The Woman in Blue cover art

The Woman in Blue

The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries, Book 8

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The Woman in Blue

By: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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About this listen

The murder of women priests in the shrine town of Walsingham sucks Dr. Ruth Galloway into an unholy investigation.

Ruth's friend, Cathbad, is housesitting in Walsingham, a Norfolk village famous as a centre for pilgrimages to the Virgin Mary. One night, Cathbad sees a strange vision in the graveyard beside the cottage: a young woman dressed in blue. Cathbad thinks that he may have seen the Madonna herself, but the next morning the woman's body, dressed in a white nightdress and blue dressing gown, is found in a ditch outside Walsingham.

DCI Nelson and his team are called in and establish that the dead woman was a recovering addict being treated at a nearby private hospital. Ruth, a devout atheist, has managed to avoid Walsingham during her 17 years in Norfolk. But then an old university friend, Hilary Smithson, asks to meet her in the village, and Ruth is amazed to discover that her friend is now a priest.

Hilary has been receiving vitriolic anonymous letters targeting women priests - letters containing references to local archaeology and a striking phrase about a woman 'clad in blue, weeping for the world'. Then another woman is murdered - a priest. As Walsingham prepares for its annual Easter reenactment of the Crucifixion, the race is on to unmask the killer before he strikes again....

©2016 Elly Griffiths (P)2016 Quercus Publishing Plc
Amateur Sleuths Cosy Detective Fiction Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Scary Village
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What listeners say about The Woman in Blue

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too much religious claptrap

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only if the friend had an interest in Christianity

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It may have been interesting to someone who has an interest in historic religious and pagan festivals and the goings on in the church.

What about Jane McDowell’s performance did you like?

A very good performance bringing the characters to life.

Was The Woman in Blue worth the listening time?

Very average. Didn't have difficulty listening to the end but wouldn't have minded stopping.

Any additional comments?

I find the personal relationships between the various characters quite tedious and somehow not contributing much to the story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

narrator poor

lip smacking and noisy swallowing narration is horrible to listen to and very off putting

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Religion and murder

Well read. Jumps about between characters. Narrative current. Interesting about walsingham and christian history , thought, and characters past experience and modern thinking.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Disconcerting.

I found it very disconcerting, having listened to many of the Ruth Galloway books, and enjoyed them enormously, to find that the narrator was not the one advertised on the cover, and whom I had become used to. This changed my perception of the characters, and although the story was as good as all Elly Griffiths stories are, it took time to get used to this, and affected my enjoyment of the book adversley.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A 'gentle' murder mystery. Midsomer Murders style.

Neat and tidy whodunnit (bit convenient in parts but hey). Amusing and likeable characters. Interesting archeological and biblical references. Well researched. A bit pedestrian but very agreeable nevertheless.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Oh Dear - disappointing

I felt that Nelson spent a lot of time clutching at straws, and made spurious links of situations that led to his solving the murder. This is really becoming an irritating series - I am losing interest in all of the main protagonists. I doubt that I will buy any more by Elly Griffiths

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly good crime story!

This is the third audiobook I've listened to by this author and narrator and they just seem to get better.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Disappointing listen

Weak storyline with too many characters.
There were many phone conversations that were at such a low level I had to go back to listen to again, to put the volume up would make the normal narrative too loud.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderous

There is no writer I would rather turn to when I'm feeling a bit low than Elly Griffiths. Her writing is so exquisite that it's like balm for my soul. Her theological insights are fascinating and her detail of ritual and objects in religion are well researched and engrossing. Dr Ruth Galloway is the most divine creation, smart, determined, intelligent and exactly the kind of person I'd like as my friend. Giving her Nelson as her one weakness is the icing on the cake. Jane McDowell turns in a superb performance and adds another layer of joy to this book. I cannot think of another writer who's work can lift me as much as Ms Griffiths' can. 5 stars and a highly recommended, buy it now and you can thank me later, from me. Simply superb!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Combining ancient history with a police drama

Despite the grim murder it was a pleasant story about an academic who assists the police and thereby solves the case.

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1 person found this helpful