The Killing Time

Ali Dawson #2

by Elly Griffiths

Join Ali Dawson and her cold case team for another thrilling case.

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, never to be seen again.

To distract herself from meaningless tasks, Ali decides to look into a present-day case - a series of apparent suicides, all young men who fell to their death from high places. She believes the deaths are linked to a psychic medium called Barry Power, who convinced the boys they 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, and the darkly mysterious Cain Templeton with whom Ali has unfinished business from her previous visit to the past . . .

Genres: Mystery, Time Travel, Crime, Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2026

About the author

Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway novels take for their inspiration Elly's husband, who gave up a city job to train as an archaeologist, and her aunt who lives on the Norfolk coast and who filled her niece's head with the myths and legends of that area. Elly has two children and lives near Brighton. Though not her first novel, The Crossing Places is her first crime novel.

Reviews

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!!!

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as much as the first Ali Dawson novel, I like the time travel but the random identity of the murderer totally let the story down. A very disappointing and hurried ending. 3.5 stars

[Bob Rudge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Humanity has invented time travel. Hurray! Presumably they will use this awesome power to right historic wrongs and harness the knowledge of the future to improve the world for all mankind?
Well, no. In this Elly Griffiths series, they've decided to limit the use of time travel to a Slough House-knockoff police department in London. And, in fact, even that department is under orders not to use the technology. So we spend the first ten chapters of this book doing precisely nothing.

For some reason they decide to investigate a completely ordinary suicide. A team of four people are set on this, despite the fact there's no evidence any actual crime has been committed.

Then a cat goes missing, at which point the team decide they can use the time travel thing after all. So, definitely don't use it to try and prevent any murders or anything. But, yes, you can try and go back to close your cat flap.

For some reason that is not explained, instead of going back a couple of days, Ali ends up being sent back 150 years. Her cat is also there. Why? You'll never know, even if you manage to make it to the end of this quite terrible book.

While Ali is having a bit of a jolly in the old days, there are some crimes happening in the present. The killer is someone literally mentioned once in the first chapter and never even hinted at again. When Ali goes to speak to them at the dénouement, you will have no idea who they are. I had to search to check they had even been mentioned before. They then just immediately admit everything. Someone then just works out that the boy who killed himself did so because of his acne medication. It is probably the most stupid reveal I've ever read.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but lacking the impact of the new ideas in the first book in the series. And the discovery of the murderer was a disappointing, cheap let down. So, of course it was enjoyable and well written, but definitely not as good as the first book. I’m hoping that book number three redeems the series.

[tinalouisereadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Killing Time is the second book to feature Ali Dawson and gang. Ali is a detective who along with her colleges work on cold cases and and can time travel to solve them.

This time Ali is investigating the death of a young man. When her cat disappears she wants to go back in time to shut the cat flap. However Ali goes back to 1851. The story is basically a continuation of the first book and I highly recommend that the books are read in order.

In the present there are a couple of murders and of course there is a connection. I felt that this particular storyline was ended with a killer from nowhere and it didn't really sit right in the story.

However I do enjoy books by Elly Griffiths especially the Ruth Galloway series and I am enjoying this new series enough to continue.

[James Mcgee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up The Killing Time by Elly Griffiths after hearing a great deal of praise, and I was genuinely looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. While the premise had potential, I found the writing style overly simple, lacking the depth and atmosphere I’d hoped for from a crime novel. The plot itself felt fairly predictable, and the narrative never quite built the tension or intrigue needed to keep me fully invested.

At times, it was a struggle to stay engaged, as the story seemed to move along familiar paths without offering much in the way of originality or emotional pull. I can see how it might appeal to readers looking for a very light, accessible mystery, but for me it felt too basic and ultimately forgettable.

[Malin Leander · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫Elly Griffith,en av mina riktiga favoritförfattare. Älskade alla Ruth böckerna. Denna serie om tidsresor crime, katter och kärlek är en ny favorit, Denna andra bok i serien är tom bättre än den första, längtar redan till nästa

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. It’s easy to read but still good. Plus, Barry Power, what a name! Loved it! Looking forward to book 3 already. The actual murderer was a bit random but it’s still good.

[Lena Akerblom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ganska underhållande men lite rörig. För många trådar som inte hänger ihop

[Phil Bradley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely adore Elly’s books, and it’s rare for me to give anything less than 5 stars. But this was shockingly bad, with virtually no redeeming features whatsoever. If you’re going to be talking about time travel there needs to be some sort of basic concept as to how it’s possible. With this series there’s none. Talk of particles, iPhones, maths, people being “linked” together and magical chairs! Absolute nonsense. How does the cat go back and forth in time? Apparently because cats do what they want. Sorry, but that’s pathetic. When Dawson asks Jones about why they just don’t do what they are supposed to do her only reply is basically “trust me bro” and all this stuff about not changing the past goes straight out the window towards the end of the book. As for the murders… surprisingly I didn’t guess the murderer who was introduced right at the end of the book. The writing was pedestrian and boring… really don’t need to know what they all ate at every meal.

The audio version was as dire as the book. The narrators voice was dull and boring. Her ability to speak with an Italian accent was dire, I’ve no idea what accent it was, but it was grim. The scene where she had to speak in English, Welsh, Italian and German accents was so bad I was in hysterics. The editing was poor as well, because she should have been using an accent when she wasn’t and vice versa. Shockingly bad.

Please for the love of god Elly put this series to bed. I certainly won’t be reading any more of them, and you’re doing yourself and your amazing reputation a real disservice with dross like this that even AI could write better.

[Vanessa Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second in the Ali Dawson time travel mysteries. Ali is a police detective who leads a special team investigating cold cases. She has just returned from one mission only to leave a colleague behind. She decides to concentrate on current cases to divert her mind. A young man has died by thinking he could fly and throwing himself off a building. Ali
Thinks it is linked to a well known psychic medium. Then her cat, Terry, disappears and she travels back in time to prevent him going through the cat flap. She finds herself back in the Victorian era where she meets up with her missing colleague. Is it all connected and how will she return to her own time again?

Another fascinating instalment in this exciting series. I love the idea of time travel to help investigate mysteries. I like the characters, they’re well drawn. It’s cleverly plotted although I wasn’t too sure about the denouement. It didn’t seem to connect with the rest of the story so I didn’t quite enjoy The Killing Time as much as The Frozen People but still a gripping read nevertheless. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series already! Hopefully there will be one? 4.5⭐️

[Anja Leeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4 🌟 book 2

Another good Ali Dawson mystery. The cold case team known as the “frozen people” are back.

Terry the cat goes missing and Ali is desperate to find him. Ali convince his bad to time travel her back two days so she can close the catflap but finds herself back into Victorian 1851 where their colleague Jones was trapped 18 months ago.

Current day / They are asked to investigate a mesmerist Barry power, who’s a believed influence 19-year-old Luke to believe he could fly.

I enjoyed the follow up from book one where Ali meets Cain Templeton who declares his love for her.

The beauty of Time Travel, as we really don’t know where the story will take us.

[Tanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I like the premise of the series. When reading The first book The Frozen people I felt that the ending (coming back from the past) felt a bit abrupt… I didn’t have the same feeling this time. I like the characters, the writing style. It just all adds up. Very pleasant read.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

After ‘The Frozen People’ which set the scene, I reserved judgement on this new series. Alas the follow up is no better. As well as time travel via mobile phones and magic chairs seeming ridiculously implausible, the plot meanders once Ali arrives back in 19th century London and fails to build up much momentum. Usually I really enjoy Elly Griffiths’s novels, but ‘The Killing Time’ left me cold.

[Sally White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly absorbing and so EXCITING. I cannot recommend this series (2 books only) enough - Griffiths’s imagination knows no bounds.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to Swedish version, since Storytel didn’t have it in English.

[Carrie]

2/12

[Kerry Davis]

It’s Elly Griffiths. What more can I say. I adore her writing

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one! Nearly as much as the first installment. Only that this time I felt more disturbed by the loose ends. And I have to wait another year to read what happens next!
I should have wait for the whole serie to be out before reading it, but well, now that I've started it it's too late to think about it so I'll just have to patiently wait for the next book.
Also, the murder resolution felt a bit underwelming, but everything else was exciting and interesting so I wasn't bothered. Going to the Great Exhibitions and meeting Dickens were wonderful moments and I wanted to read more about them. Obviously Ali will go back again in book three, and I hope to get some answers but maybe I'll have to wait another couple of novels for that... Let's hope they'll come out very soon!!

[Linda Fallows · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great second instalment to this time travelling detective series. The story grabs you from the first page. Ali Dawson returns to 1851, although she had only wanted to go back in time by a few hours, to save her cat!
The characters in this series are so interesting and the storyline is very different from EG’s Ruth Galloway books. If you love history, historical fiction, or crime stories, you have all three in this book.
Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the next book in the series.🤞🤞

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever, humorous and fun time-travel mystery series.

[Rebecka H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jag har en allergi mot författare som återberättar så många episoder från förra boken att det känns som att de utgör halva texten. Tyvärr är det upplägget här.

[lonnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review for this second installment of the Ali Dawson series is pretty much exactly the same as for the first book: the writing style is engaging and easy, the characters are likable but the plot is so haphazard and wonky that you must not think about plot holes or the workings of it all or the entire thing will collapse (much like in book one, the resolutions of the several almost completely unrelated plotlines was baffling. It's like the author made up things as she went). Still, the series is relaxing and entertaining enough to listen to on audio and the likable characters really are doing the heavy lifting here.

[Sue G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfinished

Sorry this ran out steam and felt decidedly unfinished, so many things left up in the air. A true reflection of life maybe but not agreeable to a well rounded piece of fiction

[Wendy Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loving this new series.

[Johanna]

couldn't finish

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel means when Ali travelled to 1850 in order to research a shadowy group called The Collectors and got stuck there. She'd had to be rescued by John who, in turn, was rescued by Jones, aka Dr Serafina Pellegrini, the brilliant Italian physicist who made time travel possible in the first place. Ali doesn't really blame Nigel for not having the words for this. At first, the government had been cautiously interested in the work of the Department but now they seem to have decided that time travel is too dangerous an experiment. Nigel has been sent to close things down, which seems to be a speciality of his. Ali sometimes thinks Nigel was put in charge of them as punishment for him as much as them. He's a high-ranking Home Office official. Surely, he should be looking forward to early retirement, not babysitting a bunch of oddballs who have managed to subvert the laws of physics.

I have enjoyed quite a few of Elly Griffiths's mysteries and when I head about this new series I was instantly intrigued.

It is safe to say it is somewhat of a departure from her usual whodunits, bringing in a science-fiction twist by introducing time travel. Ali Dawson isn't your typical Detective, she works for a secret department know to only those in the highest echelons of Government. Partnered by a crack team, including scientist 'Jones', Ali works on the coldest of cases by travelling in time to find clues lost to time.

The first book set the scene with Ali visiting the 1800s in order to solve parallel murders. This book picks up shortly after with Jones trapped in the past, the team on ice, so to speak, and time travel strictly off limits.

With very little coming across their desks, the team find themselves investigating whether a spiritual medium contributed to a young man's suicide. The case has strange ties to the past but without Jones and the portal they have no option but to do things the old fashioned way.

However, this series wouldn't last long if there wasn't some meandering through time. The trigger for the latest jaunt was unexpected and a little unbelievable but I can imagine it was tricky trying to work something into the story.

The mystery element of the story left me a little flat and I felt it deserved a better conclusion. The set up for the next installment also didn't grab me, but I will inevitably pick it up when it is released as there is a lot of promise still in this series. For this book, however, it is just 3 3/4 stars.

[Elizabeth Sirett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a sneaking suspicion that when Elly Griffiths planned her new so-cold-they're-frozen series, it was at least partly because she wanted to spend time in Victorian England along with her characters. Since, unlike them, she doesn't have access to the necessary technology, she makes use of detailed, meticulous research to bring the era to vivid life for her readers.

The Killing Time is the second in the series, and like its predecessor, it moves between 21st century London and its equivalent nearly two hundred years ago. DI Ali Dawson and her team of cold case detectives are still mourning the loss of Jones, the scientist who discovered the secret of time travel, but was stranded in the past when things went wrong in the previous title. This time it's Ali who is stranded, when she attempts to time-travel a few days in search of her beloved cat, but somehow finds herself in 1851 along with Jones with no means of returning.

As Elly Griffths fans have come to expect and enjoy, there's a wealth of interesting characters, including several familiar faces from the first book. In the 21st century among others are Finn, Ali's son, Dina and John, her colleagues in the cold case team, and Bud the eccentric scientist who sends her into the past. In 1851 she encounters a couple of Victorian maids who give her an insight into the world of the lower orders. Then there's a creepy illusionist, and Cain Templeton, who makes as strong an impression on her as on their earlier acquaintance. And then there's Barry Power, a self-styled medium and showman; and Lady Serafina, about whom I'm saying no more.

Along the way the cold case team are investigating a murder, and another one occurs later. But somehow the crimes seem almost incidental, especially in the 19th century part of the book. Far more interesting is how Ali is going to get back to where she belongs, and how she ended up in Victorian London to start with.

Elly Griffiths has proved herself adept at weaving diverse strands into a page-turning story, peopling it with characters the reader wants to know more about, and creating richly visual backgrounds for them. With her new series, she is revealing yet another talent: bringing a period of history to life in a way that makes us believe it. It all adds up to yet another cracking good story which will garner yet more fans for this deservedly popular author.
-------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A complete delight.

Time travel bestrides the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Elly Griffiths has remodelled the concept and placed it dead centre into the realms of murder mystery, crime drama and the police procedural.

Those who read The Frozen People will be delighted it wasn’t just a standalone, but the start of the Ali Dawson series. The author was brave in my opinion to set out in this direction and embrace the potential pitfalls with the scientific entanglements of temporal displacement. The first episode was a brilliant success and book two The Killing Time will not disappoint.

The writing is engaging and thoroughly transports you back into Victorian London. The adventure however cuts across travelling back in time to real police work in the present day. The characters are fleshed out in this second novel and the sense of a close knit team is established.

The author is an accomplished linguist who chooses words carefully and cleverly weaves them into great stories. She takes great delight in the differences a modern woman would sound like in the 1850’s and consequently brings new depth to the ideas of being present out of one’s own time. I love this playing with tenses too.

There is a sense of mystery and threat throughout these pages as sinister qualities are given to characters; the idea of being watched or encountering someone in another realm. Indeed the premise could enable a writer to get lost and ramble off on tangents and down rabbit holes without discipline and restraint.
That we have a credible, believable story within this framework of a crime novel is testament to Elly Griffiths skill and creativity. There is a superman moment but it is so pared back that it seems the obvious choice taken in the circumstances and completes the story rather than elevating it beyond belief.

A joy to read and spend time with these characters.

A pleasure to review and recommend to others.