Talking To the Dead by Harry Bingham
Publisher: Hachette UK (Orion)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by FernA crime you’ll always remember, A detective you’ll never forget
A young prostitute lies dead in a Cardiff squat. Her six-year-old lies dead beside her. It looks like an ordinary murder scene . . . except that a millionaire’s platinum bank card lies among the debris. How did it come to be there? And is there more to this case than meets the eye?
Investigating the case is rookie Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths – a new recruit with a reputation for being deadly smart, more than ordinarily committed . . . and unsettlingly odd. As she starts to follow up the clue left by that platinum bank card, she finds the disturbing hints that suggest a truly appalling crime has been committed – and release the demons of her own dark past.
DC Fiona Griffiths is still fairly new to the CID office of the police force. When a mother and her six year old daughter are found dead in a Cardiff squat, Fiona doesn’t understand why the case draws her so forcibly in. Compelled despite herself, Fiona continues to dig into the case trying to find the truth – and explain why she feels so connected to it.
This is the first book in the series and one I quite enjoyed. This is only the second Welsh police procedural/murder mystery series I’ve read and I found myself really drawn to it. The atmosphere of the Welsh setting felt a lot grittier and somewhat harder than other mysteries. I also was equal parts confused and hooked by the seeming mystery surrounding Fiona. Suffice to say she’s not your usual police heroine and I personally found her a very different – but rather gripping – protagonist and voice.
Readers who like simple and clear cut mysteries might not find what they’re looking for here. I found a lot of Fiona’s past and even some of her present mindset quite mysterious and at times opaque. There is obviously quite a bit going on behind the scenes in this book and while I found myself eagerly turning the pages to discover more – quite a bit of the time while reading this story I felt strongly that I wasn’t grasping everything I should have been. This is an unusual feeling for me and as it was a little uncomfortable I’m not sure this book will resonate with everyone. That said I certainly feel it should appear to readers who like something a little different, or outside the box, or even people just looking for a non-standard police mystery or clear cut storyline. I greatly enjoyed this, but it was not standard or “normal” in many respects.
I enjoyed Fiona’s character and also found the larger police team she worked with very interesting. It said a lot to me that most of the others on the police were as unsure about Fiona as I was – and while she certainly got along with the team in many respects there was none of the usual camaraderie or deeper friendships and links that is usually present in these books. There were any number of different mysteries going on in this book and while it’s absolutely a different kind of read I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already ordered the next in the series.
An atmospheric and gripping mystery with an unusual and intriguing main character, this was a solid mystery book and a new-to-me author I shall absolutely be reading again in the near future. Recommended.
