Elly Griffiths did it again! I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book, the second in her Harbinder Kaur series. Loved hearing the story from different characters' points of view. The humor interspersed throughout was great. (Picturing her partner as a squirrel - ha!) I highly recommend this series, this author. 5 stars.

Excellent story with relatable protagonist. Lots of humor and some pathos round out the mystery. Great fun!

I enjoyed The Stranger Diaries and I loved the character of Inspector Harbinder Kaur. I was so happy to know that she's back in The Postscript Murders. The book is about a sweet old lady named Peggy who lives in a retirement community. She is found dead in her apartment and it's put down to natural causes. However her friends Edwin, another retiree, Benedict an ex-monk who now owns a coffee shop at the beach and Natalka her care giver suspect something's up. They find out that Peggy who's a great reader of Crime Fiction novels and has a huge collection of them has been personally thanked by the authors in all of them. She has a business card and calls herself a murder consultant. Then while they are clearing up Peggy's books a masked gunman comes in and steals a book. What's going on? Natalka asks Kaur for help. While Kaur starts he investigation a bestselling author who thanks Peggy in all his books is found murdered. Peggy's friends decide they are going to help with the investigation. This book is told from the perspective of Kaur, Natalka, Benedict and Edwin. I enjoyed the mystery and I loved the characters. This was such a good read. Thank you #NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Elly Griffiths has written a lovely murder mystery about an old lady, Peggy, who has helped mystery writers due to her ability to be a bit like Miss Marple. She is found dead by her carer, Natalka from Ukraine, who suspects foul play. Is it murder or natural causes? Thus begins the journey to figure out what has happened and why.

The characters are somewhat developed, but sometimes an important detail is introduced that seems to come out of nowhere. The plot was pretty straightforward. There were a few twists in the case as the main characters investigate and more murders pop up.

I reserve 5 stars for truly exceptional books. This book was enjoyable but not truly at the top, therefore 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. It is still worthwhile if you want a mystery and some different characters from most of the cozy mystery books out there. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I wanted so very much to love this book. The premise, the characters seemed like the perfect mystery, I hadn't read the first Harbinder book, but thought this would be up my alley, and yet I just couldn't connect to any of the characters or the mystery. Really bummed about this one.

The popularity and appeal of the older, wizened female sleuths or mystery solving figures has always been a much-loved part of the genre. Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple was my first favorite amateur detective. Murder She Wrote continued giving credence to the reliability of the older woman sleuth in its lead role, Jessica Fletcher. Most recently, Richard Osman’s book The Thursday Murder Club centers around a group of septuagenarian sleuths, equal parts women and men, who are up to the task of resolving the question of whodunnit. And, now one of my favorite contemporary authors, Elly Griffiths, gives us the character of Peggy Smith, who is known as the “murder consultant” by authors who are having plot problems. It’s a unique twist though, because the aged murder expert has herself been murdered, and the plot leading up to it must be discovered. It is up to her Shoreham-by-Sea friends, who include 80 year old Edwin, Peggy’s care worker Natalka, and coffee shack owner Benedict to piece together what they realize is anything but a natural death. Finding a postcard in Peggy’s desk with the threatening message of “We are coming for you” seals the deal for the friends in determining that it’s murder that has brought about Peggy’s demise.

The Postscript Murders opens to Nancy writing in her observation journal with what she is seeing one day out of her seaside view window. There are two men she is watching who seem to be out of place in the neighborhood. Nancy lives in a retirement home, Seaview, but she’s still as sharp as ever, even at 90. However, she has reached the point in life where she must have a care worker come in and do certain basic services for her. When the care worker Natalka arrives for her afternoon duties on this particular day, she finds Nancy sitting in her chair by the window dead. Nothing seems out of place, and Natalka calls her supervisor to report the death, thinking the death was just a case of Peggy’s advanced age. Then, Natalka begins to look around. Finding the postcard with the sinister message and encountering a masked gunman when she and Benedict are sorting through Peggy’s books puts a whole new spin on the murder consultant’s death.

DS Harbinder Kaur, last seen in The Stranger Diaries, returns in The Postscript Murders to the delight of Elly Griffiths’ readers. Although in her thirties, Harbinder still lives with her parents, but readers get a closer look in this book at the dynamics of the Kaur family, showing how it’s possible for this arrangement to work well for everyone. Natalka takes her suspicions about Peggy’s death to the Detective Sergeant, and it isn’t long until Harbinder is investigating what really brough about the elderly woman’s death. When one of the authors Peggy helped is also found dead, of a gun shot, the group of friends is off running, as far as to Aberdeen to a Literary Festival, to find answers. Harbinder, while working with Peggy’s friends, is trying to keep police procedure at the forefront of her investigation. The friends, not so much.

The story is told from the multiple viewpoints of Harbinder, Natalka, Edwin, and Benedict. Elly Griffiths is brilliant at character development, and we come to know these characters through their separate narrations. It seems Natalka has the most secrets in the group, but she has some rather stiff (ouch) competition from the dead Peggy. And, although murder is a serious business, there is humor in the telling, too, especially with parts dealing with Harbinder’s family and her police partner Neil, whom Harbinder often compares to a squirrel. Readers can always count on Elly Griffiths to provide the most interesting characters, ones to want to keep learning about. And while the characters do drive this story, the mystery itself is always at the center of the action.

With this second book featuring Harbinder Kaur, we know have been gifted with three separate series from Elly Griffiths. Her first series, the Ruth Galloway, has a special place in my reading heart, and her Stephens and Mephisto series never fails to intrigue me. Of course, this prolific author even has a children’s series, too. Justice Jones has two books so far, and I am absolutely charmed by it. The Postscript Murders has solidified the Harbinder Kaur series as another one to mark on your calendars for a yearly delight.

Thanks to Quercus and Net Galley for an advanced copy of The Postscript Murders.

The author does a great job in delivering a multi-dimensional and a well-scripted novel with a quirky cast of characters in a complex web of murder and mayhem with a side of amusement that kept this reader truly invested in the outcome of this drama. The elements necessary to tell this story is explored by the four main characters and it is their breadth of information that pulls everything together creating a bonafide story that mystery lovers will embrace. I enjoyed how the author staged this tale with a few twists and turns that when I thought I had a handle on who was doing what to whom, she changed direction that made me see another path all to the betterment of how well this story was being told. With visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue, it gave way to making me feel like I was in the middle of all the action rooting the team along and as the story moved forward the pacing quickened, and I couldn’t put the book down until the last page was read. Bravo. An excellent story.

** spoiler alert ** I got a free copy from #NetGalley. I read the first book (Stranger Diaries), but there is no need to read the previous book, there's some cameos from the first book, but there's no overall storyline that connects the two books. I liked this book MORE than Stranger Diaries. I like the switching of the different protagonists and it was easier to follow, compared to the first book. I like that Harbinder Kaur was the main protagonist, I really like her.
There is not blood or gore and the mystery is a "mystery" (was there a murder?). I like the mix of professionals (law enforcement) and amateur investigators. I recommend this "cosy mystery." I will enjoy this book for many re-reads! #StrangerDiaries #EllyGriffiths

After enjoying this cozy mystery I'm ready to go back and read the first in this series (The Stranger Diaries) by Elly Griffiths. I don't usually like to read cozy mysteries but this one has such a good mix of characters, some of whom seem to have their own personal mysteries that need solving, so there wasn't a time when I began to glance down to the corner of the page to see if I was getting close to the 100% mark. The plot is well presented, the descriptions of the landscape during a road trip to Scotland were very interesting and helped me visualize what was passing by outside the car windows. DS Harbinder Kaur has her hands full retaining control of the investigation of the death of Peggy Smith when Peggy's friends band together to try to find out if her death was really from natural causes. Before the criminal is caught there are Ukranian mobsters, authors, publishers, and ex-monk and other interesting characters who have a part in this story. I found it quite entertaining. I have read other novels written by Elly Griffiths and am always impressed with how different she can make each of her series books feel. She has a real talent for establishing specific characters and atmospheres within each series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an e-galley of this novel.

With a ton of dry humor, Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur is hot on the tracks of a murderer. Well, if truth be told she is not altogether sure if it is a murder. However, the victim’s caretaker and newbie-wannabe detective Natalka along with her compatriots Edwin, and Bennie are convinced that foul play is afoot. Off they go to a literary gathering in Scotland to detect and question anyone and everyone. So much unscripted silliness and foolish behavior. Somehow it worked even if it was just a wee bit simple. The greatest disappointment was the most interesting character is dead.

Having read many of the “Ruth Galloway” installments this book took me by surprise. There was a lightness and tongue-in-cheek humor that helped to differentiate the style allowing me to focus on the characters in The Postscript Murders rather than drawing comparisons.

I am rounding up for the wit, spirit of the characters and tidy resolution of intersecting “stuff”. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy.

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.

Didn't care for the characters. Flat writing. Very odd to suffer through four or five or six fake-out endings before the real solution, which seemed to come from thin air. Not a fan.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

As a devoted fan of author Elly Griffiths, I was very excited for book 2 of the Harbinder Kaur series. When Natalka, home care worker, finds her 90 year old patient dead, the last thing she expected was to get dragged into a murder mystery. Did Peggy have a heart attack, or was she murdered? DS Kaur is back on the case, this time with a unlikely trio determined to help her solve the mystery of Peggy's death. Natalka, along with Peggy's 80 year old neighbor Edwin, and the local cafe owner Benedict are soon teamed up to find out what really happened to Peggy. Murder seems to be following them everywhere as the story develops.

This book will work as a stand-alone story if you haven't read the first one, but I highly suggest starting back at the beginning with book 1 (The Stranger Diaries).

I wasn’t a fan of the first book in this series, but still wanted to give this a chance. Unfortunately I don’t think I personally jive with Ms. Griffiths.

I am a big fan of Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series and will now be a fan of the DI Harbinder Kaur series. The Postscript Murders introduced a totally different environment with fascinating characters and contemporary issues.

I enjoyed "The Stranger Diaries" and love the Ruth Galloway series. And even though the idea of mixing authors, their books and cozy crime is appealing, there was just too much going on in this story. The characters were quaint, but the plot was too unbelievable, and too many subplots.

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths is an intriguing mystery involving fascinating characters of all ages and lifestyles. I especially enjoyed the antics of amateur sleuths Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin and the plot involving authors and books. Many twists and turns keep you reading to the end.

I loved this book! Peggy Smith is ninety years old. She lives in elderly housing, and has a view of the streets and the seaside. Her caretaker, Natalka finds her dead in her chair by the window, with binoculars and a business card with "Mrs. Smith Murder Consultant". Her apartment is filled with mystery books. Natalka goes to DS Harbinder Kaur a couple of days later. Peggy's son has asked Natalka to pack everything of Peggy's into boxes, beginning with the books. All the books are about murder, and they are all dedicated to Peggy or have acknowledgements to her. It appears that Peggy has been advising authors, including well known local author Dex Challoner, on how to do murders.

The Doctor said it was a heart attack, but Natalka knew Peggy was in good shape and wasn't sure. Peggy's neighbor, Edwin, is also concerned; he has found a postcard with "We are coming for you" in one of Challoner's books which Peggy loaned him. He talks to his friend, former monk Benedict (Benny), at his coffee shack. Natalka goes to the the coffee shack and suggests that she and Benny find the murderer. At the funeral, Harbinder agrees to talk with Benny and Natalka, and then Edwin joins them. Natalka and Benny go to Peggy's apartment to look around, and an armed man bursts in and takes a book - an older book called Thank Heaven Fasting by a relatively unknown writer Sheila Atkins. Then, Dex Challoner is found dead from a shot to his head. Now Harbinder has a real murder to solve.

When Benny, Natalka and Edwin find out another author, Julie Monroe has received has received a postcard like Edwin had found. She is going to a conference in Aberdeen, and the three decide they need to go to Aberdeen to talk with her. After another author who had received the postcard is killed in Aberdeen, the Aberdeen policeman, who worked with Harbinder previously, calls her to come help. Not to give away anything, I'll stop here only to say the end is great and of course there is a surprise!

I wanted to read this as I enjoy books with a story connected to the publishing world. Having never read Elly Griffiths before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I am happy to say that I have found a new mystery author whose books I will now seek out! Not only are the characters a bit quirky, which I love, but she writes with a dry humor that I really appreciate. Each of the principals is so well developed I felt like I knew them all -- even the deceased Peggy whose death brings them all together. With a tightly plotted mystery and a satisfying ending, The Postscript Murders is a winner.

I love books about books, and although the books discussed in this mystery aren’t real, I still enjoyed this very much. Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors, because she creates realistic, flawed characters that I would love to meet in real life. She seamlessly weaves each character’s background into the story, no matter how small a role that character might play in the story. The pacing is perfect, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.