The Man in Black: And Other Stories

by Elly Griffiths Narrated by Luke Thompson, Jane McDowell, Juliette Burton, Beth Eyre, Nina Wadia, Imogen Wilde

Overview

LONGLISTED FOR THE CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCATION 2025 DAGGER AWARDS

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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"There's an appealing Golden Age feel ... Each story strikes a sweet balance of suspense and poignancy." — Wall Street Journal

"A perfect holiday treat for fans." — The Guardian

"Tales that range from the shivery supernatural to the criminally clever . . . they all share Griffiths's wry humour, understated prose and beguiling characterisation." — Daily Mail (London)

"This book is one to savour." — Belfast Telegraph

“Elly Griffiths is one of my flat-out favorite contemporary suspense writers.” — A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of End of Story

“Griffiths offers up a gripping assortment of pieces, generously peppered with the ethereal air and folklore that permeate her novels.” — Booklist (starred review)

"Sure to delight readers...feels like it could be told around a campfire...As much as Griffiths’s fans will be excited for this collection, mystery readers in general will enjoy these fun mystery and ghost stories. This is a strong purchase for mystery collections." — Library Journal (starred review)

An intoxicating cocktail of crime, comedy and creepy tales from the bestseller
— Peterborough Telegraph

"Laced with wry wit . . . sharply drawn . . . absorbing storytelling" — Promoting Crime Fiction

“What makes these fictions so delightful is the gentle humor that underlies each narrative and the kinds of mysteries Griffiths explores…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.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Stunning…Jaw-dropping red herrings, headbanging twists and turns, and Rashomon-like alternating narratives add to the briskly paced plot, which builds to a reconstruction of the original crime and a bombshell revelation. Donna Tartt fans won’t be able to put this one down.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Bleeding Heart Yard

“A well-plotted procedural that can hold its own with the genre’s best.” — Wall Street Journal on Bleeding Heart Yard

“This droll romp is a latter-day Miss Marple.” — Washington Post on Postscript Murders

“This lively whodunit keeps you guessing until the end.”  — People on Stranger Diaries 

“Forensic archeologist and academic Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth—an inspired creation. I identified with her insecurities and struggles, and cheered her on.” — Louise Penny, author of the best-selling Armand Gamache series

“Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series combines imaginative plotting, cleverly located in deepest Norfolk, with the everyday dramas of her case of regular characters . . . This is Griffiths on top form.” — Mail on Sunday

Kirkus Reviews

2024-09-14
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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940190808872
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/15/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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