Dying Fall

The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries, Book 5

By: Elly Griffiths

Narrated by: Clare Corbett

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Ruth Galloway receives a phone call that bears shocking news. A friend of hers from college, Dan Golding, has been killed in a fire at his Lancashire home. Her shock turns to alarm when she gets a letter from Dan. He has made a discovery that will change archaeology forever but he needs Ruth's advice. Even more alarming, he sounds vulnerable and frightened. DCI Harry Nelson is also rediscovering his past. Up north for a holiday, he meets his former colleague Sandy MacLeod, now at Blackpool CID. Sandy tells him there are strange circumstances surrounding Dan Golding's death. Many of those who worked with Dan seem to be afraid.

Many have secrets to hide. Ruth is drawn deep into the mystery, and where she goes, so does her toddler daughter, Kate. This time, it's not just Ruth's life at risk.

©2013 Elly Griffiths (P)2013 Quercus Publishing Plc

Bring back Narrator Jane McDowell!

What did you love best about Dying Fall?

As was true with the previous four books in the series, the story is great! The characters are diverse and compelling.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator's voice for Cathbad makes him sound like an old cigarette smoking drag queen. And her voice for Kate, particularly when she is calling out is ear piercing! I was not thirty minutes into the story before I had called my partner to ask about the narrator change. He completely agreed it was horrible, so much so that we both debated buying the sixth book because it was again narragted by Clare Corbett!

What didn’t you like about Clare Corbett’s performance?

Miserable voice for Cathbad and a voice so irritating for the two year old Kate that I could not listen with earphones on because the volumn would hurt my ears if she did kate and I could not hear the other voices if I adjusted to a Kate acceptable level.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

NOT read by Clare Corbett...

Clare Corbett as reader

I love this series but am now disappointed with the new reader.
Jane McDowell so much better!
Clare Corbett just doesn't do the multiple accents required for this book,
and her version of two-year-old Kate's voice is too harsh.

Narration is over the top irritating!

The narrator has a very pleasant voice for children's books, or perhaps fairy tales or cookbooks where there is no villain or no men, but in this narration all of her men sound like mouth breathing imbeciles. The men sound like a Saturday Night Live skit character of a boxer that's sustained way too many blows to the head. Every time I hear one of the male characters speak, I envision a knuckle dragging, drooling idiot! I can't begin to listen to another word. I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous books in the Ruth Galloway series on Audible, but this one is beyond irritating!

Ruth and Nelson at it again

I love all the Ruth and Nelson books. I was a little disappointed in the reader of this one. Maybe I just got too comfortable with Jane McDowell, whose performances I enjoyed thoroughly. This reader made some of the voices almost cartoon-like. She gets better as the book goes on, but I still prefer McDowell.

Good book, horrible naration

It's not my favorite Ruth Galloway book, but it's still good. The naration, however, nearly made me stop. she needs to quit trying to do voices and just read it. Honestly, her shrieking, overly loud, fake baby voice for poor Kate had me wishing Ruth's daughter would be struck mute. And where is that horrible voice for Cathbad coming from? He's Irish, not whatever weird thing she's got going on for him. I was ready to get the next book in the series, but I don't think I can stand it. sorry to be so mean, but oh my!

Another good episode in series

The Ruth Galloway series is well-written and interesting, with good continuing character development throughout. Ruth is an archeologist who tends to always become involved in forensic activities, so has developed a strong relationship with some of the local police, as well as her friends from the university where she teaches.

In this book, Ruth receives a letter from a friend from an earlier time in her life, just after he has been killed in a fire, hinting at a stupendous archeological discovery. Ruth feels she must travel to Pendle University where he taught to investigate. So she sets out with her young daughter. Her friend Cathbad the druid is there, and so, conveniently, is Nelson, the policeman who is also father to her child.

As she looks into the discovery, dark and strange events begin to occur. Someone does not want her there, and will go to great lengths to get her to leave.This is a very good series. But it is always frustrating that Ruth manages to put herself into otherwise avoidable danger. In this book, it is her daughter who is at risk.

If the reader simply accepts that an intelligent woman with a young child seems to take chances that always lead to danger, this, like all the others, is a good book. It has good interaction among the characters beyond the mystery itself. I had read all the previous books, and this was the first with a narrator I have listened to. I was unimpressed with Clare Corbett's interpretation of male voices, but when she was simply reading the story itself, she was quite good.

A bit disappointing when narrators change

Any additional comments?

I still enjoyed this book in the series, but I agree with other reviewers that stated that the narration was distracting. I was so disappointed in the sonorous, droning tone bestowed on Cathbad, who in previous versions was an Irishman, that I almost couldn't follow the story at first.

Also, when performing the children's voices the narrator because loud and piercing in order to maker her voice sound 'childlike.'

By the next book in this series that is read by the same narrator I became a bit more used to it, but still missed the other narrator.

hated the narraation...

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was fine with the female characters but did a terrible job with the male characters.

An enjoyable episode

This episode in the continued stories of Ruth Galloway was another good mystery with continued character development and interesting twists. I didn't especially mind the new narrator and thought she did a good job. Sandy was a bit gruff and overdone but otherwise all was well. I did find the interjections from Kate to be a bit irritating, but kids irritate me in general so I'm biased. I'll be looking forward to the next in series. I do recommend reading this series in order due to the ongoing relationships that develop and change between the recurring characters.

Mixed reviews in our household

This wasn't one of my favorites stories thus far. I thought it was slow-moving. However, my husband did like it (we listen to it together when we're in the car). Too much of the story did not circle around Ruth, and she was more of an inactive participant. The ending was contrived and out of character with the behavior of the villain.

Both my husband and I agree the narration was not great. The narration of the story itself was fine, which is why I gave it two stars. But I do agree with the other reviewers - the male voices and the voice of Ruth's child, Kate, were not very good.