The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths

It has been my pleasure to know Elly Griffiths for some years and to have interviewed her too. However, I simply haven’t read enough of her books, so I’m thrilled to share my review of the opening story of the brand new Ali Dawson detective series, The Frozen People, not least because The Frozen People has recently been awarded the prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the year for 2026. You’ll find Elly featured here on Linda’s Book Bag on other occasions. Available in all formats, The Frozen People is published by Quercus and is available for purchase through the publisher links here. The Frozen People Ali Dawson is a police officer working on crimes so old, the joke goes, that they are not only cold but frozen. What most people don’t know is that the team travels back in time to complete their research – a process pioneered by the mysterious Italian physicist, Serafina Pelligrini. So far the team has only ventured a few years back but Ali’s boss has a new assignment for her. He wants her to step back to 1850, the heart of the Victorian Age, to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of Tory MP Isaac Templeton. To prepare for the challenge ah...