The Postscript Murders: a gripping new mystery from the bestselling author of The Stranger Diaries

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Elly Griffiths's sequel to The Stranger Diaries featuring the gay, Sikh DS Harbinder Kaur, in her thirties, yet still living with her parents, is a rather different affair, but a winner nevertheless with murder and mayhem set in the world of a crime writers community, literary agents, murder consultants and publishers. In Shoreham by the Sea, a West Sussex coastal town, 90 year old Peggy Smith sits by her window, observing the world outside, making notes in her investigation book, such as the appearance of two suspicious men in a car outside. When Ukrainian care worker, Natalka Kolsnyk finds Peggy dead in her chair by the window, it seems a straightforward natural death of an elderly woman. However, a number of strange oddities make Natalka wonder if it could be murder. Consider how the author creates and maintains a sense of suspense throughout the novel. How does Griffiths create suspicion among her characters—and her readers? At the start of the story, Natalka asks, “how do you know what’s suspicious and what isn’t?” (9). Does the book ultimately answer this question? What makes a person suspect? Are the characters always justified in their suspicions? This is a fun, well put together story. I've read all three of Griffiths series and loved every one. Her characterizations are top notch and the atmosphere created always, for me, feels authentic. The ultimate gripping murder mystery to curl up with, from the bestselling author of The Stranger Diaries and the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries Plus, Griffiths admits there is nothing cozy about murder, but there are avid readers who find comfort in a great murder mystery, sans blood and guts. Mysteries that are puzzles, that engage the reader in solving said puzzles are a must in creating a cozy mystery.

Benedict is a former monk, he is a caring neighbor and thinks Peggy’s death is suspicious, he loves murder mysteriesBut while there are differences between the two Harbinder stories, there are some similarities. Most importantly - Harbinder is still not the main character. That belongs to Natalka, Peggy's caregiver, Benedict, who owns a local coffee shop, and Edwin - Peggy's elderly neighbor. We know they are main characters, because they actually tell us so at the end of the book! When Natalka learns that more than one author received a note saying "We are coming for you", the three amateur sleuths decide to help Harbinder out and go to a crime writing festival and start asking questions. We are coming for you” is the ominous message to a potential murder victim confronting Det. Sgt. Harbinder Kaur in Edgar winner Griffiths’s clever follow-up to 2019’s The Stranger Diaries. The death of elderly Peggy Smith in Shoreham-by-Sea, England, looks unremarkable on the surface, but her devoted associates—home healthcare worker Natalka, café owner and ex-monk Benedict, and former broadcaster Edwin—suspect foul play when they find mystery novels dedicated to Peggy, references to her as a “murder consultant,” and a postcard with a disturbing note that has been sent to the novelists as well. Peggy’s son, Nigel, who seems too eager to dispose of his mother’s belongings, also is of interest. Much to Kaur’s unease, the trio head to a literary festival in Aberdeen to buttonhole the postcard recipients and learn more about Peggy’s relationship to them. Soon writers wind up dead, and Kaur is forced to continue her investigation alongside the enthusiastic amateur sleuths in Scotland. Complex characters, hidden histories, and adept twists enrich the narrative. Readers will be enthralled. [em]Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Mar.) She came up with a very good plot twist for one of my Dr. Ruth Galloway books that involved a stair-lift. And I do remember the book was reviewed in the Financial Times in a really nice review, but they also said "it contains one of the nastiest uses of a stair-lift that I've ever heard of." And I cut that little article aunt for my aunt, and she was so happy that she framed it, she was so proud of her stair-lift murder.

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. Although this series is immensely different to Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series, she still holds me spellbound with her use of words, both in her character and scenery descriptions, and her setting of atmosphere . . . '...the spaces beneath them. Old mining tunnels. Caverns measureless to man. Death and dread.' and 'ghost cottages with the gardens still in flower.' And that Peggy Smith had been a 'murder consultant' who plotted deaths for authors, and knew more about murder than anyone has any right to... The Postscript Murders is a tautly written murder mystery centered around the death of a 90-year-old woman who happens to have been a murder consultant.I found this well-plotted, with multiple mysterious circumstances keeping me guessing, and red herrings that actually added to the story. Overall, this is a very enjoyable read with an intriguing and well thought out plot that keeps you guessing. Recommended. Instead, we join her three friends (unlikely armchair detectives) and DI Harbinder Kaur (who was first introduced in The Stranger Diaries) for a “COZY” mystery, which at times read a bit like a farce to me because of a white Ford Fiesta which seemed to be lurking around all of the authors of the “Postscript Murders”. Is there really a world where people care so much about books that they write to the authors and consider them friends?”

This book marks the return of DS Harbinder Kaur who is on the job investigating a possibly suspicious death followed by a string of murders! Kaur first appeared in “Stranger Diaries” which I really liked! I hope Elly Griffiths is planning to write more books with at least a few of these characters appearing again. The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should absolutely not be suspicious. DS Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing to concern her in carer Natalka’s account of Peggy Smith’s death. Peggy Smith, a 90-year-old, has died and her home aide/carer Natalka is concerned that it might be suspicious, especially when she finds an interesting business card stating “Murder Consultant.” Soon we are immersed in the world of mystery book writers, including a book festival in Edinburgh. I know it was a good book because I found myself reading bits out loud to anyone who was listening. I thought it was good fun, very well written and totally entertaining.It’s just that she was absolutely fine when Natalka popped in that morning. And there’s the small matter of the business card on the table that refers to Peggy as a “Murder Consultant”. Maybe Natalka better talk to someone.