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Talking to the Dead
- Fiona Griffiths, Book 1
- Narrated by: Siriol Jenkins
- Series: Fiona Griffiths, Book 1
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Crime Fiction
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Publisher's Summary
For rookie detective constable Fiona Griffiths, her first major investigation promises to be a tough initiation. 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 that 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 she can begin to start solving the riddles of her own past.
Read by Siriol Jenkins: Siriol was a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company and has appeared extensively on BBC Radio 4. She has won several awards including the Radio Times Drama and Comedy Award for Best New Actress for her role as Judy in Unreasonable Behaviour, a Bronze Sony Award for BBC Radio Wales' Comedy Series The Ll Files, and a Mind Media Award for Sunbathing in the Rain by Gwyneth Lewis. She has also read a variety of stories and books for radio including Jon-Jin by Rose Tremain and Nia Wyn's Blue Sky July. She has narrated many documentaries for both BBC and ITV including A Garden in Snowdonia and Bellamy's African Dream. She lives in South Wales with her husband and two children.
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What listeners say about Talking to the Dead
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- marc
- 07-25-19
thoroughly enjoyable
beautiful performance and unusual and engrossing story and a most engaging protagonist. enjoyed it enormously.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- sandra streeting
- 10-29-17
A very original story of a young detective with a high intellect who is coming to terms with a serious illness.
Well written book describing the emotional problems of trying to be normal whilst feeling very abnormal and attempting to work in a stressful job. The young detective is brave, strong and rebellious and you quickly find yourself willing her to succeed.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Colette
- 12-18-14
Loved this one
Would you listen to Talking to the Dead again? Why?
Yes, eventually. Fiona is an interesting character and I've enjoyed getting to know her,
What did you like best about this story?
It's a good solid crime story which is well paced and kept me interested right up to the end. I really like the main character, Fiona Griffiths, and wanted to know how she was going to deal with what was going on around her.
What does Siriol Jenkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
She reads it very well. I wouldn't have had a clue how to pronounce all the Welsh place names.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, I raced through it, listening to it at every possible opportunity.
Any additional comments?
I downloaded book 2 in the series as soon as I finished.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rachel
- 02-18-18
Fiona Griffiths
Love you. What a great character. Fabulous reading. Unusual but very compelling story. Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- a f paterson
- 11-04-17
Far fetched
Little research into police work - they would not be allowed to do this far fetched stuff!
3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anne
- 02-21-17
Too much tedious detail
when i read the overview for this novel I was really looking forward to listening to it. I was very disappointed by the amount of focus placed on the detectives mental health and not the crime. Not sure if I will listen to others in the series. Great narrator.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- emma
- 06-09-16
A hidden gem!
Siriol Jenkins' wonderful narration is the real star of this audiobook. Her beautiful, lilting Welsh accent guides the listener through gruesome crime scenes and police procedure with a quiet detachment that's 100% in tune with the character of DC Fiona Griffiths.
This series was recommended, and I was hooked early on. It's pretty popular these days to write a detective with peculiar habits and a mysterious past, and this follows that trend. Like most fictional detectives, she doesn't follow the rules, and there are many times when you can't believe she hasn't been fired by now. And, of course, frequent wild hunches turn out to be true. But I liked the character and the book enough that I didn't mind at all.
The well-crafted writing focuses more on character than crime; in some ways, it's more like a regular novel than a thriller. It's a really good listen, and I'm surprised this series isn't better known.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Franziska
- 10-09-13
Great Read/ Hear
What was one of the most memorable moments of Talking to the Dead?
Love the Figthing and the 'Material Arts' Teacher
Any additional comments?
The story is well paced and goes deeply into the emotions or non emotions of our fascinating detective.
A good Krimi with some interesting twists. Sensitive Storytelling
I needed to get used to the Storyteller (female) but now I have warmed up to the voice.
Still -1 Star because of the 'Geting used to Period' and not beeing able to Jumpstart instantly with her
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L.J.M.
- 08-25-18
Brilliant, unflinching, wonderful characters
I have now listened to all the current Fiona Griffiths books. They are fascinating, totally engaging and have the most complex and unique heroine at their centre. The Welsh country comes alive in Harry Bingham's graphic and loving descriptions, as do a group of characters who somehow feel utterly Welsh. Having said that, there is a United Kingdom-wide and sometimes an international element to almost each of the books. An on-going background story of men in big business manipulating, scheming and breaking the law, and one of Fiona's personal mysterious beginnings, give a sense of tension and continuity to each book in the series. I cannot recommend this book too highly!.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ms. J. Maddock
- 07-16-18
Fantastic!
Incredible book in a wonderful series. Be warned you will be buying the rest of the series too. Its totally addictive!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kelly
- 04-28-18
good story with a great plot
a great plot with great characters , which have huge depth and interest. slow in places but worth it
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kirsten Forrester
- 05-10-18
Loved it!!!
The main things I loved were;
That a male author was able to capture so successfully the thoughts and feelings of his character.
The stamina to stay in ‘i’ mode all the way through
The craziness, not too much but enough to make it real
Picking the right narrator.
Brilliant!!
On to the next story now. I can’t wait.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- 07-07-16
great book
loved it, great narrator, hooked on Harry Bingham now. can't wait to read another book
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 02-22-22
Talking to the Dead
Great story but really found some scenes with Fiona too strange. I didn't enjoy the book entirely.
