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

good story, performance lacking

Another good Ruth Galloway mystery but the reader struggled with the male voices. She was good with the female voices.

Can't get enough of this series

Ruth and crew are amazing. Although there are a wealth of characters that are at times confusing, they are diverse and interesting.
This Narator should not do "baby" voices but did get better as the story progresses it did seem to get better. I hope as the series continues that she keeps the pagan/ druid influences.

Worst narration ever but a good story

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator attempted to do several accents. If I were from Yorkshire, I would have been offended. Just because someone has an accent is no reason to make them sound stupid. The regular narration was so soft, I had to turn the volume way up. Even then, I could hardly hear it. But the "accents" were so loud and horrible that the dialogue seemed as if it were being yelled. Even the poor two year old screamed every single word of her dialogue. All in all, a ridiculous circus that really detracted from the book.

New Narrator Not So Great

Would you consider the audio edition of Dying Fall to be better than the print version?

N/A

If you’ve listened to books by Elly Griffiths before, how does this one compare?

I've loved listening to this series, but I was dismayed to hear the new narrator. Jane McDowell was FAR superior. Clare Corbett's female characters are fine, but her male characters sound more like caricatures of what "men" sound like. Ugh. If I didn't love the series so much, I'd stop listening to this one.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

See above.

Don't waste your money!

What disappointed you about Dying Fall?

The performance was awful. The narrator's attempts to voice the characters was torturous.

What do you think your next listen will be?

A Maisie Dobbs book from the library.

Would you be willing to try another one of Clare Corbett’s performances?

No.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No/

Good book

I enjoyed the book but the narrator's voice was very irritating when doing Kate. It was horrible. I would switch to written part of the book to get me back on track.

Warning: Change of narrator

I should have read the reviews instead of blindly selecting the next book in the Ruth Galloway series, a series that I have been enjoying. The narrator for the series changes with this book and Clare Corbett's voice for male characters, particularly DCI Sandy Macleod, is most annoying and baby Kate's voice is equally cringe worthy. Fortunately, Jane MacDowell returns to narrate the series beginning with book 8.

Another great entry in the series

This 5th volume is my favorite of the series. I appreciated the different setting: Blackpool sees Ruth consulting on recent find by her old college chum (now dead in a mysterious fire.) Druid friend Cathbarth and Kate are in tow.

DCI Nelson and wife are vacationing in Blackpool, visiting his mother. Naturally, the 3 become entangled in solving the mystery behind archaeologist Goldingls fiery death.

I like the introduction to Nelson' family (his mum is a hoot and bonds quickly with Cathbarth) as well as his old "stomping" ground and colleagues. I look forward to seeing more of Sgt Tim (hoping he will follow Nelson back south, as he is an intriguing character.)

The mystery holds together fairly well and Kate isn't too much an intrusive part of the story (I typically prefer the surly loners). I actually find myself looking forward to seeing how Griffiths handles Kate's aging.

Some of the transitions between scenes are a bit choppy, but I suspect this is due to the format (probably wouldn't be as harsh in text.)

Narrator handles the different accents and characters with aplomb.

Highly recommend to any mystery lover.

Great Ruth Galloway Mystery!!!

Ruth remains one of my favorite mystery characters. She is very real with believable strengths and weakness. Like all of us she is always second guessing herself. DCI Nelson and the Druid Cathbarth, other characters in these tales, are well developed with their own strengths and weakness. Ms. Griffiths' books, well plotted and riveting until the last paragraph, leave the reader wanting more.

getting better with every book in the series

hated narrator liked first one better, didn't know the killer till the end
which is not unusual