This Thing of Darkness

I'm madly in love with Harry Bingham. Fiona Griffiths is so flawed, struggles so hard, is such a survivor. And this is a story 'ripped from the headlines' of the electronic age, so to speak. It is wonderful how Fiona pulls the strands of different reported crimes into a coherent web, and Bingham is nice enough for us slow folks to have her explain it all to her managers toward the end of the book, and it doesn't feel old at all. The writing really lets the reader feel the physical surrounding, and in this book that's especially important. And of course, Fiona is desperately trying to be normal, not to go rogue, and she almost makes it.

Fiona Griffiths is the first to acknowledge that her skill set makes her particularly suited to the work of exhibits cataloguing; her speed and efficiency are valued when one investigation alone is generating thousands of exhibits. However, it is mind-numbingly dull work, so to take her mind off things, she thinks over some recent incidents: robberies in which the stolen goods were returned, a fall off a cliff, and a suicide that is deemed utterly impossible by the family. Eventually Fiona realizes these incidents are connected. The depth of their connection and the consequences of revealing this connection puts her in great jeopardy.

I love Fiona Griffiths. She’s resilient and persistent, and she has the strength and courage to do show more what’s right. This was a nail-biter of a book that I devoured in a single day, unwilling to leave Fiona behind for even a moment. My favourite part was the scene on board the ship: this scene was the one that Bingham started off with, as he explains in his afterword, and it is a great sequence. This series keeps getting better and better, and I definitely recommend it to all and sundry.

A note: This book may be tough to read if you are uncomfortable with scenes of torture. show less

Whenever I see those "all-time favorite" book lists, I avoid them like the plague. I just don't feel like putting all the books that have touched me deeply into an organized and rated row. (Yes, it is a lot like asking a mother to name her favorite child.) However, if someone asked me to name the best mystery series being written today, without hesitation I would say Harry Bingham's Fiona Griffiths. To date, there are four books, and I have given all four the highest possible rating. I can't say that about any other author I've read.

Yes, the setting of Wales adds texture and richness to the books. Yes, the mysteries are some of the most intriguing you'll ever come across. Yes, the pacing draws you inevitably forward, faster and faster. show more You have to know what happens, and you have to know now. But the best and brightest thing about Harry Bingham's superb series is the main character, Fiona Griffths.

At one time Fiona suffered from Cotard's syndrome, a rare mental illness in which an afflicted person holds the delusion that they are dead, either figuratively or literally. Fiona is one of the brightest people you'll ever run across, but Cotard's syndrome has colored every aspect of her life, and most especially in the way she interacts with other people. As can be seen in This Thing of Darkness, Fiona now has two superior officers who--though they may not really understand her-- can see her almost limitless potential as an investigator. To the best of their ability, they are now trying to groom her for bigger and better things. Will Fiona cooperate? Your guess is as good as mine.

I will warn you that this book does contain scenes of torture, and they do involve Fiona. They are tough to deal with but not impossible because we see these scenes through Fiona's eyes... those eyes that do not see the world as we do. There are also scenes of humor that bring needed warmth and laughter to the book, as when Fiona and Inspector Watkins conduct an interview together.

As different as Fiona is, she can also be very familiar. When she says, "Just when I see a barrier saying Do Not Cross, I have an almost overwhelming impulse to cross it," I understand because I've felt the same way many times.

Harry Bingham is the first writer who's been able to write scenes that take place on board ship that made me seasick, so be forewarned. He also made me nervous about a purchase Fiona made-- an uneasy foreshadowing of what's to come in book five, The Dead House? Unfortunately I'll just have to wait and see.

If you haven't read any of the books in this series, I urge you to do so, and you need to start with the very first book, Talking to the Dead. If you do that, Fiona will make sense-- and then you will be as hopelessly hooked as I am. Fiona Griffiths is as wild and wonderful in her own way as Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander is in hers. I can't recommend Fiona-- or this entire series-- highly enough. show less

This is the fourth of the five novels in the Fiona Griffiths series that is currently available, which is very too bad for me -- means there's just one left to read. This is a terrific series, with a quirky but engaging heroine, strong plots, convincing secondary characters, and a wonderful sense of place. In this novel, Fiona uncovers and "truffles out" a massive financial conspiracy based on a very simple idea. In so doing, she takes big risks, faces the consequences, and goes under cover again -- Fiona undercover is really interesting, because she seems to be more comfortable with her cover identities than with herself. Not too much point saying more since I'm obviously a fan, but I would reiterate that it is WORTHWHILE TO READ THESE show more NOVELS IN ORDER. show less

"This Thing of Darkness" (TD) is the 4th in the Fiona Griffiths series by Brit Harry Bingham, and it's the best in the series. The plot is very clever, there are two rather long scenes with very high tension, very well done, and the 512 pages just zip along. Fiona has been looking at cold cases and two have just caught her eye when she is temporarily assigned to catalog 3000+ bits of evidence in a rape case. Fi manages to spend some of her "free time" pursuing the cold cases.

Fiona is a very bright constable on the homicide squad, who likes to do her own thing. She is a bit of a Lone Ranger who doesn't exactly keep her bosses advised of all the details of her investigations but she is smart enough to get away with it - and she produces show more results. More than she takes credit for. She is not ambitious and must be virtually forced to take the sergeant's exam - with a very interesting scene during the summary and analysis of the results by her department head.

Another real plus for TD is its treatment of two activities I knew little about but found very interesting to read, and if anybody had told me ahead of time I would be fascinated with rock climbing and laying undersea cable I wouldn't have believed it. But TD is a great read not only for what is there, but also for what isn't. In TD, Bingham has put less emphasis on Fi's malady, her unknown past, her father, and her ex-boyfriend, and I think these are all positive changes. Bottomline, this is one of those too rare books where you know "it's a winner" after the first dozen pages. I have read, or at least considered, just about every crime fiction series out there, and in my books, this is the very best. I am not a fan of the character Lev, who does make another appearance, but it's somewhat minimal so OK with me. What I would like to see in Fiona #5........a little bit less of Fiona as "Superwoman" who knows all, gets it all done by herself, is never wrong etc etc, and secondly a new romance partner, gender TBD. We'll see..... show less

Note to HB

About one third of the way through this book I thought HB doesn't do a good job with Fi when she is casting about for clues and inspiration - in other words her normal phase. Then things accelerated and I thought HB does a MARVELOUS job of portraying crazy. He gets the dissociative states exactly right and the duplicitous viewing of self as well as the uncertainty about reality: Nuanced, well-drawn, unbelievably good. Then I realized how balanced a writer you are. You draw Fi so well, and all the characters, really, that the boredom and edginess I feel when I read the normal bits are exactly what Fi is feeling. These stories are so well written and so good, I am in awe of your talent. Bravo!

This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham is the fourth book in the Fiona Griffiths series that is set in Cardiff and South Wales. Fiona is undergoing a number of changes in this book not least of which is getting used being single again. She is still struggling with her mental health and with following the rules of proper police procedure but two particular cases capture her interest and as she establishes that each victim was murdered, she soon realizes that these cases are connected and that she is dealing with a million dollar conspiracy involving deep sea cables.

Fiona has a unique ability that allows her to see connections that others miss. She throws herself into her work and is only being held back by an assignment as a temporary show more exhibits officer. This desk job causes her no end of bother, she wants to be out doing the detecting not stuck in a basement recording and filing the evidence. Luckily, her bosses give her an opportunity to continue on with her investigations.

This was an interesting and complex story. We are following several inter-linking plots and as the author develops Fiona we continue to learn about Fiona’s personal life, her adoption, her medical condition and her criminal father. It seems obvious that eventually all the evidence will point to her father, and that a major showdown will result. I have enjoyed all of these books and look forward to continuing on with this compelling and entertaining series. show less