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  • The Locked Room

  • Dr Ruth Galloway, Book 14
  • By: Elly Griffiths
  • Narrated by: Jane McDowell
  • Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,356 ratings)
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The Locked Room cover art

The Locked Room

By: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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Summary

Ruth Galloway and DCI Nelson are on the hunt for a murderer when COVID rears its ugly head. But can they find the killer despite lockdown?

Ruth is in London clearing out her mother's belongings when she makes a surprising discovery: a photograph of her Norfolk cottage taken before Ruth lived there. Her mother always hated the cottage, so why does she have a picture of the place? The only clue is written on the back of the photo: dawn, 1963.

Ruth returns to Norfolk determined to solve the mystery, but then COVID rears its ugly head. Ruth and her daughter are locked down in their cottage, attempting to continue with work and home-schooling. Happily, the house next door is rented by a nice woman called Zoe, who they become friendly with while standing on their doorsteps clapping for carers.

Nelson, meanwhile, is investigating a series of deaths of women that may or may not be suicide. When he links the deaths to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit the cottage where he finds Ruth chatting to her neighbour whom he remembers as a carer who was once tried for murdering her employer.

Only then her name wasn't Zoe. It was Dawn.

©2022 Elly Griffiths (P)2022 Quercus Editions Limited

Critic reviews

"Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse." (The Times)

"Set in divine North Norfolk. Intensely atmospheric and great." (India Knight)

What listeners say about The Locked Room

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

I am 92 and housebound.I have listened to the other 12 Ruth Galloway books twice .After waiting ages for this new release thinking it would take my mind off this blessed epidemic I was shocked to find this new book was all about COVID.It was tastefully done I admit,but I was so expecting to be taken out of this dull and dreary life that we are all living at the moment.

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50 people found this helpful

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

Disappointing

It’s depressing enough to live through a pandemic without listening to a story about it too.
Too much Covid not enough of the usual type of plot that I have loved in previous books in the series

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18 people found this helpful

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

Another great instalment

Another fantastic book from the mind of Elly Griffiths. This time Ruth and the gang have to fight crime and mystery with the fear of Covid looming and tension rises when one of them is eventually hospitalised with Covid - I was on the edge of my seat the whole time listening to this and loved that some of the minor characters got more limelight 👍🏻

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13 people found this helpful

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

Please stop the special effects!

I love these books. But I can’t cope with the voice effects. We don’t need the fuzzy “I’m on the phone” voice. And we definitely don’t need the new one - the echoing reverb of the trapped woman. The narrator is fab, we don’t need these silly effects. They take you out of the story.

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12 people found this helpful

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

Just perfect!

I pre-ordered this book almost a year ago so was extremely excited when it dropped into my library yesterday. I started listening straight away and was interested to see that Ellie Griffiths had decided to set her book right at the start of the pandemic, just before the first UK lockdown I know that some authors decided not to mention the pandemic in their books, but I felt that it worked well in this story and brought back all those memories - feeling scared, wondering how long it might all last, food shortages, empty streets, clapping for the NHS etc. It was also interesting to see how it impacted the police investigation.

The story itself was not as sensational as some of the others, but was well plotted and kept me interested. And I didn't guess whodunnit! I'm not ashamed to say that this book is quite sad in places and I shed a few tears. As always it was wonderful to meet some of my favourite characters again, Ruth and Kate, Nelson and his team and Cathbad. It was also nice to hear a little more about Ruth's family background. There's also some Norfolk folklore with the scary story of the Grey Lady of Tombland. Oh, and that last sentence made me desperate to read Book 15, but I guess I have another year to wait for that!

As always the narration by Jane McDowell was perfect.

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11 people found this helpful

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

Continues high standard in series

Plenty of twists and turns Great addition to the series Real people with their real problems both in police and general public Well thought out plot

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10 people found this helpful

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

Not up to expected standard

This was a weak story. I had guessed who it was long before the end and bought the police slow. Too much about COVID. Finding the bones came to nothing. The surprise was Connected to Ruth which I won’t go into as the book has only been out three days. One other book was week when they visited Italy. If she can’t do a good story each year alternate years would be better it is sad to see a writer go down hill.

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9 people found this helpful

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

Not as good as the rest of the series

Too much covid. Bit like a public health broadcast. Not enough mystery. Gave up listen

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8 people found this helpful

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

Disappointed

I have had two years of Covid restrictions and I don’t really enjoy a book that repeatedly reminds me of them.

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8 people found this helpful

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

What a rollercoaster

I didn’t think these books could get any better but this one surpasses everything- I devoured it in one sitting and spent most of the story holding my breath! I feel the characters are like friends and the last sentence had me yelling at the narrator NO! You can’t end now I have to wait another year for the next one! Thank you Elly Griffiths for a truly memorable story!

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7 people found this helpful