As a devotee of her Dr. Ruth Galloway series, I thoroughly enjoyed this second instalment in Elly Griffiths' D.S. Harbinder Kaur series. As in its series predecessor, The Stranger Diaries, Harbinder features as one of an ensemble cast of characters, with a major part of the storyline told from the perspective of non-police characters. We do learn more about Harbinder's personal and professional life in this book though, and she is a delightful, complex and engaging character. The book opens with sprightly 90-year-old Peggy Smith observing and documenting the goings-on outside her Shoreham-by-Sea (southern coast of England) bay window. Later that evening, Peggy is found dead, still sitting in her chair, by her agency carer, Ukrainian-born Natalka Kolisnyk. Natalka isn't satisfied that Peggy's death was natural, despite her advanced age, and contacts local police, speaking to D.S. Harbinder Kaur to report her suspicions. It transpires that Peggy was a "murder consultant", and had assisted numerous successful crime writers by devising ingenious methods of murder, garnering her numerous dedications and acknowledgements. Kaur is initially dubious about Natalka's story, but becomes intrigued as additional unusual details emerge and another suspicious death occurs. From here, the book takes the form of two interconnected storylines, following both Kaur's official police investigation and the activity of Natalka, who teams up with two unlikely confederates to uncover the truth - Benedict Cole, a diffident former monk turned seaside barista and Edwin Fitzgerald, a snappily-dressed octogenarian, who was Peggy's neighbour. Together, and parallel to Kaur's investigation, they probe the details of Peggy's life in and around Shoreham, before setting off on a road trip adventure to the Aberdeen Crime Writers' Festival in Scotland. This is the second book I've read that has used a crime writing festival as a setting (the other being The Royal Baths Murder by J.R. Ellis, which took place at a thinly-veiled facsimile of the Theakston's Old Peculier festival in Harrogate), and I love that both authors have drawn on their own experience as a crime writer at large in depicting the curious mix of excitement, networking opportunities, resentment and one-upmanship that these events entail. The Postscript Murders takes a lighter approach to crime than Elly Griffiths' well-established and excellent Ruth Galloway Series, although in a literary sense it sits above the majority of books in the "cosy mystery" genre. As always with Griffiths, her characters are complex and well-developed over the course of the novel. I particularly loved the quirkiness of the "amateur detective" trio in The Postscript Murders and the relationships that blossomed between them. The plot is enthralling, taking many twists and turns and containing many surprise developments for the reader to savour. The conclusion is fitting and satisfying, tying up many (but not all) loose ends that the story has thrown up. Via the late Peggy's dedication to and encyclopaedic knowledge of the crime genre, Griffiths makes a fitting homage, both to the great writers of the "golden age" and to modern writers pushing the boundaries into new and exciting sub-genres of crime fiction. I'm really looking forward to reading future outings for D.S. Harbinder Kaur. Highly recommended, both to existing readers of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway Series and to those yet to discover her excellent crime-mystery books. My thanks to Elly Griffiths, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful title.

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Postscript Murders’ by Elly Griffiths in exchange for an honest review. This was excellent! A well plotted whodunnit that combined a modern police procedural with the amateur sleuthing so beloved of Golden Age detective fiction. This is the second novel by Griffiths to feature DS Harbinder Kaur. While ‘The Stranger Diaries’ was quite Gothic in its themes and ambiance, this is closer to a cosy mystery, though like ‘Diaries’ has a literary theme running through it. When ninety-year-old Peggy Smith is found dead, seemingly from a heart attack, at first DS Harbinder Kaur sees nothing to concern her in the account provided by her carer, Natalka. Then as Natalka and former-monk-turned-coffee-stall owner, Benedict, are cleaning out Peggy’s flat, they are surprised by a masked figure, who threatens them with a gun, snatches a book lying on the floor, and leaves. They naturally inform the police. Along the way they have found that quite a number of crime books in the flat either were dedicated to Peggy or name her in the acknowledgments. It turns out that Peggy had been a 'murder consultant', who plotted interesting deaths for authors, and knew more about murder than most people. With all this and another murder linked to the case, DS Harbinder Kaur thinks that maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all. Griffiths switches smoothly between four narrative voices: Harbinder, Natalka, Benedict, and Peggy’s neighbour, retired BBC producer Edwin. Harbinder is involved in the police investigation while Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin are undertaking their own sleuthing. Harbinder is aware of their activities and playfully refers to them as the three musketeers. Recently, I have read a few clever literary murder mysteries and feel that they are perfect fare for crime fiction lovers given a shared appreciation of the genre and enjoying all the references that the author provides in the narrative. ‘The Postscript Murders’ was a delight from start to finish and I have been enthusiastically recommending it widely.

mystery, England, cosy-mystery, sly-humor, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, procedural, suspense***** The active 90 year old died suddenly and her caregiver finds a business card stating that the woman was a Murder Consultant. She also finds that many authors have referenced her in their Acknowledgements. So it begins. Exploring the personalities and cultures of an interesting number of awesome characters as together and individually they explore the murders of authors linked to the Murder Consultant is riveting as well as fun. I found it to be a terrific read. I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley.

This is my second foray into the works of Elly Griffiths, my first being a book from her Ruth Galloway series. This book, The Postscript Murders is the second instalment in the Harbinder Kaur series, and I found that jumping in at book two did not prevent me from enjoying the story immensely. It is a wonderfully woven crime mystery set in a coastal location in West Sussex, England. From the opening pages, the action never let up and the story unfolded like an uncoiled spring. In this instalment featuring DS Harbinder Kaur and Ukrainian care worker, Natalka Kolsnyk, 90-year-old Peggy Smith is found dead in her chair by the window, and it seems she died of natural causes... but did she? Natalka, a worker for Care4You, noticed an unusual number of crime novels whilst clearing out Peggy’s flat that were all dedicated to Peggy and each one included a mysterious postscript. When other events occur, DS Kaur begins to think that there could be no such thing as an unsuspicious death. This story kept me guessing as to whom was responsible for the murder and their actual motives. Yet, for me, the main strengths in this police procedural were Elly Griffiths' wonderful bunch of characters. The Postscript Murders was a neatly plotted and elegantly told mystery and I have been inspired to read the first book in the series, The Stranger Diaries. I am also looking forward to seeing where Elly Griffiths takes Harbinger next. I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Quercus via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Life in the quiet seaside town of Shoreham is disrupted when elderly Peggy is found dead by her carer, Natalka. Murder is surmised. Just as in Agatha Christie, there's a wide range of suspects from her eighty year old friend Edwin to ex-priest Benedict and the wonderfully-named author Dex Challoner. Reminded me of Richard Osman's 'The Thursday Murder Club'. Will read more by Elly Griffiths. A great read.