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The Man in Black

And Other Stories

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries, an eclectic, thrilling collection of short stories, featuring many characters that readers have come to know and love.

Elly Griffiths has always written short stories to experiment with different voices and genres as well as to explore what some of her fictional creations such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto might have done outside of the novels. The Man in Black gathers these bite-sized tales all together in one splendid volume.

There are ghost stories, cozy mysteries, tales of psychological suspense, and poignant vignettes of love and loss.

In the title story, Ruth Galloway crosses paths with a mysterious man in a bookstore, setting in motion a rescue mission that hinges on the legends and lore of Norfolk.

Looking into the past, a young magician in 1920s Leeds wonders just what happened to his missing landlady in "Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act."

In "Justice Jones and the Etherphone," a witty girl detective investigates the dire prediction of a fortune teller in dreary postwar London.

A flashback in time reveals Harbinder Kaur as a Detective Sergeant surviving her first day on the job at Shoreham DCI.

To celebrate the holidays, Ruth gets her very first Christmas tree, and her beloved cat narrates his own seasonal story in "Flint's Fireside Tale."

And readers can armchair travel with stories set on the Amalfi Coast, in Capri, and in Egypt as Ruth and DCI Nelson experience their very own version of Death on the Nile.

The Man in Black illustrates the breadth and variety of Elly Griffiths's talent for blood-chilling, page-turning stories all with her trademark humor and heart.

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    • Booklist

      Starred review from September 1, 2024
      Griffiths offers up a gripping assortment of pieces, generously peppered with the ethereal air and folklore that permeate her novels. Many are elegant ghost stories in the Gothic tradition, but there are a number of mystery and suspense entries as well. Several feature Ruth Galloway. The best is arguably "Flint's Fireside Tale," where Ruth's beloved cat, knowing how much humans like a ghost story at Christmas, delivers an eerie narrative about a mysterious visitor who "smelt a thousand years old." There are several holiday tales, including the poignant "The Farewell Boat," about a phantom ship with brightly colored sails that bring messages from the beyond. Max Mephisto appears (like magic!) and a flashback in time brings Harbinder Kaur and Ruth together, providing some enlightening backstory for Harbinder fans. A flash-forward finds Ruth and Nelson on a Nile cruise, in a bold homage to Christie that projects a perfect ending to their story. A stand-alone, "The Stranger by R.M. Holland," honors Poe's place in the genesis of crime fiction. The author craftily manages three series, but a fourth, featuring PI Justice Jones, whom we meet in "Justice Jones and the Etherphone," would be welcome

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      October 1, 2024

      Bestselling Griffiths (The Last Word) offers a collection of her short stories, many of which contain favorite series characters such as Ruth Galloway, Harbinder Kaur, and Max Mephisto. From Ruth's encounter with a mysterious man in a bookstore, to Harbinder's first day on the job as a detective sergeant, Griffiths imagines some of her characters' adventures outside of the novels. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      October 15, 2024
      Nineteen short stories featuring some of the acclaimed British mystery writer's most beloved characters The collection offers a mix of previously published stories and new work following the adventures of detectives Justice Jones and Harbinder Kaur, magician Max Mephisto, and Griffiths' most famous character, forensic archaeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway. What makes these fictions so delightful is the gentle humor that underlies each narrative and the kinds of mysteries Griffiths explores. Some, like "The Valley of the Queens," which in its River Nile setting recalls Agatha Christie'sDeath on the Nile, are classic whodunits. Others, like "The Village Church," which features the apparitions of a long-dead caretaking couple, verge on the supernatural. Still other stories embed inklings of murder or mystery within stories about characters who, like Galloway, stand apart from the world of criminal investigators. In "Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act," for example, a young magician learns the art of making women disappear onstage only to find himself privy to a possible, but uninvestigated and unproven, crime of passion involving his married landlord and a singer. Even those characters who, like Justice Jones and Harbinder Kaur, are more involved with murder investigations are often made to feel like outsiders because of their gender, their ethnicity, or both. Griffiths' narrative playfulness is on full display throughout the book, but especially in the concluding story, in which Ruth meets Harbinder as she investigates curious goings-on in the basement of the same theater where Mephisto made his London debut. Skillfully plotted and deliciously quirky, these stories will appeal not only to Griffiths' many fans but to any reader seeking memorable encounters with unforgettable characters. Eclectic and always surprising.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • English

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