Dying Fall

A Ruth Galloway Investigation

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

Cant do a male voice to save her life!

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

Didn't read print version.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Clare Corbett?

BRING BACK Jane McDowell! Clare Corbett is a terrible match for these characters! I'm going to finish the book, bit I'm dreading hearing the male characters talk. I can't comment on their accents, but she sounds as if she's doing parodies of male voices.

Where is the original series narrator?

The new narrator ruined the book for me. Her male voices were so annoying I could barely finish listening. Bring back the original narrator!

Great Story, absolutely Terrible Narration

How could the performance have been better?

Go back to Jane McDowell as your narrator. Clare Corbett is irritating right from the beginning but when she starts to do the "voices" of the various characters she becomes unbearable. She is not able to keep the voices consistent with the associated characters and her idea of the local accents is just insulting. I could not finish listening to this book and will read it instead.

Any additional comments?

Change your narrator and a book should be read not performed!!!

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.

Still a great series

Action, suspense, great characters and a well-written story. I am getting used to the narrator/voices in my head disconnect (you know, when what you're hearing isn't how you thought the characters should sound ); Ms Corbett is absolutely capable-her men sound like men, her accents are amazing, and I like her voice.

If you're up for a decent forensic series without a lot of gore and isn't going to leave you unable to sleep at night, allow me to suggest this entire series. And I do suggest you start at the beginning to get the full flavor of how things are put together and who these people are.

And I'm delighted to say that while this series is beginning to flag a bit, it is still a solid 4 stars.

The screaming child ruins this

Would you listen to Dying Fall again? Why?

No. I generally don't listen to books again for quite some time but this would not be one. The narrator, especially the very uneven volume levels, the screaming Kate and the overloud Sandy completely spoiled my enjoyment of the book. Books should be read, not considered a 'performance'

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Very disappointing and contrived.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Clare Corbett?

Jane McDowell read the early Galloway and she was excellent. I won't buy any more as long as Clare Corbett is the reader

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

No comment

Any additional comments?

For goodness sake read the book and don't do the accents.

When will this series score a decent narrator?

A nice addition to the series--I love the main character, Ruth--and the location, which is another "character" in the stories.

However the narration has been consistently horrid. Jane McDowell's strident, grating voice would leave me clenching my teeth after only a few moments of listening. However, Clare Corbett is worse--but in a different way. She has a pleasant enough voice, easy to listen to, until she attempts to do a male voice. At first I thought I was hallucinating--no WAY her clownish male characterizations would have been permitted. Wrong.

C'mon people--will somebody please just LISTEN to these performances before inflicting them on the paying customers?

terribly terrible narration!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend only reading this book. The narrator does dreadful male voices. I am going to finish the story by reading it and return this to Audible.

Would you be willing to try another book from Elly Griffiths? Why or why not?

Only with the narrator of the first books in this series.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Clare Corbett?

The narrator of the first books or anyone who can do believable male voices.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

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.

readers

I have enjoyed all of Elly Griffiths books about Dr Ruth Galloway.

What a pity the publisher changed the reader for this unabridged book.

The general narration was fine but I thought this reader was very poor on the mens' voices..

A good story spoiled for me by this.

If there are any more planned, please revert to the original reader.

Good book, annoying narrator

Not a bad story, quite interesting at times but the narrators attempt at male and the child's voices set my teeth on edge.

Great book but narrator misses

If you could sum up Dying Fall in three words, what would they be?

Fun, different, entertaining

What did you like best about this story?

The Characters and the archeology aspects coming together within a mystery.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Clare Corbett?

The original narrator was great. Please bring her back! Other reviewers have said the same. Clare Corbett is a good narrator and have liked her very much for other books but she was not good for this book. Her take on the regional accents was poor and whenever the child Kate appears SHE SCREAMS in this awful fake child voice. I found it so disturbing that it almost ruined a wonderful fun book for me as it was actually unpleasant and jarring.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

book yes - narrator no.

I miss the performance of Jane McDowell.

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

I miss the performance of Jane McDowell.
For the female voices and the story line, Clare Corbett does an excellent job, but her male and child voices sounds like a caricature.

Hugely enjoyable series

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

As I currently have a visual impairment the audio edition is a lifesaver for me!

What did you like best about this story?

The continuing story of Ruth Galloway and friends. If you have never read any of this series I would suggest starting at the beginning.

Have you listened to any of Clare Corbett’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes I have listened to many of her performances and she is definitely one of my favourite narrators. This is one of her best performances, she really makes you feel a part of the story and the characters lives.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is not an unputdownable gripping story but it does draw you in over the course of the book.

Any additional comments?

I love the Ruth Galloway series and would highly recommend it. This is not the best in the series as the story gets a little silly in places but I still loved it!

Great story

Loved this story. Preferred narration by Jane McDowell in previous books listened too.
Love the characters Already downloaded number 6!

Good story spoilt by bad narrator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes.

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Clare Corbett?

Jane McDowell

Any additional comments?

I loved the story, but the narrator spoilt it for me. Her male voices were awful. Unfortunately I have already bought the next story and Clare Corbett is again the narrator. However, I shall not buy any further books in this series if she continues to read them.

Almost Perfect

This is Elly Griffiths at her best, unfortunately at is ruined by one thing; the narrator's characterisation of Cathbad's voice.



The story is classic Ruth Galloway and it cannot be faulted, the usual suspects are all there, with the twist that the main plot is set on the Lancashire coast. Most of the voice characterisations, which is very important when listening to a book, are fine. The voice of Cathbad, however, is dreadful. The Druid grew up in rural Ireland and has spent his adult life, as far as we have been informed thus far, in Manchester and rural Norfolk; the narrator makes him sound as though he were a bad actor trying to portray the result of a Home Counties upbringing coupled with Eton and Oxbridge.



The book itself would be a definite "five stars", but I just cannot do the same for this audiobook as a whole.

Not brilliant

The story in this was a bit odd and far-fetched, but okay-ish. I did get irritated by the fact that so much was made of the Lancashire, Yorkshire divide yet the accent that was used was Yorkshire NOT Lancashire. It also gets a bit over the top in the 'oh dear I am so fat and frumpy!' department (Ruth). I don't think I'd bother with another in the series, especially with this narrator.

Back on Form

Great to see the author back on form. In this book we discover more about our favourite characters from the previous books and also discover new characters added to the family. I have to say I loved Nelson's Mum and her interpretation of Cathbads name.



I bought this novel without reading any synopses as I like the author so much. So imagine my surprise settling down on my train trip to Blackpool from Scotland to discover the book set in and around the blackpool area, which brought the whole story alive for me as I knew where Ruth and Kate were located.



Superb read that had me laughing, crying and near the end so shocked I could hardly breath and shouting aloud "Oh NO!: If you read you may discover why lol.



I Highly recommend this book.