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  • The Dark Angel

  • Ruth Galloway Mysteries, Book 10
  • By: Elly Griffiths
  • Narrated by: Jane McDowell
  • Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,602 ratings)
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The Dark Angel cover art

The Dark Angel

By: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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Summary

From the Sunday Times best-selling author, the 10th Dr Ruth Galloway mystery - celebrating 10 years of Ruth.

Dr Ruth Galloway is flattered when she receives a letter from Italian archaeologist Dr Angelo Morelli, asking for her help. He's discovered a group of bones in a tiny hilltop village near Rome but doesn't know what to make of them. It's years since Ruth has had a holiday, and even a working holiday to Italy is very welcome!

So Ruth travels to Castello degli Angeli, accompanied by her daughter Kate and friend Shona. In the town she finds a baffling Roman mystery and a dark secret involving the war years and the Resistance. To her amazement she also soon finds Harry Nelson, with Cathbad in tow. But there is no time to overcome their mutual shock - the ancient bones spark a modern murder, and Ruth must discover what secrets there are in Castello degli Angeli that someone would kill to protect.

©2018 Elly Griffiths (P)2018 Quercus Editions Limited

Critic reviews

"My favourite current crime series." (Val McDermid)

What listeners say about The Dark Angel

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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

A great listen, excellent work!

The trouble with each new Ruth Galloway title by Elly Griffiths that I purchase on pre-order is that as soon as it's in my account I must listen to it in large chunks, and then I am left waiting for the next title!

Book 10 has a different landscape, which was a really interesting insight, the subject matter is interesting, and I can always relate Ruth's concerns and worries. Another excellent listen, when is book 11 being released?

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27 people found this helpful

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

Wow! Magnifico: I wasn’t expecting that

At the end of Book 9 we were left with significant cliffhangers in the relationships of Ruth, Nelson, Michelle - and Tim. I was naive enough to think I could predict the outcome. I was totally wrong. This book picks up the same day the previous ended; Clough and Cassandra’s wedding. It then runs the length of their honeymoon, so is pretty much a Dave Clough free zone. Look forward to seeing him back next time round.

Without spoilers: Elly Griffiths then copes neatly with the issue of “how many archaeology related murders can one county sustain?” by moving Ruth, and Kate, to Italy for a short working holiday project. From then the events back in Norfolk and the events in Italy mirror each other in a very cleverly written way. The only bit that didn’t quite work for me was Nelson and Cathbad’s rush to Italy. Felt more like a slightly clunky plot contrivance rather than a natural progression. That’s the only reason for 4 rather than 5 overall.

The ending, when it arrived, was totally unexpected. Far sadder, yet in an strange way far more glorious, than anyone could have imagined, and leaving even more cliffhangers than the end of Book 9. Far from running out of steam, the characters continue to develop, the series goes from strength to strength, and Jane McDowell’s consistently professional narration adds the final polish.

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16 people found this helpful

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

Another enjoyable story

This is my favourite 'crime' series, not least because not much crime is involved. It is much more an evolving story of the lives of the main characters most of whom have been there from the start and who have come to seem like real people, not least Dr Ruth Galloway, who is an endearing creation, anxious about being over-weight, but confident about her professional expertise.

Up to now the stories have been rooted in Norfolk and the Ruth’s interesting archaeological work as an expert on bones. The present book has her working further afield in Italy helping with the identification of some very ancient bones. As with the Norfolk-based stories, the author is adept at evoking the atmosphere of the Italian location: a small town perched on a hill-top full of both ancient and WW2 history.

The archaeology and the murder of a priest take second place to the complicated relationships between Ruth and DCI Nelson and Nelson’s wife and Tim, Nelson’s former sergeant. The murder is resolved but the personal relationships are still up in the air.

I’m glad to say that the author has kept up her high standard of compelling story-telling and I’m looking forward for book 11.

Narrator, Jane McDowell, does a splendid job of all the new accents needed for dramatising all the scenes in Italy.

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13 people found this helpful

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

Another stunning success Well done Elly

A brilliant storyline. Leaves you feeling a bit uncomfortable but in a good way Brava

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13 people found this helpful

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

Sadly boring

I have enjoyed this series so far. What a disappointment to find that I was struggling to complete this book, and found myself bored. The story was slow moving, it just droned on with unrealistic story lines and the new characters not at all likeable. The narrator did her best with a poor story line. The last few chapters did liven up a little but I found myself disbelieving the events that took place.

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12 people found this helpful

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

wonderful

This book is so good. Thank you for bringing all these characters to life. here's to the next.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A weaker outing.

Beautiful Italian setting but puts much more emphasis on the relationship dramas than the plot.

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5 people found this helpful

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

Recommend

Wonderful. Enjoyed this Ruth Galloway almost the best. It is ‘a who done it’ and much more. Moving and touching. Beautifully read.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Utterly Ridiculous

Totally improbable & banal. It is past time these characters were pensioned off. There is no mileage left in them at all.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Not my favourite..

I've loved this series, and whilst the storyline is often a little loose, there is an addictive charm to them, strengthened by the ever evolving characters, but for some reason this book was lacking, it was something and nothing whilst changing the direction of the lives of the characters forever, it just didn't have the impact it should have, which is sad, will look forward to the next one and decide this was a blip.

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3 people found this helpful