I am a huge Elly Griffiths fan, I love the Ruth Galloway series and I thoroughly enjoyed The Stranger Diaries, so I was delighted to get my hands on an advance copy of The Postscript Murders.

This is the second book to feature DS Harbinder Kaur, the first being The Stranger Diaries, but the book is strong enough to be read as a stand-alone. Having said that The Stranger Diaries is a fantastic book and I would recommend people read both of these books.

I am thoroughly enjoying the series, both have a literary theme to killings and as an English graduate I love that aspect of them. I hope further books In the series retain the literary theme, in the same way that the Ruth Galloway books retain an archeological link, as personally I like that aspect of the books.

The mystery itself is well constructed, researched and considered, and I genuinely did not guess who the murderer was, having suspected most characters at one point or another.

Harbinder Kaur is a great character and I hope we see more of her. In fact I would be happy to see most of the characters in this book again, especially the trio of amateur detectives, I think they made a great team and one I would be happy to see in another book.

As usual with books by Elly Griffiths, the characters are well drawn, the plot is interesting and has many layers and the sense of place is fantastic. As a Londoner I have a deep desire to live by the sea, so the setting in these books and indeed the Ruth Galloway books draw me

I devoured this book in a day, as with all of the Elly Griffiths books I have read, I really couldn’t put it down. I genuinely cannot wait for the next instalment.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book, but not just this book, The Stranger Diaries is a fantastic read and the Ruth Galloway series is an absolute delight.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Quercus Books and Elly Griffiths for my copy. I'm a huge fan of the Dr Ruth Galloway books so I was delighted to be chosen to receive this one, as it was my first non-Ruth book by the author. I hugely enjoyed it; in many ways it was similar to the Ruth books - excellent, quirky characters, great storylines, and a good sense of fun and adventure. I love Harbinder Kaur and I only realised afterwards that there is a previous Harbinder book, The Stranger Diaries, so I will be reading that next, along with the Brighton mysteries which I am looking forward to as well. I highly recommend this book.

Elly Griffiths has created a wonderfully motley cast of sleuths in this her latest crime novel set in Sussex and Scotland. DS Harbinder Kaur is assisted in her investigation into the death of a ninety year old 'murder consultant' by an octagenarian, an East European carer and an ex monk who now owns a coffee shack. As well plotted as ever from this author, this is a first rate and unusual read.

Having been somewhat lukewarm on the first in this series, which began well but fell victim to a predictable ending, I enjoyed The Postscript Murders vastly more. The central characters seem, on paper, to be a disparate bunch, but the Ukrainian immigrant, the ex-monk, and the lonely elderly man turn out to have more in common than divides them. Griffiths detective, Harbinder Kaur, feels more rounded and well researched this time around, too, and while it requires quite a suspension of disbelief to get on board with the idea that she'd involve a group of amateur detectives in the investigation, the interplay between them, with Kaur alternately concerned about and infuriated by their antics, was fun to read.

Ninety year old Peggy Smith observes two men from her window seat at her sheltered accommodation ‘Seaview Court’ in Shoreham, West Sussex. Peggy is an astute observer but why do they attract her attention? Shortly after this, Peggy is found dead by her Ukrainian born carer Natalka. Maybe her death is no surprise given Peggy’s age but Natalka is uneasy, as is fellow resident and friend, sprightly eighty year old Edwin. They discuss their thoughts with mutual friend and coffee shop owner Benedict and decide Natalka should go to the police with their suspicions. DS Harbinder Kaur investigates and this takes her from Shoreham to Aberdeen and back again in search of the truth. The story is told from several perspectives including Harbinder and this works really well.

First of all, although Peggy isn’t in in the book as such, you feel her fascinating and enigmatic presence throughout. She was a ‘murder consultant’ who helped many authors struggling with plot holes to find solutions and this is intrinsic in the storytelling. The characters are terrific as they are all colourfully likeable with really good back stories which makes them a cut above other characters in this genre. I’m sure Harbinder will feature again as she is such a good lead detective character but Natalka, Edwin and Benedict make such excellent amateur sleuths it would be great if they made another appearance too. There’s plenty of humour which I really like (several unladylike snorts of laugher throughout the reading!) and each chapter has a heading which is either obviously funny or dryly ironic. It is extremely well written, it has an old fashioned ‘Golden Age’ crime novel vibe to it but it’s not at all dated, in fact it feels clever, fresh and original. It has all the requisite features of a crime novel with some shocks, dangerous incidents, a killing spree, numerous twists and although it does get somewhat convoluted towards the end it’s a fun caper! I love the crime novel, television show references and quotes throughout and the wry commentary on the literary world is good too.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable read with an intriguing and well thought out plot that keeps you guessing. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC

4-5 stars rounded up because of the entertainment value!

Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths
Peggy, who is a reputed ex-spy spends her retirement taking notes in her Investigation Book and planning the perfect murder plots for her many author friends, and when she is found dead in her sheltered housing, questions are asked about how she died. Is it murder? Has she discovered something or been about to reveal something about one of her neighbours?

Harbinder, a local policewoman, and Natalka the Ukranian homehelp, form a tentative alliance as they investigate with the help of Benedict an expriest turned coffee barista and Edwin an elderly neighbour. This unlikely collection of characters produce an intriguing dynamic as more bodies turn up, authors with a connection to Peggy. The action moves from the seaside retirement town of Shoreham-By-Sea to a Literary Festival in Aberdeen as the body count rises, with the classic ‘gunman rushing into a room’ ruse! The gradual unravelling of the story takes us right up to the end with an ending that is not predictable. Ultimately we care more for the fate of the characters and their complicated relationships and we root for them as the story comes to its conclusion

A feelgood tale that pulls on the authors skill built up from the telling of many stories, and although not a comedy there are certain comedic elements which keep the story light yet compelling.

A stand alone from Elly Griffiths that stands up very well alone and one which I will be recommending highly

Review by Jillian McFrederick

I love Elly Griffiths' books and have read most if not all of them. This is her best yet. Normally I run a mile from 'cosy crime' but if they were all like this I'd be their number one fan. The key to the success of this novel is the characterisation. Harbinder is a brilliant invention, far from the tortured detectives we are used to. She's single, gay and although she's in her thirties she still lives at home. She is witty, acerbic and full of pithy little observations about the world around her especially in relation to race and class. I'd love to see a television serialisation of this series. But the other characters too are brilliant, ex monk Benedict, Ukrainian Nathalka and Edwin an elderly man whose friend Peggy has been murdered. Together they set out to find out who killed her, befriending (sort of) and annoying Harbinder on the way.

The plot is crazy, of course it is. But it's almost irrelevant to the book. It's the characters that you care about and want to spend time with. A lovely read (if you can say that about a book where several people are murdered). I'm off now to scour Amazon to see if there are any of Elly's books I haven't read. Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the arc of this book.

a 3 star read for me as i havent read the first one in the series and was rather confused still read on to finish it though but i really enjoyed it even when i am not familar with the first book but it was a quick read i read fast and it was hooking. None of the less a great book, recommend.

<b>”She didn’t get all that knowledge from her husband. I think she got it from books.”

“You’re right. You can travel the world in books.”</b>

“The postcript murders” was so much fun! After a couple of disappointments on my recent reads I knew this was gonna be a winner for me from page one.

Murder mystery set in the literary world + eclectic and charming cast of characters = 5 ⭐️

In this second instalment in the DS Harbinder Kaur series, our favorite Sikh gay detective makes a come back with a trio of amateur detectives that were a complete delight. There’s Natalka, an Ukrainian refugee working as a carer and cryptocurrency genius. Benedict, an ex-monk turned barista suffering a case of Detective Fever. And Edwin, a 80 yo gay TV producer. They were all very well drawn out and were instantly likable. Also I find DS Kaur character so refreshing, as it’s not the usual tortured detective character. It will be nice to see how her family relationship evolves from now on.

The story managed to grabbed me from page one. As you know I adore mysteries about writers, crime books, the literary world and so on, and this book was a perfect match for me. The story is laced with some humour and that’s always a win. And the “murder consultant” concept was hilarious! I want that job!

I loved how Harbinder didn’t dismiss the trio of amateur detectives, and while she didn’t encourage them to investigate, she listened and respected their findings. The friendship they created was so wonderful! (for all her pretended coldness she sure gets friendly with her suspects! See “The stranger diaries”).

All the different POVs made the story pretty dynamic and when you thought that all was said and done there was a final twist that, truth be told, hurt a little.

Super enjoyable cozy mystery. Can’t wait to see again DS Kaur, and hopefully, her new friends too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book. I’m a huge elly Griffith’s fan and found this book fantastic. I love the fact that there are such a lot of diverse and interesting characters and the plot was brilliant and different. Highly recommended #ThePostscriptMurders #NetGalley

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Postscript Murders, the second novel to feature DS Harbinder Kaur of the Shoreham-on-Sea Police.

When 90 year old Peggy Smith dies there is nothing to suggest anything other than natural causes until her carer, Natalka starts to mull things over, like Peggy was fit and active, she felt she was being followed and she was a murder consultant to various authors. DS Harbinder Kaur is not convinced until Natalka and her friend Benedict are confronted by a mask wearing gunman when clearing out Peggy’s flat.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Postscript Murders which is a fun tale with some unexpected twists. I have not read the previous novel in the series, The Stranger Diaries, so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it’s fun and far more tongue-in-cheek than I’ve seen from Ms Griffiths.

The plot is fairly silly with all sorts of shenanigans hinted at, some more overt than others, like the gun heist where nothing of apparent value is stolen. Its value will only become clear later. It just made me laugh. The novel is set in the literary world, something I know nothing about, but I think the author is indulging in a certain amount of satire when portraying it. The solution is good as the novel had me baffled about both perpetrator and motive and seems apt for the setting.

I do not, however, read Ms Griffiths’ fiction for the plots as they can be rather hit or miss, but for the warm atmosphere she creates in her novels. This is no different and I felt invited in and welcomed from the first page. The novel is told from various points of view, Harbinder and her cool reason, Natalka and her impetuous enthusiasm, Benedict and his well read diffidence and finally Peggy’s elderly neighbour, Edwin and his intact lust for life. It should be distracting with all these voices clamouring for attention but, instead, it adds to the zest of the novel with each character contributing in their own way.

The Postscript Murders is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I was keen to read this book as I have read nearly all of Elly Griffiths books. I was not disappointed at all. The book starts with a death, not suspicious at first. The person who died was 90 year old Peggy Smith. Peggy was a very observant lady who noticed everything and everyone, she was also the person used by local authors to help them with murders in their books. They thanked her by giving her a postscript in their books.
Her carer, Natalka, one of Peggy's neighbours, Edwin and Benedict, who runs the local coffee shack, team up to solve the mystery in conjunction with DS Kaur from the local police.
There is a en element of humor running through the book and it doesn't take itself too seriously, which I really liked. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the interest up, the action moves from Shoreham to a book festival in Aberdeen, the descriptions of that made me laugh out loud as it struck me as very funny.
This is a nice departure from the Ruth Galloway and Max Memphisto books.

I am a big fan of Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway series and I enjoyed the previous stand alone Elly has written. So I was very excited to read this new novel. It didn’t disappoint. It has the same detective in as the other stand alone so I am hoping this is the start of a new series. It was a really good book full of characters that draw you in, along with a really good mystery that will keep you gripped. I highly recommend this book for fans of the crime genre - especially people who don’t like descriptions of gruesome murders as this book stays clear of those.

If I was aware of the ‘cosy crime’ genre, and that this book apparently fits into said genre, I might have had different perceptions going into Elly Griffiths second Harbinder Kaur novel. ‘Cosy it may be’, entertaining and fun it definitely is.

What really makes this book noteworthy is the assortment of unique and diverse characters we are treated to. 90 year old spies, a not so traditional Indian DS’s, a worldly Ukranian beauty, an ex-monk, and an eclectic bowtie wielding retired BBC producer. Could you ask for a better cast?

All in all this was another enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for a review copy.

Well it may be a usual offering from Elly but it’s still blooming marvellous. I can get in to her characters so easily. I love them, feel sorry for them, everything. It kept me guessing all the way through. But at the end I thought it was going to end with them all getting bumped off in Peggy’s flat. But then we wouldn’t have been able to have a second book, would we? I loved it and Elly certainly hasn’t disappointed! More please, more!

Wow, this novel was a slight diversion from Elly Griffiths usual novels. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked it as much as her other novels. But very quickly as the main protagonists in this story develop and the plot thickens, I could not put it down. I immediately warmed to the characters in this book. What an exciting ride it was. Who was or were the villain(s), why were the murders happening, what had it all to do with an older lady called Peggy Smith, who lived in a home called Seaview. Court. Why was she referred to as the Murder Consultant and why did she have an investigation book disguised as A Seaside Lady’s Diary and what did she see out of her bay window. Peggy was know by many who delighted in her tales of Espionage, Russia and Murder. Among her friends were, Natalka, the beautiful mysterious Ukrainian Carer, Benedict, the ex monk and now the owner of the Shack a coffee shop near Seaview Court, where Peggy and her friends meet each day for a good coffee and a chat. Edwin, Peggy’s neighbour and good friend as well Benedict’s best customer. These friends are soon to be mixed up in a murder mystery which they plan to solve with the help of DS Harbinder Kaur.. And what it has to do with Crime Novels.
This is a really fun read. I hope there will be others to follow including DS Harbinder Kaur and her new friends.

This is another stand-alone from Elly and it is a crime fiction readers’ joy – there are plenty of in-jokes and quips that loyal crime readers will recognise.

What Elly does so well, in all her books, is to bring you characters that you would get along with. Her series protagonists, Ruth Galloway, Harry Nelson, Max Mephisto, Edgar Stevens, and now Harbinder Kaur -are all people that you feel you could be friends with (yes, even Nelson!).

In this book, Harbinder, who we met in last year’s stand-alone, ’The Stranger Diaries,’ inadvertently acquires a gang of helpers; Care worker Natalka (beautiful, intelligent and Ukrainian), coffee shop owner Benedict (insecure ex monk) and Edwin (Octogenarian ex BBC producer).

This group, acquaintances at first, grow together as a clique, looking into the death of Natalka’s client, Peggy Smith, a ninety-year-old resident of Seaview Court (where Edwin also lives). Peggy helped crime writers with their plots, and was a self-styled ‘murder consultant’.

Was Peggy’s death natural causes or was there more to it?
When local crime writer Dex Challoner is shot, just hours after having a drink with the gang and Harbinder following a book talk, the plot thickens.

We then follow the group up to Aberdeen, to a crime writing festival, and back down to Shoreham-on-Sea.
There are various characters that pop up in the book, including agents and publishers, other writers and family members, and there are enough subplots to keep the book moving along, for example, Natalka has fears that she is being followed by some Ukrainian mafia types, and there is the subtle blossoming of romance.

As they say -crime writing can be deadly!

Having read several of Elly Griffiths' series of the Ruth Galloway mysteries, I was rather disappointed at first by the lighter, cosy-crime style of the writing of this book. However, I stuck with it until I became interested in the characters and their particular stories, all highly implausible but engaging nevertheless. By the end I was keen to know how the stories would pan out, which I consider a success, particularly in these fraught, troubled times. An enjoyable, if lightweight, diversion and well worth the time invested in it.

I have previously read a number of Elly Griffiths' books but had not read a Harbinder Kaur novel. What a lovely surprise: a golden age-style murder mystery, full of sweet characters and without any sex, blood or gore. All those things have their place but right now the 'cosy crime' tone of this was perfect.

The death of 90 year old Peggy Smith seems innocuous enough until her carer, Natalka, voices her suspicions. Queue an oddball group of amateur sleuths, including a retired octogenarian BBC presenter, a former monk cum cafe owner and an actual detective, Harbinder Kaur, investigating.

This feels like a very different type of book to the Ruth Galloway novels but has a great deal of charm, gentle humour and a warmth I have often found slightly missing in the other series. I’ll definitely look out for more of the Harbinder Kaur books.

With thanks to NetGalley, Elly Griffiths and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A nice, easy, escapist read. I love a 'cosy crime' as is described in this book, and this was a nice casual read. I enjoyed the mixture of characters, and I was kept guessing until the end.