Although billed as the second in the series, this book could easily be viewed as a stand alone novel or even the first in a series. You really do not need to have read the first book, The Stranger Diaries, before reading this one as they are completely different. This book is much more of a cozy mystery that just happens to have a character from the not at all cozy first book. If you’re a fan of the author’s Ruth Galloway series (and everyone really should be!), you will probably find this book to be in the same style, but not quite as satisfying. Although the characters felt underdeveloped, the setting was lovely and the writing was strong; it was the actual plot that was a bit weak, especially when compared to The Stranger Diaries. Hopefully, the next book will feature the same characters interacting with Harbinder in a more coherent plot. There is a good deal of potential here for an interesting series from an author who usually delivers better.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

A fun old fashioned murder mystery, gothic suspense, with enjoyable characters that was a fun fast read.

I had been searching for a new mystery series to read that evoked the classic mysteries. I was also tired of the anti-hero detective who had issues and alcohol or drug problems. I was pleased to find the Harbinder Kaur series.

I enjoy the characters and their stories. I did feel the solution to the mysteries were a little convenient, but I prefer the journey to the reveal. I look forward to more books in the series and hope Harbinder finds a little more happiness.

Peggy Smith, a denizen of Seaview Court, a senior residence described as “a posh halfway house on the road to death,” is found dead. Could she have been murdered? Her carer, Natalka, thinks so, and goes to DS Harbinder Kaur with her suspicions. Peggy was an avid mystery reader, and provided ideas to several of her favorite authors, who dedicated books to her. But when two of these authors are murdered, the police start to look more closely at Peggy’s death. Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors, and this newest series, with a gay female Sikh police officer protagonist, is just as compelling as her others-- I just could not put this book down. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur is back on the case in this new book from mystery maven Elly Griffiths. This time DS Kaur is confronted by a caretaker who believes her 90-year-old charge Peggy Smith was murdered. But Peggy had a heart condition and the coroner has no suspicions. That is until a famed mystery writer is murdered in another part of town and DS Kaur finds out that Peggy helped him brainstorm ways to murder his characters. Suddenly her death doesn't look so innocent. Will DS Kaur, Natalka the caretaker, a former monk, and a retired BBC producer be able to solve the case before the killer strikes again?

This mystery is told through the alternating perspectives of the main characters, each of whom has different priorities and motivations. I enjoyed the idea of Peggy Smith as a "murder consultant" to crime novelists and the cast of characters surrounding her (including a retired "schoolgirl assassin" and a couple of other tough old women). And much of the mystery was enjoyable to read. But I'm not sure the multiple perspectives were necessary and didn't quite connect with several of the main characters. And when it comes to the resolution, I thought it was much too complicated and therefore not as satisfying as it could have been.

All in all, The Postscript Murders was an okay follow-up to The Stranger Diaries. I really enjoy Griffith's work (especially the latter title and the Ruth Galloway series), so I'll be back for more!

Loved both of the Harbinder Kaur books! Especially pleased with how much research was done on the cultural front. Have already recommended that friends buy.

I liked this book- The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths. I REALLY loved The Stranger Diaries and recommend that you read it if you are looking for gothic suspense. The Postscript Murders was good too and Elly is super talented writer and I especially love her humor which sneaks into her words.

Check it out:

The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should not be suspicious. Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing out of the ordinary when Peggy’s caretaker, Natalka, begins to recount Peggy Smith’s passing.

But Natalka had a reason to be at the police station: while clearing out Peggy’s flat, she noticed an unusual number of crime novels, all dedicated to Peggy. And each psychological thriller included a mysterious postscript: PS: for PS. When a gunman breaks into the flat to steal a book and its author is found dead shortly thereafter—Detective Kaur begins to think that perhaps there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

And then things escalate: from an Aberdeen literary festival to the streets of Edinburgh, writers are being targeted. DS Kaur embarks on a road trip across Europe and reckons with how exactly authors can think up such realistic crimes . . .

This will be out in March, get it here!

Fun, entertaining read which kept me glued to my phone for hours! Well plotted with enjoyable characters that made me smile. An easy recommend to the readers in my family when it is published next year.

Thanks to Elly Griffith, Houghton, Mifflin and Harcourt, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Griffith’s previous novel, the Edgar Award winning The Stranger Diaries, so I was very excited to get an advance copy of The Postscript Murders. This novel is quite different in tone than The Stranger Diaries — more of a cozy mystery than a suspenseful one — and I did not enjoy it as much. I thought there were some missed opportunities to explore the concept of a “murder consultant” and to really dig in to Peggy’s past.

Still, this was an enjoyable read, with a likable cast of characters. I look forward to Griffith’s next novel!

I love Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway and Magic Men series, and was excited to find another engaging detective in DS Harbinder Kaur. DS Kaur was introduced in The Stranger Diaries, but both it and The Postscript Murders are billed as standalone novels. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and loved DS Kaur as she juggled her parents and an engaging mystery at the same time. The twists and turns in the story kept me guessing! Highly recommended!

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for access to a ARC via NetGalley.

3.5 cozy stars

My favorite part of this book is the scenery – I so want to visit Shoreham and Edinburgh after reading this book. Maybe I could hire a driver though to take me on the route?

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!

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.

There’s a fun trio that is investigating the “crimes” – Natalka, a coffee shop owner Benedict, and Peggy’s neighbor, friend, and snappy dresser Edwin. Though the trio was surrounded by murders, I felt that they were safe from harm in this cozy mystery. I found this one to be reminiscent of Agatha Christie.

An enjoyable read, but I did not like it as much as “Stranger Diaries” and I hope that in future books Harbinder Kaur is a bit more optimistic and happier!

The PostScript Murders by Elly Griffiths was a reading adventure that had me wishing I could join Benny the ex-monk, Edwin the octogenarian, and Natalka the Ukrainian care worker/ the math genius as they help DI Kaur solve the mystery of what happened to 90 year old Peggy Smith who is found dead from what looks like natural causes. This is a mystery as well as a novel about the ties of friendship. I loved every minute of this novel and hope that I am able to re-connect with these characters in future novels.

I read this book without knowing it is a sequel and didn’t miss anything. This one is different from the Ruth Galloway series. The story starts with an unsuspected death of a 90 year old murder consultant and proceeds with the death of a couple more authors. There are actually four detectives, one official and three amateurs. What follows is their unofficial ways told with wry humour and some extraneous plots with not much of a connection to the main plot. Though not a hardcore mystery thriller, I could enjoy it and would recommend it.

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths 

The Postscript Murders gives us a cozy murder mystery, in the style of Agatha Christie. No in your face blood and guts, just a 90 year old woman who is such an expert on how to kill people that authors use her as their "murder consultant". But when Peggy dies, one of her caretakers, Natalka, gets suspicious for a number of reasons. Natalka had seen Peggy that morning and she was just fine, so Natalka, Benedict, the local coffee shack guy, and Edwin, Peggy's 80 year old neighbor, start brainstorming things they've found and become amateur murder sleuths, to the annoyance of DS Harbinder Kaur, who is the official investigator on the case. Peggy's death does seem suspicious, especially when an intruder holds a gun on Natalka and Benedict, while they are looking at crime books in the late Peggy's apartment. 

We get to see things from the viewpoints of Natalka, Benedict, Edwin, Harbinder and others. Eventually Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin take off to an Aberdeen literary festival to do their snooping, and things get more dangerous and perplexing. Both Benedict and Harbinger are the most entertaining to me, with their inner thoughts on everything that was going on. Natalka brings to mind a beautiful spy (I'm not saying she is a spy), Edwin, at 80, is as suave as he was in his younger days, and Harbinder gets so irked by her partner Neil that she imagines he's a small woodland creature, although I don't think this helped her relationship with him, one bit. 

Harbinder played a role in The Stranger Diaries but it's not necessary to read that book to enjoy this one. I hope we see more of Harbinder (and friends) in future books. I'd love to see things from the viewpoint of Neil, Harbinder's partner. As much as she thinks he drives her nuts, I suspect he has a few complaints of his own. 

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for this ARC.

Well this was definitely a surprise of a book coming from this author! I read and loved “The Stranger Diaries” and some of her Ruth Galloway books. I think those books had a more “sinister”, heavier feel to them.

Who has ever heard of a “murder consultant”?? Well in this book you will hear all about Peggy, a lovely woman who was very well liked. She helped authors find unique ways of “killing off their characters” and she was well known among murder mystery writers.

The book opens with her Ukranian caregiver, Natalka, finding Peggy dead at her desk. This is where she wrote her “investigations” and observations of the people passing in front of her bay window overlooking the sea. Her death was thought to be a heart attack, natural causes. She was said to have a known heart condition? Did she??

This starts the beginning of a very novel mystery. The lead detective assigned to the case, DS Harbinder Kaur, gets lots of help from Peggy’s friends in solving this case. There are many different ideas floated around but when others are found dead, supposedly of natural causes, there are suspicions of a possible serial killer?

The characters were amazing, here are some of them; the first 4 make up our murder solving investigators! I love how their relationships changed and how well these four worked together :

Edwin, Peggy’s friend used to frequently do crossword puzzles. He was a very close friend and is shocked at her death. He said he thought she was quite healthy.

Benedict is a former monk, he is a caring neighbor and thinks Peggy’s death is suspicious, he loves murder mysteries

Natalka, is an amazing caregiver, we see her change a lot during the book, in a good way. She found Peggy dead and was the first to suggest this might be murder!

Harbinger Kaur is a very interesting character, she seems to have a rough exterior but she shows another side of herself in this novel

Nigel, Peggy’s son who doesn’t seem to be in mourning for his mother, in fact he starts packing the flat up to sell as soon as he could. Why was he in such a hurry, something isn’t right here.

Multiple murder victims whose names I will not mention or that would spoil the surprise :)

I really enjoyed this book, it was a very different side of Ms.Griffiths that I have not read before. I would recommend this book, it was a good mystery, well plotted and had great characters that made me care about them.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley
This novel will be published on March 2, 2021

Will post to Amazon upon publication

I love Elly Griffiths books. I am mostly a big Ruth Galloway fan but really enjoyed this. Totally different to her books I usually read and kept me page turning as we were taken all over the country. Perfect for readers who want a proper page turner and want to stay up late to finish reading! I knocked one star off just because I do feel its weaker than her Ruth Galloway series, but thats possibly just my own personal view. Thanks Elly and netgalley

Having read the previous book in this series, I was excited to see a new Harbinder Kaur book. You can absolutely jump into this one even if you didn't read the previous one, although there are multiple references to Clare, who was the main character in that book. Harbinder is an interesting protagonist, being a female detective who is gay, Sikh, and still lives with her parents. In this book she gets some friends, and they are an interesting assortment for sure: a former monk who runs the local coffee shop, an elderly gay neighbor, and a home-health aide in debt to Ukrainian thugs. They band together to help Harbinder solve the murder of their friend Peggy, an older woman who secretly helped some well-known crime writers plot their fictional murders. I love Elly Griffiths writing and this one just swept me along as usual! Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Unpopular opinion alert!
This was just a 3⭐️ read for me!

I loved “The Stranger Diaries”...the story within the book, the suspense, the hint of the Supernatural...

So, I was excited to receive approval to read an ARC of “The Postscript Murders”!

The death of 90 year old, Peggy Smith, reveals that she has been a “Murder Consultant” for several best-selling crime fiction authors! Her name appears in dedications and acknowledgement pages of several books-apparently she was great at plotting and dreaming of new ways to murder someone!

P.S. Thanks for the Murders
P.S. for PS

And, to me, her collaborating with the authors and brainstorming with them is the book that I wanted to read!

But, alas, we didn’t get to spend time with Peggy beyond the Prologue, and instead join her friends (3 unlikely armchair detectives) and DI Harbinder Kaur (who was first introduced in The Stranger Diaries) in a “COZY” story which at times read a bit like a farce to me because of a white Ford Fiesta which seemed to be in the Vicinity of many of the “Postscript Murders”.

It is not necessary to read “The Stranger Diaries” to read this one, but if you haven’t read it, it was the book which I preferred of the two.

P.S. This will be available in the U.S. on March 2, 2021.

This is the first Elly Griffiths book I read and I cannot wait to catch up on the first book of Harbinder Kaur series and all the books of Ruth Galloway series! Elly's writing style and storytelling is absolutely fantastic. I am impressed!

The mystery behind the murders kept me guessing until the end. We do have a series of twists in the second half of the story and the 'final' twist added a "tadka" to the mystery.

The (amateur detective) trio - Natalka, Benny and Edwin - add a quirky touch to the story. Well developed characters and a well-concocted mystery, I absolutely recommend The Postscript Murders to mystery lovers.

(4.5 stars)

I was so pleased to see that Elly Griffiths has decided to write a series featuring DS Harbinder Kaur, who first made her first appearance in "The Stranger Diaries". Harbinder is an intriguing character herself; she's a Sikh in her thirties, is gay and lives with her parents. She's the no-nonsense kind and she doesn't really care what people think of her, which is one trait I liked most about her.

In this book we follow Harbinder to Shoreham, a West Sussex coastal town, to look into the death of a 90-year-old Peggy Smith. Although Peggy is reported to have died of a heart condition, her carer thinks otherwise. Natalka, an Ukrainian young woman who has some knowledge in cryptocurrency dealing, has been taking care of Peggy for a while and knew about her quiet lifestyle and her health condition. She believes there's more than meets the eye surrounding Peggy's death after finding a postcard tucked in one of her books with an ominous message "We are coming for you". Peggy may be old and wheelchair-bound, but in truth she was a smart woman who had offered some of her ideas to several well-acclaimed crime authors about murder plots and how to kill people in the fictional world, thus earning her the title of "murder consultant" among them and it was no surprise her name was often mentioned in their acknowledgements.

As Harbinder and her partner, DS Neil Winston began their investigation after Natalka's observation, Natalka herself forms her own sleuthing group consisting an ex-monk turns cafe owner (Benedict) and a retired gay radio broadcaster (Edwin) who are all acquaintances of Peggy and living around the area. Their curious probing took a turn when a gunman broke into Peggy's flat and fled away with an out-of-print crime novel, adding more intrigue and suspicion to the already suspicious case. To complicate matters, Natalka thinks she is being followed by two men whom she suspected are Ukrainian mafia for the cryptocurrency fraud years ago. Without any ideas or clues, the two sleuth parties soon find two more authors dead. Both authors knew Peggy and they too had received the same ominous message. Who is targeting these authors and for what reason?

Once again, I find myself captivated by Ms Griffiths' way of plotting and executing the story, as well as her interesting cast of characters who are unique and unforgettable in their own ways. Natalka, Benedict and Edwin may have nothing in common and their personalities differ, but they've an astonishing chemistry and I enjoyed reading their observations and their theories. Harbinder's character continues to be a delightful read, but I was more drawn to the literary theme surrounding the mystery and the interesting trio that made this book such a fun read despite the dark mood of murders. And oh, if you've read The Stranger Diaries, you may be pleased to see Clare has made an appearance in this book, though she has no connection to the story and each book stand on its own.