For rookie detective constable Fiona Griffiths, her first major investigation promises to be a tough initiation into Cardiff's dark underbelly. A young woman and her six-year-old daughter have been found brutally murdered in a squalid flat, the single clue a platinum credit card belonging to a millionaire businessman who died in a plane crash six months before. For her fellow cops, it's just another case of a low-rent prostitute meeting the wrong kind of client and coming to a nasty end, but Fiona is convinced that the tragic lives and cruel deaths of this mother and daughter are part of a deeper, darker mystery. Fiona, however, has secrets of her own. She is still recovering from a crushing psychological breakdown, and the feelings which haunt her are constantly threatening to undermine the mask of normality she has learned to wear. As she begins to piece together a bizarre and terrifying conspiracy, Fiona finds that what makes her vulnerable also gives her a unique insight into the secrets of the dead, and in solving the murders of Janet and April Mancini she can begin to start solving the riddles of her own past.
Talking to the Dead (Fiona Griffiths)
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Review
"Bingham has gotten inside the mind of his clever, neurotic heroine so well as to make her seem entirely credible... An interesting, unusual and in some ways even moving crime novel." (LITERARY REVIEW 20120801)
This cleverly plotted police procedural introduces a likeable, maverick detective destined for a bestseller following. (CHOICE 20120701)
"A cracking, well-executed debut." (PETERBROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH 20120616)
If you're looking for a punchy narrative based in good old Wales where Newport isn't Newport Rhode Island - for once - and seeking a multi layered protagonist in DC Fiona Griffiths then this is the book for you. I for one can't wait to see what Bingham comes up with next for Griffiths! (MILORAMBLES.COM 20120621)
"This is on one level an orthodox, if expertly written, police procedural. But the charactar of Fiona lifts it to an altogether different, extraordinary level. She is childlike, brilliant, courageous and utterly loopy all at the same time - as well as devastatingly real and human and alone....She'll haunt you long after you finish this book, and send you scurrying to find what else Bingham has written" (Stephen Lewis YORK PRESS 20120721)
"TALKING TO THE DEAD is an innovative book that tackles the crime novel from a different angle. That is to be applauded and I am sure that Griffiths is certainly a detective that will appeal to many readers of the crime genre. Exceptional." (Chris Simmons CRIMESQUAD 20120801)
The mystery-thriller genre is already so staffed with masterminds that it's hard to make room for yet another. But along comes a book like TALKING TO THE DEAD, by Harry Bingham, and suddenly an unadvertised opening is filled...has the feel of something fresh and compelling. The best thing coming out of this gem of a crime story is the promise of another." (NY DAILY NEWS )
The promising first installment in a new series, this book is so good it has you wondering who should play Fiona on the big screen. (KIRKUS REVIEWS )
Fans of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander will cotton to the heroine of British author Bingham's highly entertaining U.S. debut....An insightful look at a damaged unusual woman trying to fit...enhance the brisk, realistic plot. (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY )
With Detective Constable Fiona "Fi" Grffiths, Harry Bingham finds a sweet spot in crime fiction - a female protagonist with stunted emotions, a passion for protecting women (think Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander), outsider status (think Denise Mina's "Paddy" Meehan), sheer guts, and an unstoppable drive to follow her own instincts even when it means breaking every rule in the book (think Lee Childs's Jack Reacher) [...] The writing is terrific, just literary enough to make you catch your breath but not so eye-catching that it detracts from the storytelling (BOSTON GLOBE )
This is realism and social commentary immersed in a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year (USA Today )
This cleverly plotted police procedural introduces a likeable, maverick detective destined for a bestseller following. (CHOICE 20120701)
"A cracking, well-executed debut." (PETERBROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH 20120616)
If you're looking for a punchy narrative based in good old Wales where Newport isn't Newport Rhode Island - for once - and seeking a multi layered protagonist in DC Fiona Griffiths then this is the book for you. I for one can't wait to see what Bingham comes up with next for Griffiths! (MILORAMBLES.COM 20120621)
"The book is beautifully written. It's a tour de force, and for me the book of the year so far, without question. The plot is plausible without being predictable, and the dialogue is terse and smart as a tack. The book ends with one final, rather sweet, surprise, but as Fi's efforts to unravel the mystery gather pace, the standard elements of the action thriller are handled expertly.
Make no mistake - this is much, much more than a crime thriller. Talking to the Dead is first and foremost the tale of a courageous, vulnerable, slightly crazy, but compassionate and intelligent young woman who is trying to succeed in a pedestrian and procedure-dominated organisation."
(CRIME FICTION LOVER 20120623)"This is on one level an orthodox, if expertly written, police procedural. But the charactar of Fiona lifts it to an altogether different, extraordinary level. She is childlike, brilliant, courageous and utterly loopy all at the same time - as well as devastatingly real and human and alone....She'll haunt you long after you finish this book, and send you scurrying to find what else Bingham has written" (Stephen Lewis YORK PRESS 20120721)
"TALKING TO THE DEAD is an innovative book that tackles the crime novel from a different angle. That is to be applauded and I am sure that Griffiths is certainly a detective that will appeal to many readers of the crime genre. Exceptional." (Chris Simmons CRIMESQUAD 20120801)
The mystery-thriller genre is already so staffed with masterminds that it's hard to make room for yet another. But along comes a book like TALKING TO THE DEAD, by Harry Bingham, and suddenly an unadvertised opening is filled...has the feel of something fresh and compelling. The best thing coming out of this gem of a crime story is the promise of another." (NY DAILY NEWS )
Bingham renders a sympathetic heroine and a crackerjack mystery. Happily for readers, he's already
working on the next series installment.
(BOOKLIST )The promising first installment in a new series, this book is so good it has you wondering who should play Fiona on the big screen. (KIRKUS REVIEWS )
Fans of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander will cotton to the heroine of British author Bingham's highly entertaining U.S. debut....An insightful look at a damaged unusual woman trying to fit...enhance the brisk, realistic plot. (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY )
With Detective Constable Fiona "Fi" Grffiths, Harry Bingham finds a sweet spot in crime fiction - a female protagonist with stunted emotions, a passion for protecting women (think Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander), outsider status (think Denise Mina's "Paddy" Meehan), sheer guts, and an unstoppable drive to follow her own instincts even when it means breaking every rule in the book (think Lee Childs's Jack Reacher) [...] The writing is terrific, just literary enough to make you catch your breath but not so eye-catching that it detracts from the storytelling (BOSTON GLOBE )
This is realism and social commentary immersed in a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year (USA Today )
Book Description
The first novel in a powerfully original new crime series featuring a young policewoman haunted by her own dark past.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By JC
Format:Hardcover
I have read a whole sackful of crime/ thriller/ police procedural novels, and Bingham's 'Talking to the Dead' is, without a doubt, one of the best. Apart from the fact that the plot zips along at just the right speed, that the writing is bloody good, he has invented a protagonist so kooky and idiosyncratic, that I would love to invite her home to dinner. It becomes apparent that D.C.Fiona Griffiths has a dark past of her own, but it is precisely her own peculiar history, coupled with her rather unique way of seeing the world, that enables her to solve the murders of Janet and April Mancini. Fiona is a real flesh and blood character. She is funny, quirky, tragic...at times, self-centred. And her peculiar slant on life, together with her modus operandi, has turned her into a character one cannot easily forget. I eagerly await Bingham's next Griffiths novel. As far as I'm concerned, it cannot come soon enough.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping stuff; fresh and sparky as the Welsh Mountains, dark as the mines underneath.
3 July 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's a while since I have read any crime,I've been a 'vegetarian' reader for some years, but I was intrigued from the moment I read the intro on Harry's Website. The book arrived two days after surgery and it certainly took my mind off the recovery! With feisty Fiona you are instantly gripped and her's is an unusual and often unexpected viewpoint. As a fan of the Welsh countryside, and recent visitor to Cardiff, I really enjoyed the evocative snapshots of the city itself and the surrounding landscape. They mysteries of Fiona's past are a good sub-plot that will stand to support a series, I am sure. Harry's style is gripping and very pacey, and I am looking forward to the next one already!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By W. Angelo
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My 5 star rating is based on the fact that this book achieves the page-turner status, and that isn't something easily done. For me, there's a double dose of success here, because I was driven to turn pages even though I took the book away as holiday reading, a time when I usually aim high but end up carrying the ranks of the unread back in my luggage.
I didn't find it perfect. The novel requires some suspensions of disbelief every bit as big as in a fantasy novel, particularly around the action, or inaction of senior police officers in their supervision of the main character. Neither was I convinced by the romantic relationship between Fiona and Brydon. In fact, I found that relationship the biggest problem. Once the parameters of what Fiona would and would not do, could or could not get away with, were established, the story proceeded quite coherently and authentically inside these limits; but the Brydon relationship still nagged away.
It isn't a story for police procedural fans after convoluted plots that they can immerse themselves in working out. The story is strong, beautifully paced, and there are twists and surprises along the way. There is also a strong supporting cast, including a very nicely portrayed bent copper with whom we are convinced to have some sympathy in spite of his quite awful behaviour. But that isn't what this story is all about. The real triumph is the drawing of Fiona Griffiths who is a marvellous creation, and a genuine original. She is a thoroughly engaging character, and what happens to her matters. If there are signs of her settling into her fictional world in this story, then that is no surprise.
I didn't find it perfect. The novel requires some suspensions of disbelief every bit as big as in a fantasy novel, particularly around the action, or inaction of senior police officers in their supervision of the main character. Neither was I convinced by the romantic relationship between Fiona and Brydon. In fact, I found that relationship the biggest problem. Once the parameters of what Fiona would and would not do, could or could not get away with, were established, the story proceeded quite coherently and authentically inside these limits; but the Brydon relationship still nagged away.
It isn't a story for police procedural fans after convoluted plots that they can immerse themselves in working out. The story is strong, beautifully paced, and there are twists and surprises along the way. There is also a strong supporting cast, including a very nicely portrayed bent copper with whom we are convinced to have some sympathy in spite of his quite awful behaviour. But that isn't what this story is all about. The real triumph is the drawing of Fiona Griffiths who is a marvellous creation, and a genuine original. She is a thoroughly engaging character, and what happens to her matters. If there are signs of her settling into her fictional world in this story, then that is no surprise.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Rae Cameron
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
For someone who writes on how to write it must be nerve-wracking to have your own novel come under intense scrutiny. All I can say is that Harry Bingham walks the walk...his feisty female protagonist, Fi Griffiths swept me along with her quirky ways, reeling me in until I cared as much about her making a go of a new relationship as I did about her solving the murder of a prostitute and her six-year-old daughter. Fi is a rule-breaker with her own moral code and some brilliant observations on the world around her, carrying with her equal doses of fearlessness and vulnerability. Some of her descriptions of other people are so spot on: 'A woman who looks like her hobbies are arranging things in rows and making right angles.'
'She's tough, but in the right way. The kind of tough that doesn't rule out tender.'
'Mam makes a face. Everything was better when people wore corsets, that sort of face.'
I hope this is the start of long series...move over Harlan and Patricia. Get writing, Harry, we want more!
'She's tough, but in the right way. The kind of tough that doesn't rule out tender.'
'Mam makes a face. Everything was better when people wore corsets, that sort of face.'
I hope this is the start of long series...move over Harlan and Patricia. Get writing, Harry, we want more!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Just finished this. What a great book. I tend to read American crime fiction these days because I find so much of British crime fiction to be ploddy police procedurals or unremittingly grim psychological thrillers and they're just no fun but this was clever, chilling, involving, and refreshingly off-beat.
It's a first-person narrative - the author, a man, makes a very convincing woman - in the voice of a policewoman with some very peculiar qualities. The surprises come at you sideways. Wonderfully well-written. I'll be getting a lot of my friends this for Xmas.
It's a first-person narrative - the author, a man, makes a very convincing woman - in the voice of a policewoman with some very peculiar qualities. The surprises come at you sideways. Wonderfully well-written. I'll be getting a lot of my friends this for Xmas.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By MB
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read a lot of crime fiction and Harry Bingham's Talking to the Dead is the best I've read for a long time. Fiona Griffiths is possibly the weirdest Detective Constable I've ever come across but she has her reasons, though they're a bit weird too. But weird works in this book because Fiona has an enormous capacity for compassion, she's honest, she's tenacious and she's brave. And when you understand what it is she's hiding behind her weirdness, you'll understand why this is a big deal for her. I couldn't help but be drawn to her and her quirky view of the world. What makes this book really great is that, aswell as a unique main character, the plot is fast-paced, compelling and tragic but also finds room for (dark) humour, friendship and love - and there are plenty of twists to keep the pages turning. Can't wait for the next in the series!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
a self stated outsider
Well written. Good, strong and interesting main character. A self stated outsider, but with a keen understanding of how her difficulties made her both weaker and stronger than her... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Aberter
3.0 out of 5 stars
More about the detective than the crime, not a page turner
The crime became second fiddle to the authour building the character of Fiona Griffiths. The only time I found myself turning the page was to get back to the crime part of the... Read more
Published 4 days ago by sreece
3.0 out of 5 stars
I would read another of his books
Nearly a very good book but just missed the spot.I feel the editor/proof reader could have pushed for some changes early on.
Published 11 days ago by Robert Bird
3.0 out of 5 stars
A bit long
Not a bad book but not a great one either. I'm sure the story could have been written in half the number of words actually used.
Published 24 days ago by Peter
5.0 out of 5 stars
more in the series please
Fabulous read, great lead character, good writing, excellent plot, loved it. The only problem is that I need more books to follow in the series so hope the author keeps going. Read more
Published 1 month ago by beeswax
2.0 out of 5 stars
not a page turner
This book is not a page turner. It has took me 25days to read this. It is one of those books that you start and not get hooked into it enough to want to read on. Read more
Published 1 month ago by bookmoviefanatic
5.0 out of 5 stars
one weird policewoman
This is the first h bingham book i have read and its a five star read no doubt about it.We meet det constable fiona griffiths who very intelligent and also very weird, the story... Read more
Published 1 month ago by oldginger ebbw vale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just discovered Harry Bingham
Love the style pace and complexity of this book. Can't wait for the next Fiona Griffiths novel....... a very welcome addition to the genre.
Published 2 months ago by jacqueline carroll
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky little crime thriller :)
I do like a good crime read and this hit all the right buttons! Constable Fiona Griffiths is a young 25 year old DC and put in charge of a murder enquiry and she must prove herself... Read more
Published 6 months ago by RT Twinem
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book considering I usually don't like crime novels
I don't normally purchase crime novels (with the exception of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy), but a friend lent me this book and I thought I would give it a go. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dorothee Nachez
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