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  • The Crossing Places

  • Written by: Elly Griffiths
  • Narrated by: Jane McDowell
  • Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (260 ratings)

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The Crossing Places

Written by: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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Publisher's Summary

When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, Ruth Galloway lectures at the University of North Norfolk. She lives happily alone in a remote place called Saltmarsh overlooking the North Sea and, for company; she has her cats Flint and Sparky, and Radio 4. When a child's bones are found in the marshes near an ancient site that Ruth worked on ten years earlier, Ruth is asked to date them.

The bones turn out to be two thousand years old, and DCI Harry Nelson, who called on Ruth for help, is disappointed. He'd hoped they would be the bones of a child called Lucy who's been missing for ten years; he's been getting letters about her ever since. Then a second girl goes missing and Nelson receives more letters.

Soon it becomes clear that Ruth is in grave danger from a killer who knows that her expert knowledge is being used to help the police with their enquiries.

©2009 Elly Griffiths (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Crossing Places

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very entertaining

I enjoyed the writing about archaeology. It was very interesting.
I will be following the whole series as I find the characters and story line fascinating

7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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So much to love

I love that Ruth Galloway is a self sufficient, intelligent, fat, beautiful and flawed main character.
I love the voice of the narrator, Jane McDowell, it adds to the sense of the eerie landscape.
There are other things I love but will not write here because they’re massive spoilers.
#audible1

5 people found this helpful

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  • FB
  • 2019-12-12

Really enjoyed it

The story, the narrative and characters were intriguing and just the right amount of suspense for me. I read one of the later books in the series first so I’m looking forward to seeing how things came to be, in the in between books

3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Average Mystery. Terrible Reader.

There is little that's innovative in this story. Ruth Galloway is an interesting character - a University Professor/Archeologist and forensic expert - but she's decidedly frumpy. She's essentially an insecure, overweight, feminist/atheist cat lady. The author creates a "heroine-in-jeopardy" plotline, but it feels moderately contrived: I just didn't find myself caring what happened to this relatively boring character (who shows glimmers of promise). Elly Griffiths writes well enough - injecting interesting characters, a sombre atmospheric setting, and clever plot twists - but the villain was predictable, there are some glaring plot holes, and nothing in this story grabbed me. Overall, it's a sufficiently interesting story with a promising protagonist.

The weakest aspect of the audiobook is the disinterested narration from Jane McDowell. She would be quite effective reading a small number of characters in a Victorian Ghost story. Her general tone is subdued and monotone but her dialogue is adequate. For this book she's all wrong. Her pacing is plodding (I had to speed up the recording to 1.10X to make it palatable), and her attempts at Irish and Scandinavian accents are legitimately laughable.

I won't be continuing in the series, but if you find the protagonist interesting, you could reasonably decide to. Perhaps other installments deliver better on the promise (and McDowell does a better job). There is enough entertainment in this book to merit giving it a try to see if Ruth Galloway mysteries are for you. They're just not for me. (Note: I bought this as a 'Daily Deal' offering and am happy with spending the $3.75). This first in the series is worthy of 5.5 stars out of 10.

1 person found this helpful

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  • DM
  • 2021-03-09

a nicely paced mystery

not overly exciting but it kept my interest. archeological information was fun to learn. didnt quite get me as invested as other mysteries that I love but just enough to make me feel for the characters and so overall i did enjoy the book.

1 person found this helpful

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Loved this book!!

Perhaps my favourite mystery/ thriller ever! On a par with The Vera and Shetland series by Ann Cleeves.
Dr. Ruth Galloway is a marvellous heroine- intelligent, independent and quite normal. She has a job she loves and friends.
The narrator did an excellent job too. She has a pleasant and clear voice.
Can’t wait to read all the books in this series.

1 person found this helpful

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The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

read by Jane McDowell. A fine reader thank you
.

This is the first book I have read by Elly Griffith. it was so good I could not stop reading. A mystery full of Drama and intrigue. I look forward to the next book.

1 person found this helpful

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Good story

I really enjoyed this book. it kept up a steady pace and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

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Real ‘Page Turner’

Loved everything about this book. Interesting characters and suspenseful story. Could almost feel the sea spray and driving rain. Very well written.
Couldn’t wait to get back to it. Looking forward to listening to her next book.

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Great start to a series!

I love everything about this book - great protagonist in Ruth Galloway, archeologist and reluctant aid to the police. Fantastic descriptions of wild salt marsh setting, twisty story with multiple suspects and a first class narrator. On to the next!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Sara
  • 2014-05-19

An atmospheric creepy mystery set in Saltmarsh

This engaging story is well written and totally captures the hauntingly lonely sea side life the main character has chosen for herself. She is a forensic archeologist working in the field, lecture hall and with the police as a solver of crime. Her work focuses on working out mysteries from the past and present. The story is heavy on nature, mythology, archeology and spookiness in general. I really enjoyed the narration and way the book unfolded. It held my interest-- as any good page turner should. As the first book in a series it bodes well for readers who enjoy crime stories with a dash of odd characters and brooding nature thrown in. But be aware--it is creepy!

109 people found this helpful

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  • Gail N.
  • 2014-11-14

Entertaining but with some reservations

The book holds together pretty well and provides a few heart pounding moments. Suspects abound and the author keeps you somewhat guessing. But the heroine does whine a bit, especially about being fat. Some of the action seems very contrived and the hopeful ending is completely unbelievable. To be believable, the story should have taken place over a few months instead of over 10 years. The worst part is the narrator's attempt at a male Norwegian accent. Because of these problems, I hesitate to recommend the book.

60 people found this helpful

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  • Melinda
  • 2011-10-30

Loved this book!

I've never been a fan of mysteries, but I loves the author's use of details to provide me with a great picture of the characters and places. LOVED IT. Am now reading the Janus Stone and enjoying it just as much.

48 people found this helpful

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  • Diane Challenor
  • 2013-01-16

Excellent mystery

I really enjoyed the plot and found the characters believable. The backdrop of the Norfolk salt marshes created a wonderful damp wind blown atmosphere and in my mind's eye I could see it's beauty and feel it. The narration by Jane McDowell was just right for me. An excellent mystery.

35 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • tucsonanne
  • 2012-11-29

Great story; flawed narration

This is the first time I have listened to this author and this reader. It was an engrossing story, a wonderful sense of place, and great characters. And with one exception, the narrator was as good as the story. That exception was the dreadful Scandinavian accent that was totally unnecessary for the character: the descriptions of him were more than sufficient for you to see him as the Viking hippy character he was. But even with that jarring note, I loved this book.

32 people found this helpful

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  • Diana Denny
  • 2012-05-07

Interesting Protagonist

Would you consider the audio edition of The Crossing Places to be better than the print version?

Yes. Narrator Jane McDowell was pitch perfect in capturing Ruth's voice.

Any additional comments?

Story a bit slow paced at first, but was an interesting view into the life of independent archaeology prof, Ruth Galloway. Is she contented or lonely? I still can't decide. Different worlds to explore here: archaeology and the desolate salt marshs Ruth calls home.

27 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2012-09-21

A decent new series

The story was good, the narration fair, overall I enjoyed the listen.

Not action packed or full of witty dialog, just a decent story line with relatable characters and good imagary.

23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Gailgo
  • 2011-06-01

Boring, Boring, BORING!!!!

Absolutely nothing here to keep you from falling asleep! This was one of the most boring books I've listened to.... kept hoping SOMETHING would happen and it just never did. By about half way through, I could care less who did it and who did what to who. Without giving away too much of the 'story line' (if you even want to call it that), it seemed the author couldn't quite decide who to make the bad-guy..... so she spread it all around. Unlikable characters certainly didn't help things. To top it off, the narrator was awful - if she wants to give characters accents, she really needs to work on her abilities. I feel that I totally wasted a credit on this one.

17 people found this helpful

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  • hfrances
  • 2013-09-06

Creepy pagan goings-on on the Norfolk mud flats

If you could sum up The Crossing Places in three words, what would they be?

Creepy. Suspenseful. Atmospheric.

What other book might you compare The Crossing Places to and why?

It reminded me a little of the Donna Leon series. Inspector Harry Nelson reminded me of Leon's Brunetti - both a little out of shape, gruff, brusque but deep thinkers. This novel had the same strong sense of place - not Venice obviously, but it makes you feel as though you really know the area of the east coast of England where the story is set.

Have you listened to any of Jane McDowell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes I did - I gasped out loud at the ending.

Any additional comments?

Wonderfully creepy and mysterious. I listened to most of this book hiking or driving in bright California sunshine. I still felt as though I was stumbling about on a mud flat in the dark as the unseen riptide roared close by.

14 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Elizabeth
  • 2012-05-24

First Time and Hooked

What made the experience of listening to The Crossing Places the most enjoyable?

The excellent writing and character development. Ruth the main character, she is a strong women and yet flawed, as all people are, making her very realistic.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Well I did guess who the bad guy was half way through, but was kept enthralled by the plot all the same.

Any additional comments?

I am going to buy the second book now.

14 people found this helpful

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  • Sally Whittingham
  • 2020-10-15

The Crossing Places


I finished this book within a day. It is a real page-turner, moves at a good pace whilst at the same gradually building a picture of the various key characters. The landscape is beautifully evoked in language which is often pure poetry. I really enjoyed Jane McDowell's easy narration which is very unintrusive. I can't wait now to download the next book in the series.