The Killing Time: the bestselling new Ali Dawson Mystery from the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries

Elly Griffiths

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The instant Sunday Times bestseller

SOME MURDERS CAN'T BE SOLVED IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.

A mysterious death. A Victorian psychic. A case for Ali Dawson and the Frozen People.

'Warm and engaging characters and a wildly brilliant story wittily told' Ann Cleeves

'A thriller that is full of zest and joy' Nicci French

Ali Dawson is a police detective who leads a unit that investigates cases so cold her team must travel to the distant past to solve them. But Ali and the team haven't been allowed to time-travel ever since their technical expert, Jones, got stuck in Victorian London.

To distract herself, Ali looks into a present-day case - an apparent suicide of a young man who fell to his death from a high building. She believes the death is linked to a psychic medium called Barry Power, who convinced the boy he could fly. Ali goes to one of Power's shows where he claims to be in contact with Jones.

When Ali notices that evening that her cat, Terry, has gone missing, she decides to go back in time just long enough to prevent Terry from escaping through his open cat flap. A dangerous plan which backfires, and she finds herself once more in Victorian London, where she meets Jones, as well as Power . . .

'Elly Griffiths has done it again. Warm, witty and outrageously believable' Sarah Hilary

'Ali Dawson is a delight - a detective you'll want to spend more time with' JP Delaney

'Ali Dawson could be the most fun time-travelling detective since Dirk Gently' Chris Brookmyre

A Sunday Times bestseller w/c 16 Feb 2026

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Praise for The Killing Time: the bestselling new Ali Dawson Mystery from the author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries

  • Elly Griffiths has done it again. The Killing Time is a deft and compelling detective story with the added frisson of time travel. Warm, witty and outrageously believable. I loved it - Sarah HilaryAli Dawson could be the most fun time-travelling detective since Dirk Gently - Chris BrookmyreWarm and engaging characters and a wildly brilliant story wittily told; I loved this book - Ann CleevesJoyously inventive, totally original, filled with warmth, humanity and fun. Ali Dawson is a delight - a detective you'll want to spend more time with - JP DelaneyHere's a paradox: a thriller that is full of zest and joy - Nicci FrenchA gripping sequel to The Frozen People that I could read time and time again - Saga

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Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths is a multi-award-winning author and a No. 1 bestseller. She has written twenty-seven crime novels for adults; four for children, and a volume of short stories. Her books for adults include the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries, the Brighton Mysteries and the Detective Harbinder Kaur series, as well as The Frozen People, the first book in the Ali Dawson Mysteries.

Elly's many accolades include the CWA Dagger in the Library, the Edgar Award, the Fingerprint Award for Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award, as well as being shortlisted multiple times for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year Award.

Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband and their cat, Pip.

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