The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths is a creepy tale linking past and present together to determine the origins of a child's bones on a job site.

Elly Griffiths' "The Janus Stone," the second installment in the Dr. Ruth Galloway series, invites listeners into a world where archaeology, mythology, and murder intertwine beautifully. Jane McDowell’s narration brings a warmth and depth to the story, making it a comforting choice for those who cherish atmospheric mysteries with a hint of the macabre.

As we reconnect with Dr. Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist, we find her navigating the complexities of pregnancy while still feeling the weight of her past. Now several months after the events of "The Crossing Places," Ruth faces a new challenge when the skeleton of a child surfaces at a Roman site in Norfolk. With her compassionate nature, she dives into the investigation, uncovering secrets woven into local lore surrounding the Janus Stone—a relic believed to possess both protective and destructive qualities.

Griffiths skillfully intertwines various storylines, ensuring that listeners remain engaged and intrigued until the very end. The balance of archaeological detail and the emotional depth of the characters creates an immersive experience that resonates. McDowell’s narration is particularly noteworthy, capturing the essence of each character, from Ruth's dry humor and vulnerability to Nelson’s gruff yet caring demeanor.

Set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the windswept Norfolk coast, the story unfolds in a way that feels both familiar and compelling. Ruth remains an incredibly relatable and intelligent protagonist, and the complexities of her relationships with Nelson and other recurring characters add layers of depth to the narrative.

The plot, an intriguing blend of archaeology, mythology, and modern crime, keeps listeners captivated, ensuring they remain invested through every twist and turn. McDowell’s performance enhances the emotional nuances of the story, breathing life into the characters and their journeys.

Though the pacing may slow a bit in the middle, rest assured that the rich character development and engaging plot will keep you connected to Ruth and her challenges.

"The Janus Stone" is a heartfelt and enjoyable audiobook that resonates with fans of mysteries, historical fiction, and archaeological thrillers. With its vivid characters, immersive setting, and thoughtfully crafted narrative, it’s a beautiful addition to the Dr. Ruth Galloway series—truly a must-listen for anyone who loves the magic of storytelling.

Audio version of this book 📕- Unfortunately I could not get into this book at all , the storyline just didn’t grip me , saying that the narrator was excellent and was very easy to listen to.

"The Janus Stone" is the second installment in Elly Griffiths' Dr. Ruth Galloway Mystery series. Although I hadn't read the first book, I'm glad it didn't prevent me from enjoying this audiobook. While starting with the first book would be ideal, as it's worth reading every book in the series, it's not necessary—this book can be thoroughly enjoyed as a standalone or as an entry point.

The plot was intriguing and captivating, but it's the characters that truly stand out. I can't wait to learn more about Ruth, Nelson, and the rest of the complex cast in their crime-fighting adventures.

It's definitely worth a read or listen. I highly recommend Jane McDowell's narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for the review copy.

Overall, I enjoyed the crime story at the centre of this book. It was fast paced and interesting but there were some aspects that pulled me right from the story every time.

Whenever the book switched to the diary entries of the killer throughout the book, it made me irrationally angry. I know I'm supposed to hate the killer but the egotistical rantings and "better than you" attitude really ruined the rest of the book for me.

A great and fast paced mystery, with an intricate and very readable plot. Great characters and a satisfying conclusion. Will be tracking down the rest of the series.

This is my first outing with Ruth and Nelson and I'm sure it won't be my last. I loved the narration especially the fact tgis could read as a standalone story. The action was well pasted the mystery shone through the narr
It felt a short lusten of a well written mystery with defined characters. Made me want for tge next instatelment. I was blown away at the ease rge story flowed even with the more complex architectural references. It felt real and I was bot only in the mystery but also in the relaof the chatacters.
Thank you so much netgallery and publisher and author and narrator for this cracking 5 star listen. High recommended for all mystery lovers.

Absolutely brilliant! I have read all the Ruth Galloway books but listening to The Janus Stone is a whole new experience, I will look out for the others now.

I did enjoy this series of murder/mystery by Ellie Griffiths and the narrator was great. The characters were well presented and interesting.

Dr Ruth Galloways was called again after discovery of a skeleton of a young child being discovered during the demolition of a Norwich’s children home. DI Nelson was lead detective and Ruth helped the team to solve the case

Thank you to Netgalley

This is my first Elly Griffiths thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good likeable characters ( some not so nice). Keeps you guessing and a few twists along the way. Jane McDowell accents were very good, would love to hear more from her. Thank you Quercus and Netgalley for this audiobook review copy.

Elly Griffiths just oozes talent so as soon as I saw this I jumped at the opportunity to listen.
This is the second Dr Ruth Galloway story and its even better than the first. I loved the premise - this was something new and different and as soon as I thought I knew where the story was going Elly threw a bomb in and set me off thinking again.
This is absolutely outstanding writing and it's easy to see why Elly is having as much success as she has.
As an audio book this was really well done. From the music in the opening scene to the fantastic narration by Jane McDowell it kept me absorbed and hanging on every word.
5 out of 5 from me.

Elly Griffiths is one of my favourite authors. I would read the back of a cornflake box if she wrote it.

I have read the physical copy of this book so many times the cover is falling off so I was so curious to see what the audio book would be like.

My personal favourite when it comes to audio books is when you can hear the narrator turning pages. It makes me feel more connected to the the book. It reminds me of being a little girl and my mum reading to me at bed time. Within the first few chapters a heard the pages rustling so I was hooked.

It's beautifully narrated with different voices for each character.

This is a great audiobook for a long car journey because you won't want to stop listening!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book.
This is the second book in the Ruth Galloway series written by Elly Griffiths, although I have not read the first I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The characters are interesting. Ruth Galloway lives in an interesting location (remote seaside Norfolk) and is an expert in bones—Roman, Celt and modern. I thoroughly enjoyed this Story and will go ahead and read the others.

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.

This is my second Ruth Galloway novel and I really enjoyed the audio version. The narrator was excellent and the past diary readings were quite spooky! Fantastic accents for the different characters but maybe some more Norfolk needed! I find Elly's writing so atmospheric and can really visualise the setting. Really looking forward to continuing this series. Thoughtfully written and not your average thriller.

I really liked the narration of this audiobook which really brought the story to life. I enjoyed listening to it. This is the first book by Elly Griffiths that I've read and I wouldn't mind reading some more. The characters were likeable, and there were some elements of humour in the interactions between the main characters, which gave some lighter moments to what could otherwise have been an overwhelmingly dark story about the death of a child. I found the characters likeably flawed and I was interested in their personal stories as well as just the case that was being investigated.

I really enjoyed this, it’s something a bit different, though the content is fairly disturbing and involves “ritualistic” murders.

This is way more than your average mystery, yes, Dr. Ruth Galloway and the team have a crime to solve but there’s something for everyone, archeology, philosophy, mythology and police work. The setting is absolutely steeped in atmosphere, and the writing is great. The audio production though is fantastic and immersive.

This is the 2nd in the series, and while I generally don’t love starting mid way, I felt that enough backstory was covered in order that it could work as a standalone and it certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment, infact I’ve added the rest to be endless tbr list. I note that the rest of the series appears to be published, I wonder is there perhaps a season finale afoot or a relaunch. Either way, I’m glad to have read it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit (everything changes, nothing perishes)"

Usually, I save the narrator's comments to the end, but this one deserves to be out here at the front:
What an amazing narrative cast, sound effects, the echoes at the right moment and the background music - all scores for the perfect audiobook.

Now coming to the story,

As much as I enjoyed the eerie setting and horrors of the children's home, it was difficult to admire the protagonist (Ruth) because of moral differences. Nelson, who shamelessly cheats on his wife by going out with Ruth and thinks taking his wife to a stupid play later makes it all okay, Ruth who decides to keep his baby and accept the help from his wife despite what they did to her- just fires the gun in the wrong direction. I wish I could ignore this and focus on the main mystery, which I have to say is gripping. However, the constant underlying story accompanying the murders made it a little difficult, leaving me in an uncertain predicament.

Thank you @netgalley @quercusbooks @ellygriffiths17 for the Audiobook ARC.
Genre: #mystery #thriller #archaeology
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

The Janus Stone is the second instalment in Elly Griffiths’ series featuring archaeologist Ruth Galloway and detective Harry Nelson. As the first book, this was a well-written story, with an atmospheric setting and interesting characters.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration was good.

A really enjoyable audiobook from a series by Elly Griffiths featuring Dr Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist based in the university of North Norfolk. The story is set in Norwich and Norfolk and involves the discovery of a child’s skeleton on the site of a former children’s home in Norwich which is being demolished to make way for luxury flats. Ruth is pregnant with the child of the police detective investigating the case, DCI Harry Nelson, and is also getting close to an academic colleague, Dr Max Grey, who is leading a dig on a Roman site near Swaffham.

It’s a compelling story which is beautifully narrated. It should be noted however that the publication date of the book was 2010 and there are references which now feel a bit dated - Blackberrys rather than smart phones and Friends Reunited rather than Facebook - though I found that to be nostalgic rather than jarring and I thought it added to the charm of the whole piece.

With thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook.