The Man in Black & Other Stories

I have loved Elly Griffiths’ writing since first meeting Ruth Galloway, so I was thrilled when this book of short stories was published. Here we have several stories featuring Ruth, and also stories with Max Mephisto, one with Harbinder Kaur, even a Justice Jones tale (that latter of which I particularly appreciate because after having read the first book, I somehow forgot about this character and now I’m waiting for two more novels in that series to arrive). A number of these stories are really not much more than sketches, but even those are evocative of their subjects and settings, which is nice. My favourites include the title tale; “Castles in the Air,” which is essentially a shaggy dog story; “Turning Traitor,” show more combining leukemia and archeology; the Victorian-style horror story “The Stranger by R. M. Holland”; “The Valley of the Queens,” which sees Ruth and Nelson in an Agatha Christie-tinged Egyptian adventure; and the closing tale, “Ruth Galloway and the Ghost of Max Mephisto,” which brings those series characters (with a cameo from Harbinder) together in one story. Now if we could only get Ms. Griffiths to return to Ruth at full book length! Recommended! show less

There is truly something for everyone in Elly Griffiths' The Man in Black & Other Stories, especially if you're already a fan of her books featuring Ruth Galloway, Max Mephisto, Justice Jones, and Harbinder Kaur.

Readers will get to experience Harbinder Kaur's first day on the job, Justice Jones as a 21-year-old private detective in London, and a few featuring Ruth and Nelson. There's even a story from the point of view of Ruth's cat, Flint.

The nineteen stories feature Scandinavian traditions, psychological suspense, love and loss, mini cozy mysteries, and some spine-tingling ghost stories. I think I read most of this book with a smile on my face.

My favorite stories? The very first one in the book, The Man in Black. I was enchanted by show more the very first line: "Ruth loves the bookshop at Jarrolds" and it got even better from there. A nameless forensic archaeologist made me smile in Articulation, and Flint's Fireside Tale was a treat.

If you're already an Elly Griffiths fan, this book is a must-read. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of her books, this may be the perfect introduction. She's one of the best writers of crime fiction today, so don't miss out! show less

I'm not a fan of short stories but gave this collection ago as it's by the brilliant Elly Griffiths.

There are 19 stories and the most feature characters from across the range of her books. Ruth and Nelson who I now know very well, Harbinder Kaur I've met one, Max Mephisto I don't know at all yet and a girl called Justice from the children's books.

So always with short stories there are some I really liked and others that were just ok. Stand out for me was the stories involving Ruth and Nelson especially the title one The Man in Black. I also quite like the one called Articulation.

Overall the collection was ok. I felt because I'm not a fan of short stories I didn't appreciate the book for what it was. It was nice however to spend time show more with Ruth and Nelson again. show less

A short story collection by one of my favorite mystery authors? Yes, please! I had read a couple of these stories before, but that did not dim my pleasure in this collection. Many of the stories feature characters from the author's longer works (Ruth Galloway appears in several, Harbinder Kaur in a couple, one about Justice Jones, and there's one about Max Mephisto, with mentions of him in others). I'd recommend this most for fans of the author, though it did make me want to delve into the series she's written that I haven't read yet.

This is a light and easily read collection from one of my go-to authors. Many of the selections are framed around familiar characters from the Ruth Galloway series including a longer one that explores the future for Ruth and Nelson after the series ended. A fun read to cleanse the palate.

A nice collection of short stories, most of them connected with the series previously published, but some were freestanding. I doubt I would have enjoyed them as much if I hadn't already read the connected series.

1/5

I've never read Elly Griffiths work before this and this collection didn't make me want to read her work after this. Her style is simple, not trying to be a super scientific scholarly type, but it comes off very dry. Some of the explanations made me feel like a sheltered hermit who has never read or watched a single crime show ever. It wasn't enjoyable. The cat one didn't help one bit either, and I truly believed it would redeem this collection for me. Maybe it appeals to the more general population, but these weren't for me.

I appreciated the legends and ghost stories but some were so short I had only just become interested when it ended. I'm 100% sure that anyone who has read her work before and enjoyed it will enjoy this show more collection.

I thankfully got this from the library and I personally don't know a single soul who I could recommend this to, but I know they're out there and I hope they find this book and love it. show less