The Dead House
A chilling British detective crime thriller
-
-
4.2 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
'Chilling, atmospheric and so gripping it hurts. The Dead House is a masterpiece. You won't read a better crime novel this year' MARK EDWARDS
On a wild October night, the body of a young woman is found in a remote country churchyard. She's wearing nothing but a thin, white dress. There are no marks of violence and no obvious cause of death.
Who is the victim? Why is she here?
But another young woman went missing from the area a few years back, and DC Fiona Griffiths soon suspects a crime even more chilling than she first imagined.
Will she unlock the secrets of the dead house? Or will she become its next victim?
Praise for the Fiona Griffiths mystery series:
'One of the most interesting and complicated protagonists in current UK crime fiction. Truly unforgettable' Mick Herron
'In a word - brilliant. One of the most enjoyable crime novels I've read in a while' James Oswald
'This cleverly plotted police procedural introduces a likeable, maverick detective destined for a bestseller following' Choice
'Compelling...a new crime talent to treasure' Daily Mail
'Gritty, compelling...a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year' USA Today
Fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Ann Cleeves will be gripped by the other titles in the Fiona Griffiths mystery series:
1. Talking to the Dead
2. Love Story, With Murders
3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths
4. This Thing of Darkness
5. The Dead House
6. The Deepest Grave (coming soon!)
If you're looking for a crime thriller series to keep you hooked, then go no further: you've just found it.
** Each Fiona Griffiths thriller can be read as a standalone or in series order **
Customer Reviews
House proud
Author
British. This is the fifth and latest in a series featuring Welsh Detective Constable, now Sergeant, Fiona Griffiths: one of life's damaged individuals. She was left in the back seat of her adoptive parents' car at age two and has no idea who her real parents are. She's unmarried, lives alone, and is morbidly fascinated with dead bodies, which is probably the best kind of fascination to have when your work involves dealing with more than the occasional corpse. Naturally, she talks to the stiffs - shades of the Will Smith character in the movie 'Concussion.' Indeed, sometimes she seems like she wants to take the relationship past platonic.
Precis
A young woman's body is found laid out in an old country church that was once a "bier house," which isn't an Oktoberfest venue, rather a place where dead people got put so relatives could contemplate them prior to burial in an era where no one had any spare room in their hovels. The girl is twenty-something, blonde, and shows evidence of recent expensive cosmetic surgery. Cause of death was right heart failure due to pulmonary fibrosis - not something you hear much about in fiction. Wouldn't you know it, there's a monastery not far away where they bake bread from barley that's indigestible. And there were barley seeds in the victim's poop. DS Griffiths is into stuff like that. The setup is quite long moves relatively slowly but the girl turns out to have been the daughter of rich Ukrainian businessman. Without giving too much away, kidnapping is involved. There's also plenty of detail about nose jobs, spelunking (there's spooky caves nearby too), digestion of seeds, and prayer. Through twists and turns aplenty, our gal endures more than her fair share of peril but lives to fight another day.
Bottom line
If you're into British detective fiction, this is top shelf. If like me, you're less enthusiastic, this is still a well written and entertaining read.
They just keep getting better!
I was referred to the first book in this series about 3 weeks ago. I was hooked after the first page and am starting the 6th book tonight. How is it these books are better and better with every new story?!
Absolutely spectacular read!