ARC Review: The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths

The Frozen People
Author: Elly Griffiths
Series: Ali Dawson Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Pamela Dorman Books (July 8, 2025)

Description: Cold cases are a lot easier to solve when you can travel back in time to find new evidence. Unless, that is, you get stuck in the nineteenth century…

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.

My Thoughts: This time travel mystery introduces Ali Dawson and her associates who are police investigators of cold crimes. They have an advantage unknown to other such investigators. They can travel back in time. They are part of a secret program known only to the highest echelons of government. 

One of the ones who know about the project is Justice Minister Isaac Templeton. He wants the team to go back to 1850 to clear one of his ancestors of accusations of murder. Ali is the one chosen to make the leap, but things go wrong. Ali finds herself stranded in 1850 when an apparent murderer takes her place when she was supposed to return. Ali needs to survive until her team finds a way to retrieve her. 

But in the present time, Isaac Templeton is found murdered, and his administrative aid Finn Kennedy is accused of the crime. Finn happens to be Ali's son. With a police force under pressure from higher up to find a killer, he is arrested despite some glaring holes in the case. The idea of explaining about the time travel is a non-starter both because of its secrecy and its lack of believability. 

Ali does manage to return to the present in order to work on her son's case, but a colleague needed to take her place in 1850. He begins his own investigation and learns some secrets. 

This was an entertaining story. I liked the way the viewpoint is split between Ali and John who are the two time travelers and Finn. The plot was twisty and, while the murder of Isaac Templeton is resolved, there are enough loose ends to provide for future stories. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.