This is a well-constructed literary mystery with a compelling and twisty plot. The ensemble cast is full of personality and interesting characters. Overall, an enjoyable, smart read that takes readers into the publishing world.

I love the Ruth Galloway series, and was excited to read another series by Elly Griffiths. Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur if a force to be reckoned with. This is a cozy mystery that I liked very much and reminded me of some of Agatha Christie's novels. I'm looking forward to more in the Harbinder Kaur series!

I love that Claire Cassidy makes a cameo but most of all I love that readers are getting to know Harbinder Kaur better. It's interesting to me how she is the center of the series, but this book was more like The Thursday Murder Club in that there is a quirky cast of characters trying to help solve a murder.

I really liked The Stranger Diaries and I was hoping I was going to like book 2 just as much. I felt "meh" after reading.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be the last, I found it to be thrilling, intriguing and very well written with great characterisation

Review published on Goodreads, 20 February 2021:

Although Elly Griffiths isn't a cozy mystery writer, THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS has the fun, upbeat feel of a cozy. There's murder and mayhem, yes, but it's still a humorous, mostly clean story that's got a quirky, enjoyable cozy vibe. The characters are likable, the mystery is twisty, and Griffiths' prose is on-point as always. Overall, this is just an entertaining read. I enjoyed it very much.

I enjoyed the first entry in this series so much, I fully expected to love this one as well. I enjoyed the first 75% of this even though it's cozier than I normally care for. The book is pretty evenly split between the police procedural part with Harbinder, and the cozy half with an eclectic and charming trio of amateur detectives, trying to find out if their mystery reading friend really did die of natural causes, or, as they suspect, was murdered.

But 3\4 of the way in, it all starts to falls apart. Everyone gets stupid. Plot lines start multiplying like the latest virus. Way too much happens to a small group of people in too short a period of time. And there are enough bad guys to populate a half dozen books. Probably would have been better had the plot lines and bodies been spread out.

Elly Griffiths is a British author with more than a dozen titles published internationally. She’s probably best known for Ruth Galloway mysteries and she won an Edgar Award last year for The Stranger Diaries.

Today is the release date for a standalone novel, The Postscript Murders, which is an inside-publishing crime thriller. Murder leaps off the page, so to speak, when crime novelists begin turning up dead.

I spoke with Elly about the book and about being a crime writer. Here’s our conversation:

I am a big fan of the Ruth Galloway novels written by English novelist Elly Griffiths. While I am generally not a murder mystery aficionado, I enjoy the way that Griffiths weaves a narrative, and how she creates incredibly human characters. Ruth Galloway is a wonderfully rounded character in so many ways. Being a lover of books about books, a Griffiths penned murder mystery contained within a story about book lovers was definitely something that instantly appealed to me.

When nonagenarian Peggy Smith passes peacefully in her assisted living flat by the sea, there should be nothing suspicious. But when her caregiver Natalka finds a business card for “Peggy Smith, Murder Consultant”, she can’t help but wonder. Why did this little old lady know more about murder than the murder novelists she loved? On the trail of murder, the book travels from a sleepy seaside town in West Sussex, to an Aberdeen literary festival, to the streets of Edinburgh, never in a straight line. Making it even more appealing, the character of Peggy Smith (PS) is loosely based on Griffiths own Aunt, who will often call her up with ideas for new ways to kill people, fictionally of course.

The Postscript Murders is in fact the second book in the Harbinder Kaur series, with a third book coming out later this year, though the first is not necessary to enjoy The Postscript Murders. While DS Kaur is the narrative tissue tying this book to the first, the perspective shifts between all of the main characters, and it is delightful to see the story from the perspective of 80 year old Edwin as well as from DS Kaur. DS Kaur herself is a single woman in her thirties still living with her Sikh parents, who has no idea she is gay. She is thoroughly at peace with all aspects of her personality, religion, profession, sexuality, and it is incredibly satisfying to read such a strong female character.

The narrative pushes you in many different directions, from Eastern European bitcoin theft, to a recovering monk, and through the many characters that reside in Seaview Court. Having grown up vacationing on the British seaside, I found the location to be incredibly comforting and familiar. If you have never been to a seaside town such as this, then it will create in you the right kind of feeling of being there. From the cafe, to the elderly people taking their walks and cups of tea on schedule, to the unicyclist (“probably from Brighton”). It really could be one of dozens of places I visited as a child. Griffiths deals with locations well, juxtaposing the sleepy world of an off-season seaside town, with its more upscale neighbor, before moving into two Scottish cities for a more contemporary “chase” through the story.



Very much in the Agatha Christie tradition, The Postscript Murders is a light, compelling read with a cast of characters and twists to rival any Poirot. Griffiths has a way with character creation that I find incredibly appealing, and as with her depiction of location all of the characters feel familiar in some way. What start off seeming to be conventional archetypes, gain complexity as the story develops. The backdrop of the world of murder mystery writing, and the authors that create the books give this tale a novel edge and a curious perspective through which we view our main characters. No one is who you think they are, except maybe DS Kaur, and she is worth reading again.



It really is a shame that Peggy Smith is killed off in the first few pages, because she is a fantastic old woman. From the inventory of people that she keeps as they walk past her window (“4 x singles with dogs: 2 x collie crosses, 1 x pug, 1 x doodle.”) which is hidden inside a copy of “A Seaside Lady’s Diary” to the variety of murders she has committed for the novelists she has helped. As much as I want to read more of DS Kaur, I am exceedingly interested in a series of prequels about Peggy Smith and the other residents of Seaview Court.

“Just popped in to see the old lady one day and there was Peggy sitting on the sofa, the two of them drinking sherry and talking about spies and contract killers and gruesome murders.”



It reminds me of so many evenings spent with my grandmother and her best friend, watching Prime Suspect with them about ten years before I should have been allowed to watch it. Drinking illicit Shandy and eating bags of Walkers crisps. Some of these elderly characters you only see in a few paragraphs, but they feel like fully fleshed out stories in their own right.

While I patiently wait for my next Ruth Galloway, I shall be happily checking out the other books from Elly Griffiths and eager to see what happens to DS Kaur next.

I was surprised to learn this was a 2nd book in a series, I didn't realize it was a series as none of the characters seemed cohesive. I didn't have a problem with reading this book without reading the first in the series,

This book is a story of a 'Murder consultant' that dies under suspicious circumstances even though is is 90 year old woman, Her carer finds her dead and is the one who visits DCI Kaur, and asks her to investigate. So DCI is dragged into this supposed murder without any real crime.

When the motley crew of the carer, the coffee shop owner and the old neighbour push forward to solve the mystery DCI Kaur is dragged further into the mystery.

This is a solid book it was well written but I did find it slow at times I skipped a few lines when the story was dragging.

I was gifted the advanced copy by the publisher and NetGalley for a candid review.

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS by Elly Griffiths

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS is a murder mystery that feels classic yet has some very contemporary concepts.

Bitcoin comes up in the story and the characters are pleasantly diverse. Making the story both welcoming and old-fashioned yet current. I liked that interplay.

Not a cozy, but definitely like a warm cup of tea.

It’s a classic murder mystery with a charming bookish touch. Very much inspired by Agatha Christie and the Flavia de Luce series.

I recommend it to readers looking for a good paperback to read in the hammock while the weather is warm.

Out now!

Thanks to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Mariner Books for this advanced copy!

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS …⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to read a different detective story from this author,
I would recommend this book and the other this author has written.

This was just okay for me. I found the ending to be rather convoluted, and realized that I didn't even care very much what the solution was.

In today's digital age, it's refreshing to come across a book with an interesting and unique premise. This is the second installment in a series, and while it can be read alone, books like this are always better enjoyed when read in order. Keep that in mind. Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur is investigating the death of ninety-year-old Peggy Smith. Though she seemingly died by a heart attack, Peggy's caretaker, Natalka, swears something is amiss. Together, they work to uncover the truth before someone else falls victim. I recommend this one to anyone looking for a quick, whodunit mystery.

A very original & highly engaging book! I would highly recommend it to my bookish friends. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the copy.

Delighted to include this title The Big Read: Senior Citizens Join the Murder Club, a longread about the rise and popularity of cozy fiction and elderly amateur sleuths for Zoomer magazine’s books section. (article online at related link)

Ignore the blurb that compares The Postscript Murders to the works of Anthony Horowitz or Dame Agatha Christie. Author Elly Griffith is an original, as is her creation, the irascible but dedicated Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur, and both deserve to be recognized as such.

In this sequel (which works excellently as a stand-alone), Kaur investigates the death of a 90-year-old woman dubbed a “murder consultant,” Peggy Smith. She’s joined by Smith’s neighbor, an ex-monk and Smith’s in-home carer (caregiver, to us Yanks). This motley crew never stoops to the twee or silly, instead, really adding to the plot. I can’t recommend this novel highly enough!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Houghton Miflin Harcourt and Mariner Books in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I have long lived the Ruth Galloway series, but hadn't ventured into Elly's other series. After reading this one, I devoured the first and I'm on to her Brighton books! I absolutely recommend this and any other book by Elly Griffiths!

This book has a rather interesting premise. Peggy is a grand old woman who lives along the beach for homes for the elderly. One fine day, she dies and it seems like a heart attack, however, her caretaker, Natalka, believes otherwise and there begins the hunt for the killer. Peggy loves thrillers to the extent that she becomes a pro at giving authors on how to write the perfect murders. Could this just be from her experience of reading, but does her past have dark secrets? A lot more goes on at this settlement for the elderly and the book has a very Agatha Christie feel to it. Many more deaths follow and suddenly, her death becomes more and more of a mystery. I really enjoyed the book but at places, I felt like it was just unnecessarily deviating. Overall, it was a decent pop corn read that fans of Agatha Christie might enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy of this novel.

This was a wonderful second installation of Harbinder and her life. There was more of her character development as well as a good plot of her misfit acquaintances that wanted to solve the murder of their friend.

The story follows Harbinder on her path to investigate the death Peggy Smith that her caretaker swears is suspicious, Her caretaker and her friends also set out to try to figure out what happened to Peggy and several other authors that they have spoken to. There is great character development for the supporting characters as well as getting more information on Harbinder's life and personal life.

There were a few unexpected turns to keep things interesting to the end.

This is a great 2nd installment of a promising mystery series. I look forward to book 3!