The Frozen People, Elly Griffiths
The Frozen People, Elly Griffiths
List: $22.50 | Sale: $15.75
Club: $11.25

The Frozen People
A Mystery

Author: Elly Griffiths

Narrator: Julie Maisey

Unabridged: 9 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 07/08/2025


Synopsis

“A pleasure from finish to start.” —Anthony Horowitz

“Fresh and exciting, with both humor and thrills, Griffiths’ first book in her new series knocks it out of the park!” —Shari Lapena

Some murders can’t be solved in just one lifetime.

Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen—or so their inside joke goes. Nobody knows that her team has a secret: they can travel back in time to look for evidence.

The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London to clear the name of Cain Templeton, an eccentric patron of the arts. Rumor has it that Cain is part of a sinister group called The Collectors. Ali arrives in the Victorian era to another dead woman at her feet and far too many unanswered questions.

As the clock counts down, Ali becomes more entangled in the mystery, yet danger lurks around every corner. She soon finds herself trapped, unable to make her way back to her beloved son, Finn, who is battling his own accusations in the present day.

Could the two cases be connected? In a race through and against time, Ali must find out before it’s too late.

About The Author

Elly Griffiths is the author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel; The Postscript Murders; and Bleeding Heart Yard. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Brighton, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mandy on January 30, 2025

A new series from Elly Griffiths and let me tell you, it is amazing!! I have become a bit of a fan of this author since I discovered her books. I have been playing catch up on the Ruth Halloway series and living it, but very happy to get in on book one for this new series. A mix of historical fictio......more

Goodreads review by Janet on December 10, 2024

I have to say, when I first read the synopsis of The Frozen People - a secret cold case team within the Met who time travel to gather evidence on historical crimes - my initial reaction was to think "Really?! This is what's replacing our beloved Ruth Galloway series?!" And it's a bonkers premise, le......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on March 18, 2025

I read this UK edition as a buddy read with Hilary and Margie. It was exciting to read an untranslated (from British English to U.S. English) copy and to read the book before its U.S. publication date. It was published in the UK In February but it won’t be in the U.S. until July. I really liked this......more

Goodreads review by Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede on April 25, 2025

The Frozen People completely drew me in, atmospheric, so beautifully written, and hard to put down. As a huge fan of time travel, I absolutely loved it and I can't wait for the sequel.......more

Goodreads review by Sara on January 22, 2025

ARC received in exchange for an honest review. I read this at the perfect time, with a freezing fog descending on England and ice everywhere. The Frozen People was atmospheric and moody, following police officer Ali and her journey back and forth to Victorian London in search of answers to a cold cas......more


Quotes

Praise for The Frozen People:

“The historical sections are well researched, and Griffiths not only succeeds in making the implausible plausible, but leaves enough narrative breadcrumbs to make us long for more.”
—The Guardian

“Griffiths adds a fun and surprising fantastical element to her historical crime fiction.”
—The Washington Post


“A new book by Elly Griffiths is always a cause of delight, and this series promises to broaden our horizons. Ali Dawson will capture readers’ hearts.”
—Mick Herron, award-winning author of Slow Horses

“The time-travel element adds something fresh for the author and the readers. Fans of Griffiths, police procedurals, and/or historical mysteries will find a lot to enjoy.”
—Library Journal

The Frozen People is a daring, genre-blending start to a series that promises both thrills and thoughtfulness. For fans of atmospheric mysteries, strong female leads, and twisty time-travel tales, this one’s not to be missed.”
—Clarion-Ledger

“An exciting mystery. . . Griffiths is an exceptional storyteller and wordsmith who could hold an audience’s rapt attention with a discourse on the merits of various cereals or soap powders, but happily has chosen to create brilliant works of fiction. The Frozen People. . . is about relationships and crime-solving in a tremendously clever mystery with a plethora of intriguing twists. Ali Dawson is a great new character, garnished with a fine cast of supporting players.”
—BookTrib

“The Frozen People is simply brilliant, and I am sure its success will merit a lengthy series that allows readers to spend more time with Ali Dawson and all of these wonderful new characters. The benefit of time travel stories is that there is a seemingly endless number of possible plotlines that may be explored, which a talented writer like Elly Griffiths certainly will capitalize on.”
—Bookreporter

“Murder on several time planes is a fascinating premise enhanced by an enthralling look at Victorian London.”
—Kirkus

“An intriguing new series. . . with richly nuanced characters and vivid historical detail. This is a good bet for mystery buffs, historical fiction fans, and time-travel enthusiasts alike.”
Publishers Weekly


“Griffiths expertly builds a world where time travel is new, top-secret, and filled with unpredictable glitches and opportunities. Some loose ends in the story hold the promise that readers will see more of Ali in the future.”
Booklist

“For fans of cold cases and time travel! Elly Griffiths now . . . has a super exciting start to a new series.”
—BookRiot

“Fresh and exciting, with both humor and thrills, Griffiths’ first book in her new series knocks it out of the park!”
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of What Have You Done?

“Think you know time-travel? Think again! Far more than just a detective story, this is a tale about time itself, with delicious connections that thread back and forth between 1850 and 2023. Elly Griffiths has weaved a corker of a mystery that gripped me from page one. Smart, original, and utterly masterful.”
—Janice Hallett, international bestselling author of The Appeal

“A pleasure from finish to start.”
—Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Hawthorne and Horowitz series

“Elly Griffiths is back with a cast of instantly memorable characters, and a dazzlingly inventive new conundrum.”
—Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of One Perfect Couple

“A dark, thought-provoking, edge-of-your-seat crime thriller that will keep you flying through the pages. Present and past collide in this ingenious, time-twisting exploration of justice and a mother's race to save her son.”
—Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest

“Inventive, surprising, endlessly entertaining while being part murder mystery, part historical thriller, and part speculative fiction. Readers of any genre will enjoy sinking into its murky underworld with a protagonist they will love.”
—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

“The story is well paced and well written, with enough intrigue and twists to maintain the reader’s interest. . . [The Frozen People] offers an engaging mystery, a generous dose of Victorian London, and elements of time-travel all wrapped into a neat package.”
Strange Horizons

“A brilliant concept executed to perfection by a writer at the absolute top of her game.”
—Erin Kelly, international bestselling author of The Skeleton Key

“Elly Griffiths mixes a beguiling cocktail of crime and time travel in a twisty, dual-timezone novel sure to delight fans of both genres.”
—Chris Chibnall, creator of Broadchurch and author of Death at the White Hart

The Frozen People is wickedly entertaining, clever, and truly spooky. I loved every page.”
—Liz Nugent, international bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond