Reviews

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

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b00kw0rms0fthew0rldunite's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was a fantastic new find for me. I love a good police procedural and yet this book was written from a number of perspectives including the police and our heroine, an archeologist. This is the second in a series although plenty of backstory is added in this book if you wanted to read it as a stand alone or diving in from here. Me, personally? I'm headed to find book 1!!

I listened to the audiobook version and I cannot rave about the narrator and publisher enough. I think she did an amazing job with both male and female voices and the many varied accents involved with this set of characters. The other bits I loved were very atmospheric, including the way that any phone calls heard were differentiated between the normal voice of whichever character we were listening to in their point of view, to the tinny and far flung sound of whoever they were on the phone with. Very clever indeed! There were also other parts in the book told from the perspective of the villain of the piece that were read in echoey tones so we could tell immediately who we were listening to. Those production elements really made it stand out for me.

I loved the characters and their relationships and I was laughing out loud within the first few minutes of Nelson's character as he was telling his computer where to go. Grumpy and with the same accent as my own grumpy father, I could relate! I really enjoyed getting to know the flaws and foibles of Nelson from the police side and the charming Ruth from her perspectives too. It is refreshing to have a heroine with realistic flaws that doesn't look like a barbie doll/runway model. Really human and not fantasy characters. I appreciated the way the characters spoke their mind and didn't dodge around certain issues, for example Judy and her fear that she would be overlooked for promotion. I must admit that I am a little bit in love with Cathbad, too!

I don't know anything about Roman sites, Gods or their rituals but I found myself learning as each thing arose and not being overwhelmed by it. I enjoyed the pace of the book and the way that each new piece was revealed. It was a really good mystery and I'm thrilled that a few of the plot points made me say, 'Hang on...there's something in that', only to find out that I had guessed something that would come out later. There is plenty to enjoy, whether you are an armchair detective or just want to lay back and listen without initialising too many brain cells.

I would be thrilled to read another Dr Galloway book and I thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for the temporary copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

sloreads_ca's review against another edition

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3.0

Full Review

The second book is better than the first. The mystery is more complex, there's a love triangle and a big time complication. I'm still not thrilled with more than a few aspects of Ruth or Harry's internal dialogue. It still comes across as really dated and toxic. I find Ruth to be both brilliant and vapid, she's written with a lack of forethought into her personal life, lightly dismisses things that have huge consequences, but still manages to connect the dots in her professional life.