THE MAN IN BLACK is an outstanding collection of short stories from internationally bestselling author Elly Griffiths. It is so refreshing to see a number of her characters appear in these pieces, some of which have no mystery connotations to them. A fair amount of stand-alone tales also cross over to different genres and themes.

"THE MAN IN BLACK is a fine collection of short stories with something for everyone. It allows Elly Griffiths to spread her wings and explore a variety of subjects, while also treating readers to some of her most memorable characters."

In a recent online article, Griffiths named her 10 favorite short stories of all time. I was especially delighted to find “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs at the top of her list. Others include “The Signal-Man” by Charles Dickens, “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut” by Stephen King, and “The Witness for the Prosecution” by Agatha Christie. Some of these stories clearly inspired THE MAN IN BLACK.

There is a lot to treasure here. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

“The Man in Black”: The title story features Griffiths’ most prolific character, Ruth Galloway, who meets a man dressed in black while book shopping for family holiday gifts. He encourages her to purchase THE LAND OF THE HYTERSPRITES, which ends up having a special meaning for her daughter, Kate.

“Castles in the Air”: A young man who dislikes books takes a job as a clerk in a bookstore. There he meets a young woman who opens up his world to reading, and she behaves a lot like Jo March from Louisa May Alcott’s LITTLE WOMEN.

“Max Mephisto and the Disappearing Act”: The younger version of another Griffiths character, magician Max Mephisto, is depicted here as he is trying to make a name for himself on the theater circuit and attempting a new disappearing act with an assistant he has never worked with before.

“St. Lucy’s Day”: Reverend Barbara Svendsen is preparing for St. Lucy’s Day, or the time during the Christmas season when the Nativity is displayed. This coincides with her son, Jonas, who has shown little interest in these events, surprising her with his costume on the day of the festivities.

“Harbinger: A Harbinder Kaur Story”: Another popular Griffiths character, Detective Harbinder Kaur, is seen here at the start of her career dealing with a British colleague who cannot seem to adjust to a partner with an Indian name. So he refers to her as “Harbinger.”

“Turning Traitor”: This tale opens with a quote from a Wilkie Collins novel and presents us with two high school students doing work for their archaeology class. They may have discovered evidence of the ancient Pioneer Man.

“What I Saw from the Sky”: Leanne is vacationing with her friends in Italy when she is urged to take her first ride on a ski lift. While in the air, she swears she sees the body of a woman face down in a backyard pool. It becomes an obsession, so she decides to find the house and investigate what she thought she saw.

“The Valley of the Queens”: Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson have won a holiday cruise down the Nile River. The trip is described as one that will allow you to live out your Agatha Christie fantasies. All is fine until Nelson finds out the real reason he was “selected” for this prize. There is also some nice Egyptian history at play here.

“Ruth Galloway and the Ghost of Max Mephisto”: This tale features Ruth Galloway, along with references to Max Mephisto and Harbinder Kaur. Ruth, Harry and Kate are at a theater where Max once performed and where Kate is doing a scene from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Kate gets a nice lesson in the history of the theatrical ghost light.

THE MAN IN BLACK has something for everyone. It allows Elly Griffiths to spread her wings and explore a variety of subjects, while also treating readers to some of her most memorable characters.