Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: July 8, 2025
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery / Fantasy / Historical
Some murders can’t be solved in just one lifetime.
Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen—or so their inside joke goes. Nobody knows that her team has a secret: they can travel back in time to look for evidence.
The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London to clear the name of Cain Templeton, an eccentric patron of the arts. Rumor has it that Cain is part of a sinister group called The Collectors. Ali arrives in the Victorian era to another dead woman at her feet and far too many unanswered questions.
As the clock counts down, Ali becomes more entangled in the mystery, yet danger lurks around every corner. She soon finds herself trapped, unable to make her way back to her beloved son, Finn, who is battling his own accusations in the present day.
Could the two cases be connected? In a race through and against time, Ali must find out before it’s too late.
Ali Dawson and her cold case team investigate crimes so old, they're frozen—or so their inside joke goes. Nobody knows that her team has a secret: they can travel back in time to look for evidence.
The latest assignment sees Ali venture back farther than they have dared before: to 1850s London to clear the name of Cain Templeton, an eccentric patron of the arts. Rumor has it that Cain is part of a sinister group called The Collectors. Ali arrives in the Victorian era to another dead woman at her feet and far too many unanswered questions.
As the clock counts down, Ali becomes more entangled in the mystery, yet danger lurks around every corner. She soon finds herself trapped, unable to make her way back to her beloved son, Finn, who is battling his own accusations in the present day.
Could the two cases be connected? In a race through and against time, Ali must find out before it’s too late.
The Frozen People is the first installment in author Elly Griffiths' Ali Dawson series. The story alternates between the year 2023 and 1850. This novel is an ambitious blend of crime fiction, historical drama, and science fiction, centered around a time-traveling detective investigating cold cases. The Frozen People introduces Detective Sergeant Ali Dawson, a single mother in her fifties working in the Department of Logistics, a covert unit tasked with solving cold cases so old they’re jokingly referred to as “frozen.”
The team’s secret weapon? The ability to travel back in time to gather evidence was a process pioneered by the enigmatic physicist Serafina Jones. Ali, a seasoned detective with a no-nonsense attitude, has only made short jumps to the recent past until she’s assigned a daunting mission: travel to 1850s London to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of Tory MP Isaac Templeton. Cain is rumored to have been part of a sinister group called The Collectors, where membership allegedly required committing a murder.
Upon arriving in Victorian London during a brutal mini ice age, Ali finds herself in a lodging house populated by artists, with a dead woman at her feet and a web of unanswered questions. As she navigates the gritty, candle-lit world of 1850, complications arise: she becomes entangled in the mystery, faces unexpected dangers, and discovers she’s unable to return to the present. Meanwhile, in 2023, her son Finn faces his own crisis, arrested for a murder that may be connected to Ali’s investigation.
Griffiths’ research into Victorian London is impressive, bringing the era to life with sensory details: the icy slush on cobblestone streets, the discomfort of corsets, the grime of lodging houses, and the social constraints on women. Ali’s culture shock— grappling with chamber pots, candle-lit evenings, and societal expectations—immerses readers in the period while subtly commenting on progress and gender roles. Her connection with Cain Templeton is interesting, but doesn't overwhelm the story with an unnecessary romantic interlude.
The dual timelines converge in a race against time, as Ali grapples with the constraints of Victorian society and her desperate need to save her son. Ali is a standout character, a middle-aged, menopausal, and fiercely independent detective whose complexity rivals Griffiths’ beloved Ruth Galloway. As a single mother with a grown son, Finn, and a Siamese cat, Terry, Ali is relatable and grounded, her no-nonsense attitude tempered by vulnerability. Her own downside is that she's a devout Socialist like one of her numerous husbands.
Her struggles with Victorian gender norms highlight her modern sensibilities, while her emotional investment in protecting Finn anchors the story. Griffiths’ portrayal of Ali as a working mother navigating a male-dominated profession adds depth, making her a protagonist readers will root for. Unfortunately for me, the author also apparently thinks that Socialism and those who follow it are good people. Sorry, but no. Socialism ruins people's lives and makes them reliant on government handouts. Don't believe me? See NYC and learn about the candidates running for Mayor.
