• The Woman in Blue

  • The Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries 8
  • By: Elly Griffiths
  • Narrated by: Jane McDowell
  • Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (576 ratings)

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The Woman in Blue  By  cover art

The Woman in Blue

By: Elly Griffiths
Narrated by: Jane McDowell
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Publisher's summary

The murder of women priests in the shrine town of Walsingham sucks Dr. Ruth Galloway into an unholy investigation.

Ruth's friend, Cathbad, is housesitting in Walsingham, a Norfolk village famous as a centre for pilgrimages to the Virgin Mary. One night, Cathbad sees a strange vision in the graveyard beside the cottage: a young woman dressed in blue. Cathbad thinks that he may have seen the Madonna herself, but the next morning the woman's body, dressed in a white nightdress and blue dressing gown, is found in a ditch outside Walsingham.

DCI Nelson and his team are called in and establish that the dead woman was a recovering addict being treated at a nearby private hospital. Ruth, a devout atheist, has managed to avoid Walsingham during her 17 years in Norfolk. But then an old university friend, Hilary Smithson, asks to meet her in the village, and Ruth is amazed to discover that her friend is now a priest.

Hilary has been receiving vitriolic anonymous letters targeting women priests - letters containing references to local archaeology and a striking phrase about a woman 'clad in blue, weeping for the world'. Then another woman is murdered - a priest. As Walsingham prepares for its annual Easter reenactment of the Crucifixion, the race is on to unmask the killer before he strikes again....

©2016 Elly Griffiths (P)2016 Quercus Publishing Plc

What listeners say about The Woman in Blue

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Meh...

My least favorite of the series, this book was slow to start and the denouement felt contrived: this will not prevent me from looking forward to the next one, however, as this is usually a five star series. I am so happy to see the return of narrator Jane McDowell. Clare Corbett is a fine reader but she gives a truly cringeworthy voice to Cathbad. If you haven't read the series, do start at the beginning with The Crossing Places.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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The woman in blue is miserable.

I'm it sure what's going on with the author of this book but Rees couldn't be any more judge mental of Christians. The whole time she's so caustic and constantly offended. It's Just such a beat down. Everybody knows somebody like that that complains all the time. You're an atheist. We get it. MOVE ON! Ellys's Ruth has become a cliche. She's a snarky single overweight unhappy atheist chubby spinster who loves cats. It's a miracle I even finished the book.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great atmosphere of ecclesiastical odd stuff

I most enjoyed in this book all the Catholic and Anglican atmosphere and information about the pilgrimage town. One scene of Ruth's research into the Madonna Lactans had me hooting with laughter. That churchy theme was so well done it made up for a pretty unconvincing motive for the murderer and an excess of titillation, I felt, around the progress, or otherwise, of Ruth and Nelson's relationship. I enjoyed the narration.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not the best in the series but still enjoyable

This book is best listened to by those who have followed Ruth from the beginning. I also missed Claire Corbett as narrator

Still, I enjoyed this book. It was like checking in on old friends

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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I prefer Ruth as an archaeologist .

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I have enjoyed all of the Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway books. The plot in this book was a bit thin and the story line was not as compelling as I wished. The conflict of women as clergy is a bit dated . Also - we don't see any evolution or resolution of Ruth's relationship with Nelson.
The narrator is good - but the change in narration for telephone conversations was strange.On the whole, I did not enjoy this book as much as prior books in the series.

What about Jane McDowell’s performance did you like?

Everything except the telephone conversations.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Good story, but...

This most recent installment in the Ruth Galloway series has a clever and engaging plot. Jane McDowell reads voices well, but I wish someone would offer her water; the mouth noises are hard to take. Maybe a better read than a listen?

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Jane McDowell is BACK!!!

I am delighted to see that Jane McDowell is back as the narrator to finish out the books currently published in this series! Audible recommended The Crossing Places last year, and I was immediately hooked. I think Elly Griffith does a brilliant job with her characters, and I just love Dr. Galloway and her crew; I always look forward to their next adventure. But because I've only ever listened to the audiobook, the narrator's vocal characterizations are tied up in my interpretation of who these characters are. Switching to a new narrator for 2 books randomly in the middle of the series was really jarring, I ended up reading a physical copy of those 2 instead. Listening to Jane bring these characters to life again was just lovely. Fingers crossed she is around until the author decides Dr. Galloway's story is complete.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Like a marshmallow Peep

The first few sugary bites are delicious but ultimately you are left wanting more than empty calories. Recycled material, religion, and no real movement of long term plots.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great read

I’ve loved every Ruth Galloway book, and this book did not disappoint! I can’t wait for the next book.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

I enjoyed this story and look forward to the next one in the series. Contrary to other reviews, I enjoyed Jane McDowell's narration very much.

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1 person found this helpful