I have only read the three books in Griffith’s Harbinder Kaur series but each one has been truly excellent. The Stranger Diaries remains my favorite but Kaur is a truly unique character I genuinely love reading about and Griffiths’ prose and plotting make her an excellent mystery writer. I loved the use of both past and present chapters detailing the high school students’ lives and relationships- it invested me in the characters and in the victim. Griffiths skillfully paves the unraveling of why committed the murder and why. And of course, we get the tiniest glimpses into Harbinder’s life although I always want to know much more about her! Highly recommend this book and the entire series!

During a school reunion, prominent politician Garfield Rice is found dead in the boys toilets, apparently from a drug overdose. However, it soon becomes apparent that he has been murdered, and the case is handed to Inspector Harbinder Kaur – her first case since taking a promoted post in West London. Coincidentally one of the other people at the reunion is Cassie Fitzgerald, a member of Harbinder’s new team, and Cassie has a secret. Back when she was a pupil at prestigious Manor Park school, a boy died. It was listed as a tragic accident, but Cassie knows the truth – that she killed him. Now it looks to her as if Garfield’s death might have something to do with that earlier death, and she has to decide how much she’s going to tell Harbinder…

Expectations can be a real pain sometimes. The first two books in this series were so original and excellent that I had extremely high hopes for this one. This meant that, though this is a perfectly acceptable cross between a police procedural and a psychological thriller, my main reaction to it was disappointment. That may also be to do with the fact that it’s the third book I’ve read this year where the current crime arises out of a dark secret surrounding something that a tight-knit and elite group of pupils did at school.

Harbinder has moved away from her parents’ home at last and is sharing a flat with two other women. She’s both happy and a little nervous about her new job and her new life. She’s loving being in London but is homesick for her family and friends back home. Griffiths handles all this well, without over-dramatising it. Harbinder remains just as likeable in the previous books, but, again, since so many crime series are set in London I feel the South Coast setting of the earlier books in the series gave them an element of uniqueness which is missing from this one. However, she uses her London setting well, especially the deliciously-named Bleeding Heart Yard – a real place, mentioned also in Dickens’ Little Dorrit – and the legends surrounding its name.

We see the action from three main perspectives – a third person present-tense account from Harbinder’s view, and two first-person past-tense narrators. Cassie is one of those, and the other is Anna, another of the pupils/reunioners. I found their voices indistinguishable, though fortunately each chapter is headed with the name of the character whose perspective it’s from. All the tense and viewpoint jumping is of course obligatory in modern crime, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.

The plot is quite enjoyable although it strays well past the credibility line on more than one occasion. Without wishing to veer into spoiler territory, there is one point where Harbinder steps so far over the line of how anyone, especially a senior police officer, would react on being told of a serious crime that my jaw dropped. I actually guessed whodunit and why about halfway through, which is rare for me, but I think it was luck rather than it being too obvious. The thriller-ish ending is entertaining despite the total lack of credibility.

Oh dear, this is one of those occasions when my review has turned out more critical than I intended. I did find this an enjoyable read, despite all of the above. The pacing is good and keeps the reader turning the pages, and there’s a good deal of humour, especially around Harbinder getting to know her new colleagues and flatmates. She begins to settle in to her London life, and we see signs of her developing new friendships and possibly even a romance, but she still goes home for visits so the reader is kept up to date with her family and older friends from the previous books. Had this been the first book in the series I’d probably be praising it more highly, but it simply didn’t wow me the way the first two did. I’ll still be eager to see where Griffiths goes with the series in future books though.

A change of pace and theme from Elly Griffiths - and its fabulous!

In Bleeding Heart Yard, a group of old school friends get together for another school reunion. They were the cool gang at school, opinionated, goodlooking, charismatic- and they've taken this into adult life, with the group now comprising of two MPs, a famous actor, a pop star as well as other less public professions. They may not have seen each for years, but they are all keen to see one another and catch up.
At the reunion, one of their number is found dead with signs of drug on them, but the police investigation throws up more questions. There's a story from their past that haunts them all too, how are the two timelines aligned?

I didnt realise that this is the third novel with DS Harbinder Kaur - excellent news for me as I am going to go and get the others immediately!

Elly Griffiths is one of those authors that you can relax into, knowing that the story will be strong and carry you along - and I was enthralled by Bleeding Heart Yard, my brain struggling to keep up with all of the plot twists that sprung out, I didnt know if I was coming or going, just how I like my crime fiction!

Excellent reading, thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for the chance to read the ARC.

I am a huge fan of Elly Griffiths’s novels, especially the Dr. Ruth Galloway series, but in the last couple of years I have also been really enjoying the Harbinder Kaur series. Bleeding Heart Yard is the third novel in the series and it’s as much gripping and suspenseful as the previous ones.

The protagonist is former DS Harbinder Kaur, now a DI in London Met and sharing a flat with two other women. She is called to Manor Park School where a school reunion as turned into a murder. The victim is a Conservative MP, Garfield Rice, and the cast of suspects include a famous actress, a rockstar, another politician, an aspiring author, the headmaster of the school, and one of the DS in Harbinder’s own team. Why them? The suspects and the victim were all part of what was known as the Group back in school, the golden kids everyone envied. As the investigation progresses, Harbinder starts to suspect that Garfield’s death is somehow connected to the death of another Manor Park student twenty-one years earlier. Back then, the police thought that his death was a drug-related accident, but then why everyone keeps bringing it up? And when another member of the Group is found murdered, Harbinder needs to find the killer before he kills again.

As in the previous novels, the story is told from different perspectives, all intriguing and interesting, but my favorite was Harbinder’s point of view because I have come to really like this character. She is smart and witty and, even though most of the plot focuses on the investigation, the author also gives us a glimpse into her new life in London as she tries to adapt not only to her new job and her new colleagues, but also to co-habitation with two women.

The plot is so well-developed and so full of twists that you never know what’s coming next. I loved how it all wrapped-up, not only with the investigation and the solution of the case, but also in Harbinder’s personal life and I am already looking forward to reading more about it in the next book!

Elly Griffiths writes lots of great crime books - but I do have the softest spot for this series which features DI Harbinder Kaur.

In this book - the third in the series - Detective Kaur has moved to London and is finding her feet with new flatmates, colleagues and city crime. When a school reunion ends in a suspicious death, DI Kaur and her team find themselves investigating some high-profile school alumnae and links to a murder many years previously. Their work is hindered by the fact that one of their team - DS Caitlin Fitzgerald - is one of the suspects...

As with all Griffiths' books, the plotting is clever and the denouement unexpected - I was so cross with myself that I couldn't identify the culprit at all from a relatively small field of school friends. I liked the fact that the narration shifts between characters; I particularly loved Anna's story which was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for her (and me!), plus it was a brave choice to give us access to Caitlin's thoughts as the first thing she tells us is that she is a murderer (no spoilers here - this is literally in the opening lines!) The only issue I had is that this sometimes confused the timeline slightly for me as we see the same event from multiple perspectives.

As in the previous books, DI Harbinder Kaur is a charismatic and appealing central character - she is both a good detective and also quite socially awkward. She has a brilliant way of making hilarious observations about her new colleagues - her wry asides about DS Jake Barker, poseur extraordinaire, made me laugh so much. The way she ineptly negotiates her relationship with her flatmate, the gorgeous Mette, is also sweet and charming. We definitely need to see more of DI Kaur.

It's hard to write too much about this book without giving spoilers, but I really did like the way that Griffiths managed a large-ish cast of suspects without them becoming confused in my mind. Although they had distinctive jobs (MPs, actress, rock star - it was clearly quite a school!), I did have a sense of realistic and developed characters. Similarly, the police officers also had clear and defining characteristics which allows readers to see the dynamics of the team around DI Kaur.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys cleverly-plotted police procedurals or multi-perspective crime novels (like those written by Lucy Foley). Griffiths' use of humour and a relatable detective make for a thoroughly entertaining read - and you don't need to have read the other books in the series to love this one.

I am trying to keep calm about how much I enjoy this series by Elly Griffiths
Having loved her Norfolk series I was confident that this book would be great but I think I have found a detective I can believe in (and there are two more books in the series which I am going back to read now)
In this a famous murder occurs at a school reunion. It becomes clear very quickly that there are roots in the past that need to be untangled in order to solve this case.
I loved the story and the developing character of Harbinder Kaur. Great.

I loved The Postscript Murders, Elly's last novel featuring Harbinder Kaur, and feel it should have got a lot more attention than it dd. Perhaps this was due to the unfortunate timing of another book featuring crime solving pensioners, though Elly's book is far better imho.
This time we meet Harbinder as she navigates a move to London. She has new housemates and is getting to know her patch. I loved the fact that she has self-confidence as police detective and was sure of her skills in managing an investigation. She quickly gets the measure of her new colleagues, one of whom is present at the murder scene.
This was a satisfying read, and I hope to meet Harbinder again very soon,

I love everything Elly Griffiths has written and this was no exception. I like the Harbinder Kaur series and I'm glad to see she's moved to London and has a bit more independence. I liked the mystery involving lots of old friends.

This is the third book in the DI Harbinder Kaur series, and in my opinion its the best one so far. I feel this book could easily be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading the whole series in order.
Harbinger is now serving in the Met investigating serious crime and Murders. The boom is set around a murder at a school reunion at which one of Harninder's team was present. There is also several sub plots running alongside as well.
Highly recommended and I'm looking forward to book four.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this read.

The third in the series centred round Harbinder Kaur who has been promoted, moved out from home and is in a flat share with two other girls. Her first case is when she is called to a school reunion where an MP has been found murdered. One of her team was at the reunion which makes life awkward.
The main characters all have a past history as a group when they were at school and they are all harbouring secrets.
The story is well told and a definite page turner.
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Elly Griffiths/Quercus Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have read one of the Ruth Galloway series and loved it, so I was excited to see a new book by this author. I’m aware this is the third in a series but I don’t think that really mattered. Unfortunately I didn’t find the pace of this book fast enough to really enjoy. I wasn’t invested in finding out what happened and it took me a lot longer to finish than this type of book usually would.

The third outing for Detective Harbinder Kaur in this police procedural series. Newly promoted to DI and with a new job in London. This time investigating the murder of an MP found dead in the toilets at a school reunion. An intense and cosy mystery read.

I've hardly read any Elly Griffiths books, which is really a big oversight as they're definitely up my street. I did read and very much enjoyed a previous book in the Harbinder Kaur series, so was excited to read Bleeding Heart Yard (a great title - and a real place, apparently).

Harbinder is no longer the best - and possibly only - gay Sikh detective in West Sussex, as she's moved to the Met to take up a post as Detective Inspector. Her first case, the murder of a Conservative MP at a school reunion, is about as high profile as they come. Can Harbinder prove herself to her new team? And equally importantly, is there any chance of finding a girlfriend in the big city?

This was a great read, centring on a group of fairly star-studded old school friends who gathered for the fateful reunion (they include two MPs, a famous actress, a pop star, and a police officer, Cassie, who happens to be on Harbinder's team). As well as Harbinder's perspective, we hear those of Cassie and of Anna, the other non-famous member of "The Group", and I enjoyed both their voices. The end was both surprising and satisfying.

Harbinder herself is a great character and I liked the scenes of her settling into her London life at home and work. I also appreciated the references to one of my favourite TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer! (You should watch it properly, Harbinder.)

Loved it.

I love the Ruth Galloway series, but I just didn't like this book.
I don't know if it's the difference between listening to audio books as I do with the RGs, or reading as I did with this but I just don't find the characters convincing, plus there's just the main one so far and not the hinterland of RG.
There are also several errors, such as here in ch. 1: "... the tree outside Harbinder's window is turnng from green to amber to red, like a traffic light in reverse". That IS the sequence ! In reverse it would be red, red and amber and then green. The error is repeated at the start of ch. 25.

JK Jerome's classic is not Three Men AND a Boat, they are IN a boat, as I would expect any author and her editors to know. And would her Mum really serve THREE different breads with the butter chicken ?

And finally there is the casual dismissal of all Tories as venal lying bastards. Many of them are, but the same is true of many politicians more generally. If we are going to have an un-written assumption that the left is always right, climate change is an unavoidable catastrophe and other woke positions are unassailable, then I am afraid this author will become a no-go area.

As for the plot, I didn't find that plausible either, with people forgetting what they saw years earlier and then remembering, or believing things about themselves that had never been true. It's a facile way of cheating the reader of any chance of guessing the real murderer.

DI Harbinder Kaur has moved from the south coast to London after gaining promotion. This is the next book in the series about this detective.
There is a death at a school reunion and one of Harbinder’s team is present as she was an ex pupil.
When the pupils were all taking their A levels one of them died and the story revolves around what happened then and is it linked to the latest death.
It’s a very good story with a twist at the end which is what you would expect from Elly Griffiths.

3,5 ⭐️

Is it possible to forget you’ve committed a murder? That’s the interesting premise Bleeding Heart Yard parts from. This is the third installment in the DI Harbinder Kaur series.

Newly promoted DI Harbinder Kaur is now living in London, still accommodating to her new live, when her first big case lands at her feet. During a school reunion in a posh school, one of the former students, now a MP, is murdered. He was a part of a group of friends that called themselves “The Group”, that now will be forced to face their shared past, as their friend’s death might be related to another death they were involved with 21 years ago.

I’ve been loving this series so much! Harbinder Kaur is such a fantastic character. It’s been great seeing her out of the comfort of her hometown and her parent’s wings. She’s still caustic and has a dark sense of humour, but is much more mature this time around. Her move to London means she has new colleagues at work, and they were such a nice team. Her duo with DS Kim Manning was a really interesting one.

While I’ve enjoyed all three books in the series, this time I had a harder time engaging with the cast of characters. While The Postcript Murders (2nd book in the series) was full of really charming characters that made for a fantastic read (they make a small appearance here), in Bleeding Heart Yard, they felt a bit cold and detached, and I could not connect with any of the characters in “The Group”. The back and forth between them felt a bit confusing at times. It also seemed to focus too much on the incident in the past and that was a bit repetitive.

The first two books in the series had more of a unique and original feel, while this one read more like a traditional police procedural. Nice on its own, but lacking a bit when compared to the other two. At least the ending still delivered some surprises!

Nice, easy to read mystery that, although not my favorite from the author, brings back a much beloved main character I can’t get enough of, so I’m really looking forward to reading more of this series.

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

Elly Griffiths is without one of my favourite crime writers and I have to confess to a bit of an obsession with Dr Ruth. I read Postscript Murders - the second outing for DI Harbinder- and really enjoyed the amateur sleuthing, Brighton setting and a cosier type of mystery.

Harbinder is now in London..though her parents still want her home for Sunday lunch. She’s in a flat share, in charge of her own team and there are relationship possibilities on the horizon…and there’s a murder - not just any murder, this is the murder of an MP, Garfield Rice, which makes all the headlines and puts the spotlight firmly on Harbinder and her team. Rice is found dead at a school reunion where he met up with several old friends all leading very different lives. Initially drugs are suspected. Several years earlier one of their school friends died tragically..

Bleeding Heart Yard felt very different..and initially it took me a little time to adjust This is a significant shift in style from cosy to police procedural. I loved the use of a school reunion and emergence of dark secrets from the past and enjoyed the way the narrative switched between the different characters who had attended the reunion. The fact that one of the police officers involved had attended the school and was present at the reunion added a clever twist and tension to the plot ..
Elly Griffiths is a supreme storyteller and this was an enjoyable story which keeps you guessing . I have to confess that it wasn’t my favourite of her books and there were a few things that detracted from my enjoyment: a decision regarding the fate of a character in the past seemed to be made rather quickly; and a message was left on an answer machine which I thought was improbable. I also felt that this was possibly a bit of a reset for Harbinder which unsettled me as it felt such a change. I will be looking forward to Harbinder’s next outing as I really like the character.

Very many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for my digital copy of this book.

Another brilliant plot. Beats me how people think up this stuff. Coincidentally, I have just read another book where a member of the MIT was also a guest/witness to the murder. Unlike this story, the other book chose to ignore conflict of interest and detective continued with investigation. Initially I assumed this would be a ‘why dunnit’. I was kept wondering until only a few pages before the gradual reveal. Thanks to Netgalley.

This is my fifth foray into the works of Elly Griffiths; I've now read two books from her Ruth Galloway series, one from the Brighton Mysteries and two from her series featuring Harbinder Kaur. This one, Bleeding Heart Yard is a wonderfully woven crime mystery in Chelsea, England. From the opening pages, the action never lets up and the story unfolds like an uncoiled spring. Harbinder is now serving in the Met as a DI in the Homicide and Serious Crimes Unit in charge of a team based in West Kensington and the fast-paced plot gathers steam well. The tale boasts a fascinating bunch of people which is its main draw for me. Truly riveting!

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Quercus via NetGalley.

This is the third in the Harbinder Kaur series, following on from 'The Stranger Diaries' and 'The Postscript Murders,' although all three work well as stand-alones. I was a little sad that Harbinder has moved to London and missed her former work partner, Neil. Still, it is a fact that cities offer more possibilities for crime and soon Harbinder, slightly bemoaning her lot in a rather lonely flat-share, finds herself with a high-profile case.

Manor Park School is a trendy comprehensive, located in Chelsea. During a reunion, at which one of Harbinder's colleague, DS Cassie Fitzherbert, is also present, there is a murder. The victim is Garfield Rice, a controversial Conservative backbench MP infamous for being a climate change denier. Others present include Kris Foster, a pop star whose first name was formerly spelt 'Chris,' Labour MP Henry Steep, actress Isabelle Istar, Sonoma Davies, now Head Teacher of Manor Park, and Anna Vance who has returned from Italy as her mother has cancer.

Personally, I am not a lover of reunions and I found the whole premise of people wanting to look back to their youth difficult to understand. However, what Griffiths collates is a cast of characters with long histories, complicated relationships, attachments and feelings for each other. More than an average amount have done well; two now famous and two politicians seems unlikely in any group of old schoolfriends, while Anna Vance is the one considered rather cool as she grew up on an estate with a single-parent family. The current murder seems to have links to the past, when a boy at the school died after those involved had finished their A Levels. It is up to Harbinder, and her new team, to get to the bottom of the murder, while the group of old school friends are reunited in more ways than one. Old affections reignite and some try to work out who is responsible, unwilling to remain as suspects without doing anything about it.

Although this was not my favourite in the series, I did enjoy it. I enjoyed the characters, although liked the plot slightly less. Still, I am will definitely continue reading if Harbinder appears in any further books and will - I am sure - get used to the change of the central character relocating to the big city.