
Fiona Griffiths can't seem to keep herself out of trouble and that's a good thing. "What?" you say astonished? Well of course, if she did we wouldn't have the wonderful prose of Harry Bingham as we read about Fi's exploits, and they make for excellent reading.
Kidnappers and monks and country coppers galore; farmers and outdoorsmen and more than a bit of that demon weed called marijuana. (Not necessarily my true thoughts on MJ.) This book has a lot in it and it's all good.
Back to Bingham's prose; it is erratic at times but never to the point you don't understand it. Also, his use of British slang or words that we Yanks might not be all that familiar with is used throughout and it's both fun and educational to determine what means what. For instance when I looked up 'swede' I learned more about rutabagas than I thought I would care to know, but I enjoyed learning. The same is true of 'digestive biscuit'.
Fi has an indomitable desire to find the answers to those things that puzzle her and to which she feels the bad guys shouldn't get away with. It's what gets her into trouble and out of it, it's what helps her to solve cases and to win over those she works with and under.
This book also introduces us to DI Alun (hey, it's Welsh, not a typo) Burnett. He is a take charge guy who just happens to be in charge of the case of a corpse without a crime, but is smart enough to listen to Griffiths when she makes a point. His expertise is running an investigation, a task force if you will whereas Griffiths' forte is seeing what doesn't fit and how to find the answers to why it doesn't fit.
If you have read Mr. Bingham's stories of Fiona Griffiths then you won't want to miss this one. If you haven't read them and you like a good mystery, you like action, you aren't a misogynist and therefore don't mind that the protagonist is a hot shot female copper then you should certainly want to meet Fi Griffiths.
A thought crossed my mind while reading this book; what would it be like if Fi were to meet Rachael Morgan of the Kim Harrison series? A totally different world but still, it would be interesting.
Fiona Griffiths can't seem to keep herself out of trouble and that's a good thing. "What?" you say astonished? Well of course, if she did we wouldn't have the wonderful prose of Harry Bingham as we read about Fi's exploits, and they make for excellent reading.
Kidnappers and monks and country coppers galore; farmers and outdoorsmen and more than a bit of that demon weed called marijuana. (Not necessarily my true thoughts on MJ.) This book has a lot in it and it's all good.
Back to Bingham's prose; it is erratic at times but never to the point you don't understand it. Also, his use of British slang or words that we Yanks might not be all that familiar with is used throughout and it's both fun and educational to determine what means what. For instance when I looked up 'swede' I learned more about rutabagas than I thought I would care to know, but I enjoyed learning. The same is true of 'digestive biscuit'.
Fi has an indomitable desire to find the answers to those things that puzzle her and to which she feels the bad guys shouldn't get away with. It's what gets her into trouble and out of it, it's what helps her to solve cases and to win over those she works with and under.
This book also introduces us to DI Alun (hey, it's Welsh, not a typo) Burnett. He is a take charge guy who just happens to be in charge of the case of a corpse without a crime, but is smart enough to listen to Griffiths when she makes a point. His expertise is running an investigation, a task force if you will whereas Griffiths' forte is seeing what doesn't fit and how to find the answers to why it doesn't fit.
If you have read Mr. Bingham's stories of Fiona Griffiths then you won't want to miss this one. If you haven't read them and you like a good mystery, you like action, you aren't a misogynist and therefore don't mind that the protagonist is a hot shot female copper then you should certainly want to meet Fi Griffiths.
February 15, 2022
The Dead House (Fiona Griffiths, #5) by Harry Bingham.
My continuing adventure into the life, at work and at home, of Fiona Griffiths. File this edition under My Favorites. An audacious character without question is our Fiona. This story takes Fiona to unexplored territories that even the most daring among us would not hazard the risk. Our story begins with a young woman found dead at a remote place wearing a thin white dress. A more than shocking death it is a death without a murder having taken place. A death of a beautiful young woman that has no explanation of why or who. The place is out of Fiona's locality and she thus finds herself teamed up with DI Alun Burnett from Carmarthen. A team mate that Burnett will thank his stars for later in the story.
I find in reading this marvelous series that the fine details may hold answers that come to light much further in the unraveling of suspects (the who) and explanation(the why). I searched /googled the book: Revelations of Divine Love written by Julian of Norwich and mentioned in the story. Evidently Julian had many visions taking place over one night that she describes in this book.
This is a series that stands out as the ideal model for adventure with a woman as the main character. Most highly recommended.
My continuing adventure into the life, at work and at home, of Fiona Griffiths. File this edition under My Favorites. An audacious character without question is our Fiona. This story takes Fiona to unexplored territories that even the most daring among us would not hazard the risk. Our story begins with a young woman found dead at a remote place wearing a thin white dress. A more than shocking death it is a death without a murder having taken place. A death of a beautiful young woman that has no explanation of why or who. The place is out of Fiona's locality and she thus finds herself teamed up with DI Alun Burnett from Carmarthen. A team mate that Burnett will thank his stars for later in the story.
I find in reading this marvelous series that the fine details may hold answers that come to light much further in the unraveling of suspects (the who) and explanation(the why). I searched /googled the book: Revelations of Divine Love written by Julian of Norwich and mentioned in the story. Evidently Julian had many visions taking place over one night that she describes in this book.
This is a series that stands out as the ideal model for adventure with a woman as the main character. Most highly recommended.
April 19, 2019
Oh, Fiona! The things you get yourself into!
This book is different from the others in that there is no murder that triggers Fiona’s investigations. But as usual, she trusts her intuition and uncovers a diabolical scheme that puts her own life on the line. It’s as interesting to see how she gets into such situations as it is to see how she gets out of them.
I can’t stress enough that this series needs to be read in order, because each book builds on the one before it and you can’t fully appreciate Fiona’s thought processes unless you know her complete backstory. This is the fifth of six (so far) and although it wasn’t my favorite, it still delivered the goods.
The first book, Talking to the Dead, has been made into a movie, which I would dearly love to see but can’t find. However, I sincerely doubt that it could do the book—and Fiona herself—justice.
This book is different from the others in that there is no murder that triggers Fiona’s investigations. But as usual, she trusts her intuition and uncovers a diabolical scheme that puts her own life on the line. It’s as interesting to see how she gets into such situations as it is to see how she gets out of them.
I can’t stress enough that this series needs to be read in order, because each book builds on the one before it and you can’t fully appreciate Fiona’s thought processes unless you know her complete backstory. This is the fifth of six (so far) and although it wasn’t my favorite, it still delivered the goods.
The first book, Talking to the Dead, has been made into a movie, which I would dearly love to see but can’t find. However, I sincerely doubt that it could do the book—and Fiona herself—justice.
April 16, 2016
Review is also on The Coffee & Kindle Book Review Blog
The Dead House by Harry Bingham
Kindle Edition
Cost: Netgallery
Release date: 28/07/16
Amazon uk link:Here
Goodreads Link: Here
The Blurb
When the body of a young woman is found in an old 'dead house' - the annexe where the dead were stored before burial in medieval times - of a tiny Welsh church, it seems that past and present have come together in a bizarre and horrifying way. For DC Fiona Griffiths, the girl - a murder victim whose corpse was laid out with obvious tenderness - represents an irresistibly intriguing puzzle, given Fiona's unusual empathy with the dead. And when her investigations lead her to an obscure and secretive monastery hidden in a remote valley, she finds that the dead girl is far from the only victim of a sinister melding of modern crime and medieval religious practices. Only Fiona is capable of putting the mismatched pieces together in this disturbing puzzle, but immersing herself in this dark and obsessive world could threaten her fragile grip on her own sanity.
My Bit
This is the 5th instalment in the Fiona Griffiths series of books. I have to admit that I hadn’t read any of the previous books, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this one.
Fiona Griffiths is unlike any character I have ever read before. If I am being honest it took me around 20% of the book until I understood her and the authors writing style, but then BOOM, I was hooked. You always feel that there is a great sadness behind her character but at the same time she is happy. She is funny, loyal, and clever. I felt she could go over the edge at any moment but her work kept her from falling. She reminds me of Tony Hill in many respects. The supporting characters were well written and believable.
It’s a well knitted story with many strands that are all brought together at the end. There are two parts in particular that stand out for me and without giving too much away the Cave had me literally holding my breath and made me feel as if the walls were closing in on me. I really felt as if I was down there. The climax to the book is great reading and unexpected. Another Author I need to add to my read all pile.
The Dead House by Harry Bingham
Kindle Edition
Cost: Netgallery
Release date: 28/07/16
Amazon uk link:Here
Goodreads Link: Here
The Blurb
When the body of a young woman is found in an old 'dead house' - the annexe where the dead were stored before burial in medieval times - of a tiny Welsh church, it seems that past and present have come together in a bizarre and horrifying way. For DC Fiona Griffiths, the girl - a murder victim whose corpse was laid out with obvious tenderness - represents an irresistibly intriguing puzzle, given Fiona's unusual empathy with the dead. And when her investigations lead her to an obscure and secretive monastery hidden in a remote valley, she finds that the dead girl is far from the only victim of a sinister melding of modern crime and medieval religious practices. Only Fiona is capable of putting the mismatched pieces together in this disturbing puzzle, but immersing herself in this dark and obsessive world could threaten her fragile grip on her own sanity.
My Bit
This is the 5th instalment in the Fiona Griffiths series of books. I have to admit that I hadn’t read any of the previous books, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this one.
Fiona Griffiths is unlike any character I have ever read before. If I am being honest it took me around 20% of the book until I understood her and the authors writing style, but then BOOM, I was hooked. You always feel that there is a great sadness behind her character but at the same time she is happy. She is funny, loyal, and clever. I felt she could go over the edge at any moment but her work kept her from falling. She reminds me of Tony Hill in many respects. The supporting characters were well written and believable.
It’s a well knitted story with many strands that are all brought together at the end. There are two parts in particular that stand out for me and without giving too much away the Cave had me literally holding my breath and made me feel as if the walls were closing in on me. I really felt as if I was down there. The climax to the book is great reading and unexpected. Another Author I need to add to my read all pile.
July 28, 2022
I find the writing in this series a bit disjointed at times but as it adds to the feel of Fiona's rather mercurial character, I usually think it works well. This time however I thought it was often a bit jumbled & it didn't flow as it should have, while I know what happened I'd be hard pushed to give an account of how Fiona came to some of the conclusions she made.
The story however is an intriguing one &, as readers of the series might expect, Fiona once more gets herself into some rather tricky situations! Some parts I found hard to make sense of as I just couldn't visualise what was being described ….. & yet there were other parts that were evoked so well - I'm not particularly claustrophobic but some of the descriptions in the cave had me feeling distinctly uneasy!
As book#6 has been out for years, it's not a spoiler to say that Fiona lives to fight another day – hurrah! – but the way things concluded in regard to Bethan Williams? Well, that didn't sit well with me at all.
Overall a good read but, for me, not up to the standard of the rest of the series.
The story however is an intriguing one &, as readers of the series might expect, Fiona once more gets herself into some rather tricky situations! Some parts I found hard to make sense of as I just couldn't visualise what was being described ….. & yet there were other parts that were evoked so well - I'm not particularly claustrophobic but some of the descriptions in the cave had me feeling distinctly uneasy!
As book#6 has been out for years, it's not a spoiler to say that Fiona lives to fight another day – hurrah! – but the way things concluded in regard to Bethan Williams? Well, that didn't sit well with me at all.
Overall a good read but, for me, not up to the standard of the rest of the series.
September 5, 2016
Well, this took a long time to get into. I love Fiona: her quirkiness, her "no excuses for who I am"-ness, her pure crazy and utterly logical self. That's why I kept going. Around page 50, this book found its groove, and I couldn't put it down. I found it satisfying and love that, at the end, it ties into the larger mystery that has been building throughout the books.
What I wished for: more time with her family. I particularly miss the conversations between her and Ant, and her and her parents.
As my friend Nicole mentioned, it's helpful to remind yourself of the other murders that have preceeded this book, but I don't think it's necessary.
Did not disappoint.
What I wished for: more time with her family. I particularly miss the conversations between her and Ant, and her and her parents.
As my friend Nicole mentioned, it's helpful to remind yourself of the other murders that have preceeded this book, but I don't think it's necessary.
Did not disappoint.
July 5, 2017
I am aware as I review that I am gorging on Fiona Griffiths, reading each book consecutively, and inevitably comparing.
It has to be said that this is a great thriller but felt rather more Dan Brown than detective fiction. Fiona Griffiths is certainly a great character and I love how the unsolved cases in her previous investigations build as the series progresses and yet I couldn't quite "believe" in this one. Very page turning but I felt uncomfortable in how much belief I had to suspend.
That said I am lurching straight into the next book!
It has to be said that this is a great thriller but felt rather more Dan Brown than detective fiction. Fiona Griffiths is certainly a great character and I love how the unsolved cases in her previous investigations build as the series progresses and yet I couldn't quite "believe" in this one. Very page turning but I felt uncomfortable in how much belief I had to suspend.
That said I am lurching straight into the next book!
October 10, 2016
Another amazing outing with Fiona. Spoiler alert: if you have claustophobia, you may struggle with this book. Despite shortness of breath, I enjoyed this book immensely and am looking forward to seeing what Fiona gets into--and out of--next.
April 27, 2016
There were parts that I loved and parts I found a bit tedious but overall a good crime thriller. Thank you for the ARC.
November 9, 2018
4.5 stars. Perhaps the best of the Fiona Griffiths series. Love her. Great last couple of lines: “I am that woman. And I repent of nothing.”
May 22, 2020
He is trying to do a lot, I think, Mr Bingham is. He can write well, with skill and intent. You get nice sentences and reasonably clear pictures of people and locations. I find his attempt to give Fiona a not-normal voice consisting of constant sentence fragments to be wearing. I started making whole sentences out of them for myself, and that helped.
In this book he's got at least four stories going. Three get brought to enough conclusion to make you happy, one is left dangling in the wind for the future. They are interesting stories that make you want to find out more about kidnapping of the low-level rich, medieval religious practices and caving in Wales
Fiona has grown into a person who also cares much more for the living, and I like her better for it. The whole "love for the dead" aspect is just plain creepy. I get it, I get why. But no, I don't really want to participate. Spare me the all-nighters holding hands with corpses, please.
In this book he's got at least four stories going. Three get brought to enough conclusion to make you happy, one is left dangling in the wind for the future. They are interesting stories that make you want to find out more about kidnapping of the low-level rich, medieval religious practices and caving in Wales
Fiona has grown into a person who also cares much more for the living, and I like her better for it. The whole "love for the dead" aspect is just plain creepy. I get it, I get why. But no, I don't really want to participate. Spare me the all-nighters holding hands with corpses, please.
January 6, 2018
This book was a fantastic read. It got better and better until at the end I just couldn't put it down.
Fiona Griffiths doesn't half get herself into situations that look like she'll never escape from, but she does.
I am not claustrophobic but when she went caving and particularly when there was a baddie after her, I found myself petrified. As she squeezed through tunnels where her nose was on the ceiling my mouth was so dry and my heart was pumping. I don't think I could ever do that.
One more in the series to read and then I shall hope that there will be more to follow.
Fiona Griffiths doesn't half get herself into situations that look like she'll never escape from, but she does.
I am not claustrophobic but when she went caving and particularly when there was a baddie after her, I found myself petrified. As she squeezed through tunnels where her nose was on the ceiling my mouth was so dry and my heart was pumping. I don't think I could ever do that.
One more in the series to read and then I shall hope that there will be more to follow.
March 22, 2020
Keeps you guessing and interested from beginning to end.
Fiona is an unorthodox police inspector who bends rules but always gets her man.The Dead House has surprising twists and turns ,and the obvious is not really what you think.
Fiona is an unorthodox police inspector who bends rules but always gets her man.The Dead House has surprising twists and turns ,and the obvious is not really what you think.
November 7, 2021
These books by Harry Bingham are sooooo good! Each one is better than the one before it. Fiona Griffiths is the most unusual detective sergeant ever. But boy is she ever smart and resourceful. Love her and love these books!!!
October 17, 2023
Another complex plot featuring our Cardiff detective with a history of mental health issues and tendency to be obsessive. She gets seconded to Camarthen after an unidentified body of a beautiful young woman is discovered in a church building.
April 8, 2017
Fiona Griffiths may be the most interesting character in current police mysteries. This tale, the fifth in the series, is the finest yet. There are scenes in a cave that, if you are claustrophobic, will trigger a full-on panic attack and that, if you are not, will turn you into a claustrophobe.
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