This is the 2nd book in the DS Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths. Crime novelists are turning up dead in this literary mystery and the death of Peggy Smith, a 90 year-old woman with a heart condition, should not be suspicious. But when DS Kaur finds a mysterious postscript in a novel dedicated to Peggy, she begins to wonder if the murders are related.
I love Elly Griffiths' books as I have read all of her Ruth Galloway and Brighton Mystery books. I find her characters to be believable and her plots unique. I found all the information about writers and publishing very interesting. The book had some humor which I thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to those who love mystery thrillers. I would like to thank NetGalley and Quercus Publishers for a free copy for an honest review.

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths is the second book in the Harbinder Kaur mystery series. I really enjoyed The Stranger Diaries, so I had high hopes for this book. I enjoyed the premise of the book: a "murder consultant" might have been murdered. Ninety-year-old Peggy loved reading mysteries and enjoyed coming up with new ways for authors to write murders. Then, she is found dead. Was she murdered? Natalka, Edwin, and Benedict try to solve the mystery together. I really loved this trio of characters. What I didn't love so much was all the extra plot lines and that the solution to the mystery/mysteries was a little confusing because of the extra story lines. This was still a fun read, though, and I would recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

‘But now I’m wondering. I mean, how do you know what’s suspicious and what isn’t?’

On the sleepy shores of Shoreham, UK, no-one would expect anything suspicious in the death of a ninety-year-old woman. After all, Peggy Smith did have a heart condition. But Peggy’s carer Natalka is concerned. Peggy had told Natalka that she was sure that someone was following her. And then, when Natalka is helping clear out Peggy’s flat, she is held at gunpoint by a masked figure. What on earth is going on?
Peggy Smith had been a ‘murder consultant’ and had plotted deaths for several authors, many of whom acknowledged her in their novels. Could Peggy have been killed? And if so, by whom and why?

Natalka approaches DS Harbinder Kaur who initially sees nothing of concern. But Natalka, who teams up with Peggy’s friends Edwin, once a television producer, and Benedict, a coffee shop owner who was once a monk, is determined. DS Kaur, who is dealing with some a few issues of her own, becomes part of the investigation.
What a great murder mystery! Full of interesting characters, each with a different perspective, with layers of information to examine. There are clues to investigate, and red herrings to sift and sort.

This is my first Elly Griffiths novel, but it will not be the last.

If you enjoy well-plotted mysteries, then I can recommend this!

‘PS : thanks for the murders. ‘

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

If you’re a fan of Elly Griffith—and who isn’t?—you’ll love The Postscript Murders. DS Harbinder Kaur is an extremely relatable protagonist. Like regular people, she has a host of insecurities , family problems, and career issues that she juggles along with looking for love, nurturing friendships, and solving unique and perfectly plotted crimes. This one, like The Stranger Diaries, has a unique plot that will keep you guessing to the very end. Great characters in a fun setting that gives an insider look at publishing and the author life. I can’t recommend this book too highl. I LOVED it.

Sometimes when an author who writes a beloved series like the Ruth Galloway series, starts a new series it can be hard to embrace it. Not so with this 2nd in this new series starring Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur. She is coming into better focus as a detective in The Postscript Murders after making her debut in The Stranger Diaries. This is a fun murder mystery with good new supporting characters that I hope will follow her into future books. Readers will be happy to discover Harbinder is not your run of the mill Detective as she lives with her parents, doesn't have all the answers and is trying to find balance with work and life. I am looking forward to following Hardbinder into future mysteries.

THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS by Elly Griffiths combines death and authors within a novel that is a police procedural and almost a cozy mystery hybrid set in England and Scotland. The death of ninety-year-old Peggy Smith seems to be one of natural causes, but is it? One of her caretakers, Natalka Kolisnyk, thinks it is murder. While helping to clear out Peggy’s apartment, she notices the large number of murder mysteries; many of which have mentioned Peggy in their acknowledgement section. Detective Sergeant (DS) Harbinder Kaur doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary initially, but is willing to listen to Natalka. When a gunman breaks into Peggy’s apartment and steals a book, the situation rapidly changes and escalates.

Natalka and friends Benedict Cole and Edwin Fitzgerald decide they have to help Harbinder solve the case and take on the roles of amateur sleuths. DS Kaur seems to interact with the amateurs a little too freely, but it made for an enjoyable read. The characters of Harbinder and Natalka are well developed and showed growth. The supporting characters of Cole and Fitzgerald were not quite as well developed, but were adequate for their role. I felt that Harbinder’s partner, DS Neil Winston took too much of a backseat to be realistic.

The book changes point of view frequently, but the chapters are labeled with the character’s name and it is never confusing. The author did a great job of world-building. A strong sense of place made me feel like I was transported to Shoreham-by-Sea and Aberdeen. The plot is somewhat intricate with several subplots. There are lots of twists and turns and a few surprises along the way. The author’s sense of humor came through in the dialogue. Several themes are woven into the novel including death, murder, loneliness, elder care, religion, cultural differences, racism, and much more. Additionally, it also deals with books, authors, agents and publishers.

Overall, it was an entertaining book that approached an investigation with a serious, hardworking, and kind investigator that was willing to listen to some quirky amateur detectives. This is the second book in the Harbinder Kaur mystery series, and I recommend it to those that enjoy the genre. It was a fun read and I am looking forward to the next book featuring Harbinder as well as other series by this author. This is the first book that I have read by Elly Griffiths, but it won’t be the last.

Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for March 2, 2021.

Funny, convoluted. Characters I cared about, both on and off the page. This could be worth a second read, which I don't say lightly.. This is the Elly Griffiths I love.

If you gaze up at that window facing the Shoreham Beach, you would have noticed that elderly woman. She'd be decked out with her binoculars and a handy pen and notebook nearby. Nothing got past ol' Peggy when she sat in that lookout chair.

Now most people would think that a ninety year old did her daily routine for entertainment and to pass away the hours. But for Peggy it was more than that. The time finally came when Peggy sat facing the shore with sightless eyes. Her caregiver, Natalka, came upon her that day. Peggy never got the chance to share what she saw moving along in the sand and the wind. And then, no one felt differently while attending the funeral. Old age and all that..........

But Natalka felt unsettled. She knew that familiar feeling easing itself in at the pit of her stomach while growing up in the Ukraine. That's why she contacted DS Harbinder Kaur of the West Sussex CID. They were to meet at The Coffee Shack down the street from Peggy. As witnesses and observers were interviewed by Harbinder, Natalka began to rally around Benedict who owned the shop and Edwin who was Peggy's neighbor.

Soon the trio begins sharing notes and ideas with Harbinder. At first, Harbinder blows them off with their outlandish imaginations. But now she's taking them deadly serious when the group is threatened by a masked intruder with a gun. Someone doesn't want them sticking their noses where they don't belong.

Elly Griffiths is a renowned author of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries and other offerings. This is the second book in the Harbinder Kaur Series. She's wrapped this one up with plenty of twisties and dead bodies. It doesn't circle around as a cosy mystery and it's not lined with blood and guts either. There's a distinct Agatha Christie flavor with the corners folded in at the end. Griffiths has a clear cut sense of humor and it shows up well in her dialogue and in the sometimes quirky actions of her characters. She's especially creative in The Postscript Murders with the mystery surrounding some unpredictable authors familiar with Peggy and Peggy with quite the backstory herself. You'll find yourself in the center of a moving stage with players who tend to shift gears fast and furious.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Quercus Books and to the talented Elly Griffiths for the opportunity.

Oh but I do love an Elly Griffiths novel! Whether it's these Harbinder Kaur books, the Magic Men series, or her stand-alones, I (generally) just enjoy her writing style and her quirky characters. She spends a lot of effort in creating a cast of characters that don't feel like the cookie-cutter protagonists and villains that populate other mysteries, and that effort pays off. The result is a set of characters that are endearing, original, and wholly engaging. Add to that a deft hand at plotting out unusual mysteries, with more than a passing nod to the worlds of books and writing, and you wind up with an extremely delightful series!

In this second installment, we see Harbinder coming into her own. I really enjoyed seeing more about her family in this one. I am enjoying watching her work out her interpersonal issues - she feels very real and resonant, even though our lives don't relate in many ways, and I find her to be a delightful protagonist. She's just the right mix of focused and awkward to be endearing and relatable.

Honestly, I didn't even realize the series was focused on her. The first book seemed nearly entirely Clare-focused to me, but the whole series is referenced on Amazon as the "Harbinder Kaur" books, so there you go. Clare has a cameo in here and it was nice to see her again, although it had been a while since I read the first book (The Stranger Diaries) and I didn't remember very many details beyond liking it a great deal. Griffiths doesn't make much reference to the first book here, which was fine with me. While I realize I may have missed some things, it meant I could read this book without needing to go back and reread the first, which was good because time is in short supply these days. Which is a long way of saying, if you haven't read The Stranger Diaries, you could still read this one and enjoy it perfectly fine (although I never recommend reading out of order, sometimes it's not a problem if you do).

The plot here is intricate and involved and clever. The interplay between the characters really helped build the tension throughout the course of the unraveling. The revelations, red herrings, and secrets were presented with just the right amount of drama. The whole thing came together beautifully and was a wild rumpus of a tale!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adore the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths so I was delighted to learn that she is writing a series surrounding Harbinder Kaur. I enjoyed "The Stranger Diaries," and particularly liked DS Kaur's Indian-British family. Revisiting her world was a treat for me as a reader.

Like "The Stranger Diaries", this was a book about murder based on books about murder. Writers and fans of crime fiction die at an alarming rate in this book. Kaur is there for the professional investigation but there is also a quirky band of misfits who live the not-so-secret dream every fan of crime fiction has: to solve the crime themselves. Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin are a delightful trio and I hope they come back in future books.

This story was a fun peek behind the curtain of the publishing industry. When an author dies, editors, publicists, and other authors are all suspects. I enjoyed all the explanations of what it takes to make a book a bestseller.

If this book has a weakness, it's that Kaur tells us about the crimes after she has figured them out. I would have preferred that Griffiths show us the crime-solving with more detail instead of just giving us a look into Kaur's thought process. But perhaps that was the whole point: where crime fiction makes everything exciting, it all really happens inside an author's head.

All in all, this is a mystery that's a touch beyond cozy but not too grim or gory. It's fun and smart with characters you'll miss when it's over.

The character of Harbinder was quite interesting. I liked her and thought her skills were diminished by the other three main eccentric characters . There was just too much happening in this book with Russian spies, mystery writers , publishers , tenants of a seniors complex and Harbinder work and home families. The mystery component became too tangled. The author does manage to create interesting characters and the landscape descriptions are picturesque .

I read the first book in this new series over the summer and loved it! I was anxiously awaiting the second when I received a copy for review.

I was not disappointed! I love that we got to see more development of Harbinger's character. It was also nice to see her friend Clara from the first book mentioned.

This book warmed my cozy mystery living heart. The trio of amateurs detectives was an interesting spin on the usual trope. I appreciated that they were fully developed characters with interesting back stories.

Now I have to wait for book 3 to find out if Harbinder gets that promotion or finds a new girlfriend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

I was so excited to get this book--I'm a huge Elly Griffiths fan and I absolutely loved The Stranger Diaries. As usual, Griffiths does not disappoint with this one. While I was a little surprised to see the focus completely leave the protagonist of the first novel and, instead, follow the detective from that book (Harbinder), I see why Griffiths went this route. Following Harbinder will allow us a continued look into mysteries and crime.

One of Griffiths' strengths across all of her novels is her character building. In this novel, we are introduced to another fantastic set of characters. They seem real, they are likable, and you want to see more of them. I hope some or all of these characters will populate future books in this series! The plot here focuses around books again--this time, Griffiths takes us into the world of the mystery writer as we chase down the killer of popular mystery novelists. There is much humor, too. I especially like Griffiths' tongue-in-cheek comments about writers and readers of these kinds of books.

My only complaint would be that the end was just a little too-tightly woven with coincidences. I know: that's very often the case for mystery novels, especially cosy writers, but as I've said in other reviews, I normally categorize Griffiths in a more literary genre than a cosy one. This book seems to play to the cosy genre--intentionally--a little more heavily than most.

At any rate, read this book. You don't have to read the first to jump in here, but as always, I suggest you do just because the books are so much fun.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I was offered Griffiths' previous book, The Stranger Diaries, as an ARC before it came out, and was so swept up in the story I couldn't put it down. I'd never read the author before, , but was so excited to get approved for this one. This book did not disappoint! I know it is listed as book 2 in the series, but I think it could work well as a stand alone book, and though I've seen some refer to it as a cozy mystery, I didn't really get that feeling from the book. IT was a bit more gritty than a traditional cozy mystery, but still not bloody and gross.

Multiple POV's added to this book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a really good mystery, a page turner, can't put it down style book.

Oh this was GOOD!!! Loved the multiple narrators who all offered unique perspectives. It helped shape the story. Love how it can totally work as a stand-alone. Loved the 90 year ole character! This was quite the journey.

Elly Griffiths second Harbinder Kaur mystery is a wonderful, Christie style, who done it, that gently takes you on an adventure into sleuthing. A mix of endearing characters, including a Murder Consultant, and its clever twists highlight this wonderful read.

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths is a wonderful read. I'd read The Stranger Diaries so I was aware of her detective DS Harbinder Kaur, a quirky character who lives with her parents but navigates a totally different world outside. I admire the way Griffiths has created this interesting detective who has a home life that's as intriguing as the mystery plot.
When Peggy Smith, an elderly resident of an apartment building for seniors, dies, one of her "carers" is suspicious. Was this a natural death? Enter DS Harbinder Kaur, and those suspicions become real. Peggy was acknowledged in the postscripts of various mystery writers who appear to be published by the same publisher, and each received a dark threat.
The funniest part of the plot is an odd group of characters who come together to do some amateur sleuthing. Their part of the story takes them to a literary festival in Edinburgh where a murder takes place that might be connected to Smith's death. I enjoyed this intrepid set of sleuths.
Twists and turns abound throughout the story, but especially in the ending. The settings in both Shoreham and Edinburgh are marvelous, the characters quirky and memorable, and the multiple points of view done with expertise. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. Thank you, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, NetGalley, and Elly Griffiths for allowing me to read this prior to publication. #ThePostscriptMurders #NetGalley

Very entangled book with lots of twists and turns and a unusual ending. Postscript murders kept me on my toes with all the different directions it sent my. A book not to be put down easily.

A great book in the lovely Elly Griffiths style. You get to know the characters well and there is a sense of humour there too. Can’t wait for the next one!

I loved this book, in my opinion it’s a great read!
DS harbinder Kaur is the detective in this story , I like her genuine character she is quirky and I love her sarcasm too. A 90year old lady , Peggy Smith is found dead by her carer. It is believed to be natural causes , but Natalka Peggy’s carer doesn’t believe this.
Natalka approaches DS Kaur and this is where the fun begins! Natalka , an ex monk Benedict and Peggy’s neighbour Edwin begin their amateur sleuthing journey and it makes for an enjoyable read.

Peggy is far from a shy retiring OAP she is a “ murder consultant “ helping best selling authors plot the murders in their novels .
I found the characters a quirky bunch but all very pleasant and affable. The characters complimented one another nicely and the writing made this book a fantastic cozy read. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for the ARC copy.