This past summer, I binged the first half of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. When I got the opportunity to read her new mystery, I jumped at the chance. While this is not part of the Ruth Galloway series, it has all the trademarks of Griffiths' other books--quirky characters, a British setting, and an entertaining puzzle.

After ninety-year-old Peggy Smith passes away, her Ukrainian caretaker Natalka discovers a series of crime novels in Peggy's library--and all of them contain a message to Peggy in the acknowledgments. Soon it's revealed that Peggy was a "murder consultant" to a group of mystery writers. And one of them may have killed her.

This book will appeal to murder aficionados, especially those who enjoy Golden Age mysteries. There are many references to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and many other famous writers, as well as some fictional authors. The cast of characters includes the mysterious Natalka; an elderly gay radio host, a former monk, and a lesbian Sikh detective (who was apparently introduced in one of Griffiths' earlier mysteries, which I must now add to be TBR list). The interactions with these characters was my favorite part of the book.

I highly recommend this book to mystery lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Postscript Murders.

The second book in the DS Kaur series was more of a cozy mystery than I expected, and though I've read some cozy mysteries, they're not my favorite genre, yet I enjoyed The Postscript Murders.

When an elderly woman dies, her carer suspects murder and enlists the help of DS Kaur. When mystery novelists start dying, Kaur realizes this case is more complex than she expected.

The carer, along with two neighborhood men, play Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys and the narrative switches from their POVs to Kaur. Generally, I'm not a fan of multiple POVs, but the author made it work here.

The congenial atmosphere and bond forged by budding friendships made the tone of the narrative engaging and interesting.

In my opinion, the premise of the mystery is weak; the carer suspects murder because of a business card.

There's a lot going on here; subplots on book publishing, writing, healthcare, Russians, spy games, a missing brother, and the narrative got a bit confusing with all these threads running through it. And a bit hard to suspend disbelief a few times.

The ending is satisfying, though the way Kaur figures everything out is a stretch, and the clues not solid, kind of silly, really. A suspect is discovered because he/she is caught on CCTV holding a gun out in open public?!?

The Postscript Murders is less about the mystery and more about friendships and how we move on with our life after the death of a woman who touched so many lives.

Elly Griffiths does it again! She has an amazing gift for creating a diverse and interesting cast of characters that weave around a complex mystery - you get addicted from page one. I follow the Ruth Galloway and Magic Men series and it's always a nice change to have a good stand alone. You will feel like you know everyone in the book and will miss them when you finish!

I am not so sure that she was meant to become the break out character of author Elly Griffiths' exceptional modern gothic The Stranger Diaries, but Harbinder Kaur made a memorable debut in that much honored book from 2018--female, Sikh, lesbian, living at home with her parents, and a detective of rare and keen insight.

Harbinder's investigation into multiple deaths in the world of publishing is supported by an unlikely trio of misfits--a mysterious Ukrainian young woman who suspects the death of her 90-year-old employer was not from natural causes, a ex-monk turned barista, and an elderly gay broadcaster who had been friends with the deceased--a group who seems likely to turn up in sequels.

Griffiths' insider knowledge of the world of writers and publishing are on full display here and adds depth to this twisty mystery.

A real reader's delight.

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I love that DS Harbinder Kaur did not leave us after her wonderful debut in The Stranger Diaries. Ms Griffiths has given us another wonderful story with Harbinder and many new quirky friends. The characters are so fun to read.

Peggy is 90 and living at a nice seaside retirement village. She sits at the window and observes life while making notes. When she is found dead by her daily care help, Natalka, the police are called. Although it is ruled accidental, Natalka feels that something more sinister has occurred. Enter Peggy’s friends Edwin and local coffee shop owner Benedict. They join Harbinder to do some amateur sleuthing. Another death of a famous author seems to prove that more is happening here.

Traveling from Shoreham to Aberdeen, the friends attend an author’s festival where they find themselves embroiled with the police yet again. There were so many surprises right up to the end. Very enjoyable!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Ms Griffiths, and Quercus books for an ARC to review.

This is not what I was expecting. Definitely more of a cozy mystery than anything else. Even though this features the detective from The Stranger Diaries, you don't need to read that book in order to enjoy this one. After the death of her elderly client, carer Natalka goes to the police because she feels she didn't die of natural causes. Detective Harbinder Kaur becomes interested and sets out to find out some answers. From there we start to get a few pov's: Harbinder, Natalka, an elderly neighbor,and a coffee shack owner. They all come together to solve this mystery. Some things were okay about this story but others I could have done without. I didn't enjoy the multiple pov's in this book, some aspects of the storyline were somewhat unnecessary, and this almost seemed like a farce. Overall, this was just ok. Nothing stood out for me and I'm not sure I would continue reading if there were more books featuring Harbinder.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another engaging mystery from Griffiths with new characters I hope will stick around.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

336 pages

5 stars

Natalka is the caretaker who discovers ninety-year-old Peggy Smith’s corpse. She believes that Peggy’s death is suspicious. She goes to the police station and talks to DS Harbinder Kaur. Natalka's friends Benedict and Edwin are helping with her “investigation.”

When Natalka and friend Benedict are confronted in Peggy’s flat by a man with a gun, Harbinder and DS Neil Winston respond. Maybe there is something to Natalka's suspicions after all. When another author gets killed, the tension increases. DS's Kaur and Winston are looking at that murder, too.

Peggy received a threatening note, as did the second person murdered. The murders that follow are the same.

At the same time, Natalka is sure she is being followed. She becomes afraid for something she did while she was home in the Ukraine.

The identity of the killers come out of left field. I had not considered them at all, even after Benedict found the holy card in the book. I didn't pick out the clues – whoops...

There are a host of colorful and somewhat strange authors in this book. I found I didn't like many of them. Odd. I was glad to see that DS Neil Winston is coming along fine and I like the “little furry creature” thoughts that Harbinder has while thinking of him. It is an interesting and humorous aside. I really like Benedict and was rooting for him all the way. This book is so very well written and plotted as are all of Ms. Griffiths' novels. I especially appreciated the way that Ms. Griffiths revisited all the principals at the end of the book to tie up loose ends – just as Peggy would have wanted. I truly enjoyed reading it and look very much forward to reading more of her work.

I want to thank NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review Postscript Murders.

In her old age Peggy looks out het seaside window and keeps a log of everything that happens. She later uses this information to aid writers in crafting their plots, especially identifying how people can be murdered. She has business cards that show her title as ‘Murder Consultant’. Then, her care attendant finds her sitting in her chair facing the window, but she is dead, seemingly from heart failure. A team of friends, her carer Natalka, a neighbor Edwin, and the owner of the seaside coffee shack Benedict, cannot believe that Peggy’s death was from natural causes. After Natalka contacts DS Kaur, some clues are found that there is more to the story. When writers who used Peggy’s services are killed, the investigation ramps up. When the three friends go on the road to Scotland to interview other authors, more incidents bring DS Kaur there as a consulting police presence.

Just when the cases seem to be solved, the conclusion of the story finds DS Kaur’s family being threatened. This is another well-written murder mystery by author Elly Griffiths .

This is a fun stand-alone novel from the author of the excellent Ruth Galloway and Magic Men series. This one is lighter, and is a literary mystery that has some fun satirizing being authors and publishers. It also has a fine set of characters, led by DS Harbinder Kaur who is approached by three people concerned that the death of a ninety year old woman was actually murder. The characters come together nicely, and all grow as the story progresses. While not as deep and nuanced as the Ruth Galloway series, this is a good, enjoyable. DS Kaur and her friends should return.

This is a cosy simplistic ( thriller) I’m a fan of this author so was pleased to be given the chance to read a new book by her! I enjoyed it, but didn’t have me gripped like her others... Some lovely characters and twists, which did keep me guessing!

When I finished my review of The Stranger Diaries, I added, "The book is a stand-alone, but I'd like to see Elly Griffiths continue this Gothic mystery style or at least give DS Harbinder Kaur another case."

Happily, I got the second part because The Postscript Murders is Harbinder Kaur #2. But the book isn't Gothic at all, it's a cozy. I'm not especially fond of the cozy genre, but I found The Postscript Murders delightful!

A cast of characters you'll fall in love with, crime writers who acknowledge the contributions of a ninety-year-old "murder consultant" (with cards to prove it), murders, a literary festival in Aberdeen, and the inimitable Sikh DS Harbinder Kaur.

In conclusion, this time I want more Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin.

Read in September. Blog review scheduled for Feb. 15, 2021

NetGalley/Houghton-Mifflin
Cozy Mystery. March 2, 2021. Print length: 368 pages.

Elly Griffiths is one of my all-time favorite authors. I was so excited to get the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of her latest stand-alone book, The Postscript Murders. As typical when reading her books, I LOVED the book and read it in a day. I always try to savor reading her books, but I end up getting completely absorbed in the mystery and find myself unable to put the book down. I felt that the book is a very clever mystery with a great, well-developed cast of characters and an intriguing plot. I enjoyed the insights about the lives of authors and their dealings with the publishing industry. I was happy to see the return of Detective Harbinder Kaur from The Stranger Diaries. Here's hoping to see her in future books. I highly recommend this book and am already anticipating the next book!

I would like to thank Elly Griffiths, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“‘Of course, plot is overrated,’ says Lance. ‘I try to get beyond describing what happens next.’
Edwin reminds himself never to read Lance’s book.”

The Post Script Murders is the second book by British author, Elly Griffiths, to feature DS Harbinder Kaur. When Natalka Kolisnyk finds one of her elderly clients dead in her home, she quickly begins to suspect that Peggy Smith, a fit and lively ninety-year-old, did not die of natural causes. Peggy’s near neighbour in Seaview Court, Edwin Fitzgerald agrees, and their beachside barista at The Shack, Benedict Cole, doesn’t take long to convince: both men recall Peggy’s mention of feeling she was being watched.

At Nigel Smith’s direction, Natalka begins packing up his mother’s books, and notes most have either a dedication: “To Peggy, Without whom…”; or mention her in their acknowledgements: “Thanks for the murders.” But the uncorrected proof that Edwin takes as a memento, Dex Challoner’s new book, has a postcard slipped between the pages “We are coming for you”. Sounds ominous…

Natalka takes her suspicion to DS Harbinder Kaur, who is willing to consider her concerns, moreso when a masked individual takes a book from Peggy’s flat at gunpoint. But she’s less than impressed when, after a popular author is murdered, this amateur detective trio treks to Aberdeen to warn other potential victims at a writers’ festival. Are they dealing with Ukrainian assassins? Polish spies? Plagiarising writers? Thieving descendants?

As well as her gay detective of south Asian extraction, and several crime writers, Griffiths populates this novel with a cast of quirky characters: a Ukrainian carer with cryptocurrency expertise, an ancient TV producer and an ex-monk-turned-coffee-shop-owner, all determined to solve the murder of the woman described as having “the soul of a killer hidden in the body of a sweet old lady.” Oh, and a few more murders that occur along the way.

As always, Griffiths captures her settings with ease, manages to insert plenty of black humour, and her plot is clever: there are red herrings and not a few surprises, and even the most astute reader is likely to be kept guessing until the final chapters. This is another entertaining dose of British crime fiction and more of Harbinder Kaur will definitely be welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and the publishers.

Terrific mystery with very distinct and enjoyable characters., particularly the lead detective. A complex mystery with a sense of humor, I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day!

Elly Griffiths certainly works magic with words!

Peggy, 90 years old, likes to watch and analyze people she sees from her seaside window, the perfect vantage point. When carer Natalka discovers her dead, she is surprised and horrified, especially when she finds mysterious book dedications inside books by various authors to Peggy. Surely there is something unnatural about it. Natalka and friends Edwin and Bernie enlist the help of Detective Kaur and find themselves enmeshed in a plethora of puzzles and adventures. This unlikely team of four combine their unique skills and personalities, sometimes getting on each other's nerves, to navigate quirky crimes.

This book is good. Really good. My favourite aspects were the murder consultant idea, wit, people-watching notes, writing and publishing information, band of friends' sleuthing and unique unpredictable crimes/resolutions.

Expect the unexpected by this author, a great place to be as a mystery reader. Hunker down!

My sincere thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this delightful book. Much appreciated.

A thoroughly entertains mystery. Some humor, a cast of unlikely individuals who ban together to solve the murders of mystery authors. It was a mystery that made you laugh-just right for these tumultuous times.

Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of her latest stand-alone book, The Postscript Murders. As always, I loved the book and flew through it within 24 hours. Even though I wanted to savor reading it, I was completely absorbed in the mystery and had to race to see what would happen. I'm tempted to re-read it right away to focus more on the parts about the publishing industry which are probably about the author's own experiences to some extent.

I found the book to be a clever mystery with a great cast of characters and a unique premise. As a bonus, I appreciated the insights about the lives of authors and the publishing industry. I was happy to see the detective from The Stranger Diaries and hope she'll be included in future books. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next.

A cosy mystery that discusses other cosy mysteries. The characters were well written and I appreciated that all of the loose ends were tied up at the end.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a very enjoyable read, with likeable characters, although the plot doesn't bear examining in any detail. There is a huge discrepancy between the blurb and what one of the characters says on the one hand (that the author of the book stolen by the gunman was then murdered) and what actually happens (the author of the book was some one completely different) which is confusing. The motive for the theft of the book is illogical, its effects counterproductive, and why steal it just when there happen to be people in the flat?

Anyway, a fun read if you just go along for the ride.