What a lovely book. Using one of the author’s own phrases - cosy crime. Quirky characters, unusual storylines - really enjoyable, original and different. Great holiday or Lockdown reading.

I have loved all the Elly Griffiths books and the Postscript Murders is no exception. Set in the seaside town of Shoreham the story features four seemingly ordinary people brought together by the death of Peggy Smith, an elderly lady who lives at Seaview. All the characters have an interesting backstory and these are slowly revealed throughout the book. A clever plot line with liberal smattering of humour along the way. Thoroughly enjoyable.

When an elderley lady is found dead by her carer, Natalka, her death is thought to be natural causes until, when sorting out her possessions her friends come across a postcard containing a threatening note. Her friends Edwin, Benedict & Natalka set out to investigate who could possibly want a lady like Peggy dead. They discover that Peggy worked with various crime writers helping them find new ways to kill people in their books.
One of the authors Peggy worked with is murdered and DS Harbinder Kaur is called on to investigate. Speaking to Peggy's friends makes her wonder if Peggy’s death was as straightforward as it seemed.
Following the trail from sleepy Shoreham to Aberdeen Harbinder must dig into Peggy’s past to find the key to the case.

An enjoyable romp of a "who done it". Brimming with quirky characters and tongue in cheek moments. Highly entertaining.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

I haven't been able to properly focus on a book in weeks but The Postscript Murders grabbed me instantly with that intriguing business card: 'M Smith, Murder Consultant'. I loved the unlikely bunch of investigators, was constantly second-guessing myself with suspicions, and thought the plot was perfectly paced. And, of course, I always love a novel set in the world of books! I look forward to recommending this to customers and to selling loads.

A surprisingly good light mystery with a delightful cast of characters. Having realised this is the second book in a series I bought and read the first one before this as I am a stickler for reading series of books in order but it is not essential.

The main characters are DS Harbinder Kaur a female gay Sikh. Benedict a former monk and now owner of a coffee shack, Edwin an elderly gay retired BBC 4 TV producer and Natilka a Ukranian care worker with various other characters largely made up of crime authors with varying degrees of success.

Peggy Smith is a 90 year old lady with a heart condition but seemingly otherwise well is found dead in her chair in Seaview Court Retirement home that also houses Edwin.

When carer Natalka finds Peggy Smith dead in her chair, it looks like natural causes, but Natalka has her doubts, particularly when she finds a business card describing Peggy as a “Murder Consultant” and a card in a book with the words "we're coming for you". Suspicious, Natilka calls the police. DS Harbinder Kaur attends but initially the death is believed to be natural causes given Peggy's age but ever persistent Natilka, Edwin and Benedict believe Peggy was murdered and decide to investigate.

Other authors with links to Peggy receive the same cards and then other deaths occur leading the amateur sleuths to continue to investigate. This was a lovely easy read not normally the kind of book I would read but I hope the series continues as I will surely read them
Thanks to Netgalley UK and Queries books for allowing me to read this Arc book in exchange for a fair and honest review

I enjoyed this latest advance book by Elly Griffiths, who writes cracking crime thrillers - publication date 1 October 2020.

A ninety-year old woman, Peggy Smith, dies in her Shoreham-by-Sea apartment, and is found by her carer, Natalka. The local police officer, DS Harbiner Kaur, at first sees nothing suspicious in the death. But evidence mounts there was more to the death than at first appeared. Peggy Smith was a murder expert, and was consulted with by a number of thriller writers. So who killed her, and why?

As ever, Griffith's plotting is intricate and clever, and the characters came to life and were likeable. I was a little less convinced by the two settings. In the series Griffith sets in Norfolk, the setting feels comfortable in her hands. Aberdeen and Shoreham-by-Sea seem more lightly drawn.

All in all, a great cast of characters, a pacy plot and interesting twists, both in terms of characterisation and story.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Quercus for the free copy of the book.

I really enjoyed this book. Since reading The Stranger Diaries, I was looking forward to reading more of Harbinder. She's a fantastic character, full of dry humour, and this time she was joined by a cast of similarly intriguing, well-rounded characters.

While I found the conclusion to the mystery a little farfetched, I very much enjoyed the ride.

This latest book from the fabulous Elly Griffith’s is a witty and affectionate tribute to a Golden Age of crime fiction. More Harbinder please!

Ninety year old Peggy, resident in sheltered housing, dies. Nothing sinister in that. But carer Natalka seems to think so.

DS Harbinder Kaur doesn't think so. Not at first. But when Natalka says that someone had been following Peggy, that she lied about her heart condition and that she was a murder consultant with dedications from grateful crime fiction authors. Harbinder has second thoughts.

What an absolutely brilliant set of characters we are introduced to in this book.. I really hope that we get to meet them all again soon in another adventure. Elly Griffiths has surpassed ever her own high standards with this!

I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and all the characters were very likeable and believable.. A lot of the story was set in Hove with which I have connections so it was nice to hear of places around the area..

A really readable and enjoyable murder mystery.


Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review

Thanks Quercus books and Netgalley for this ARC!

Peggy is ninety years old and passes away, seemingly naturally....... but those who knew Peggy have their suspicions and alert DS Harbinder Kaur. DS Kaur keeps an open mind when she meets the motley crew of Benedict (previously a monk, now a coffee shop owner), Edwin (the dapper, gay pensioner who was Peggy's neighbour), and Natalka (Peggy's drop in carer and who has a slightly shady background). They discover that Peggy was a 'murder consultant', who helped crime authors with their book plots. Now authors are being murdered, but who is the murderer and are they after them now? 🕵️‍♀️

4⭐- If you're an Agatha Christie fan then you'll enjoy this! An easy to read, crime thriller that is full of worthy characters with a plot that is completely Christie-esque! This was very enjoyable to read and worth picking up a copy when it's out!

Disappointed in this book,not as good as her others. Lots of twists and a good cast of characters but very slow to get going.

The book opens with the death of an old lady who actually turns out to be a murder consultant! What secrets does her past hold that enables her to give advice to authors on what is the best way to murder someone in their crime books! It also throws doubt on whether her death was natural or not.
I found the first few chapters slow to get into and I wasn't sure where the story was going. Once you had been introduced to the main characters, the plot was much better. It's worth a read as it gets going after the first few chapters and has an interesting plot.

Loved this book, partly because I grew up in Brighton, know the wider area and can visualise all the places mentioned (not Aberdeen) and partly because I have enjoyed all Elly Griffiths' books so far. I really wanted to be enjoying a coffee on the front in Benedict's cafe. I didn't guess correctly early on which is a big plus. Enjoyed the multi-generational cast and the fact that they could work together on solving the crime(s). Thanks to Netgalley for an early read.

What an excellent little mystery. I couldn’t guess “who done it”. Well written with complex characters. A well rounded and thoughtful story.

Highly deserved 5 stars from me.

This book has an old fashioned thriller feel about it . The pace is quite slow but it does nor lag. The characters are very varied but sympathetically and amusingly drawn . I enjoyed this book .

I have read a few of Elly Griffiths’ novels but need to seek out more as I thoroughly enjoyed this and the others that I have read.

‘The Postscript Murders’ begins with the death of Peggy, a lady in her nineties who we see from the beginning is keen to keep a look out for anything going on. As the novel progresses, we discover she is a ‘murder consultant’. Peggy is found by her carer and, on the surface, it seems to be death by natural causes although her carer, Natalka, does not believe this to be the case.

Natalka informs the police of her suspicions and involves Peggy’s neighbour, Edwin, also in his eighties and Benedict who owns a local coffee shop and the three follow the clues which lead them to Scotland.

DS Harbinder Kaur follows the three to Scotland when another body turns up. Numerous subplots and twists and turns flow as the story progresses. Full of brilliant characters I couldn’t put it down.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Quercus Books and Elly Griffiths for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Great read. Highly recommended.

Very easy to read, lovely characters- all of them likeable, except maybe one. Good plot with a couple of twists- I do like Elly Griffiths stories