Thank you Netgalley & Mariner books for an eARC of Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths.

I’m a sucker for any sort of thriller or suspense novel that involves a school reunion, so found myself putting everything on the back burner to pick this one up. A murderer strikes at a school reunion, but the scariest part is that the students attending are no strangers to death.

In the late 90s, Cassie and her friends killed a fellow student. Or, so she thinks. Does she? She isn’t sure. Is it possible to forget you’ve committed a murder? Cassie’s now a happily married mother, and police officer. Her husband persuades her to attend their school reunion where she catches up with her old group of friends. It’s a great time, until one is found dead in the school bathroom, an apparent drug overdose. The case is led by Cassie’s new boss, DI Harbinder Kaur, a freshly promoted new face to the team. When someone else is found dead in Bleeding Heart Yard, this can’t be a coincidence…

I really enjoyed the dual storyline of this book - 1 the school reunion murder and revisiting the death from the past, and the police procedural viewpoint of Harbinder Kaur (Who I hope we end up seeing a LOT more of in a sequel!) That being said, I found the book to be a bit slow at times because there is a lot of background on each person in the group’s history, which does lend to the story, but made this an overall good, okay read for me. Loved the ending!

Although Elly Griffiths has a fairly large backlist, this is the first of her books I’ve read but now I’m definitely a fan! Bleeding Heart Yard is fast-paced and packed with secrets, lies, and murders. The character list is fairly large but easy to keep track of because the author does a wonderful job giving each individual a distinct personality. The story is told from multiple points of view, which I love because it provides a more complete view of unfolding events.

I really love Harbinder Kaur, the new DI assigned to the case. She is completely relatable and quite good at her job! Through hard work and quick-thinking, she proves to her team that she is well qualified for the task at hand.

Overall, this book kept me on my toes. It’s a well written procedural with likable characters, plenty of action, and an ending I never saw coming. Definitely add this one to your Christmas list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.

A fast-paced whodunnit centered around a murder at a high school reunion and its link to the death of a teen over twenty years ago. This was an enthralling story, absolutely entertaining and hard to put down.

3.5⭐️. Thank you to William Morrow and Scene of the Crime for an ARC of Elly Griffith’s Bleeding Heart Yard. By far, this installment is my favorite of the three Harbinder Kaur books. The stories keep getting better and I like to see DI Kaur’s character growth and how she is becoming a more confident individual. Other than DI Kaur, DS Manning, and Anna’s mom, most of the other characters were not very sympathetic or likable. The mystery was compelling and I truly didn’t guess who the murderer was.

4.5 starts

Bleeding Heart Yard, by Elly Griffiths, is the third entry in her suspense series featuring Harbinder Kaur, Detective Inspector now working in the Metropolitan Police Force in London.
As Kaur is navigating her new position and city home, she is called to investigate the death of a prominent MP at his high school reunion.
The parallel storyline is that of Cassie, Kaur’s detective sergeant, who is also a member of the reunion class and who harbors a deep secret involving The Group—high school friends of whom the dead MP was a member.
I found this to be an excellent police procedural with many twists and turns, as well as a pleasing amount of humanity involved with the lead characters. Human strengths and weaknesses are explored and woven into the fabric of this mystery.
While this is the third book in the Harbinder Kaur series, I had not previously read the first two books, and found this one easily readable as a stand-alone novel. The author’s narrative skills and her insights into her characters’ souls make this a rich literary police procedural.

Thank you to Mariner Books/Scene of the Crime FB group and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review

Unlike other mysteries, the who-done-it is not evident from the start. The plotting is reminiscent of the game where you must pick which cup hides the marble. Each character is brought to the front, and then just as quickly, they are replaced by another suspect. You have your suspicions, but then again it could be someone else.

With less than a hundred pages to go, I was narrowing it down to the most likely suspect. I kept returning to an overhead conversation -- where a comma could have made all the difference. And by the end, I was still wrong. You can’t call it an easily looked-over suspect since there were no clues. What you can call it is a master storyteller leading her audience down a path, and when you get to the end, you realize you had forgotten to keep track of one person.

I love Elly Griffiths’ writing; she has me running to dictionaries, taking notes, and making me wish I had paid better attention when studying the classics.

This is the first mystery by Ellie Griffiths that I've read, but it won't be the last. It is the third installment in the Harbinder Kaur series but I read it as a standalone and had no problem at all. I will definitely get the two preceding novels in this series.

Harbinder Kaur is a Detective Supervisor and in charge of her unit. She is both gay and a person of color which makes for some interesting interactions with both her staff and people at large. Cassie Fitzherbert, a detective, works in Kaur's unit and Kaur is her boss. The momentum starts at a 20th school reunion for Manor Park School. Cassie is an alum of the school and is present at the reunion when Gary, an MP, and one of her past schoolmates, is found dead. It looks like he overdosed on cocaine but Kaur wants an autopsy to rule out homicide.

The school is a public one and is known for the many successful alumnae it produces. There is, however, a shadow over it. Over twenty years ago, a student by the name of David was killed by an oncoming train. Did one of 'the group' commit murder or was David's death an accident? Does David's death have any relation to these current deaths?

The story is told in several voices, past and present. All of the characters are fleshed out and unique. My only issue was that there were so many characters that I had trouble keeping track of all of them.

Chris has become a famous singer. He and Anna were lovers in high school but he broke up with her at the end of the final term. Anna teaches English in Italy and has come to London to care for her mother who has terminal cancer. She and Chris still have strong chemistry. Izzy is a famous actress, very histrionic and quite beautiful. She and Gary had been a pair in school and were rekindling their romance despite the fact that Izzy is married. Stephen is an MP who is killed shortly after Gary. He is happily married to his husband who has no idea who could have killed him. Cassie, as was said, is a police officer, put on leave for the duration of the investigation.

The writing is excellent and I loved the character driven aspect of the mystery. Besides the six main characters, there are several others that are important to keep track of. Ms. Griffiths is great with red herrings and unless the reader is very perspicacious, the hints and tips will just fly by. I would have rated this a five but for the huge number of characters. I highly recommend the book and thank NetGalley and Mariner Books for the Advanced Reading Copy.

Detective Inspector Harbinder Kaur is now living in London--and away from her family. She has a promotion and is leading her own team. Her first big case involves the murder of a MP, Garfield Rice. When Harbinder arrives at the scene, she discovers one of her own team already there: DS Cassie Fitzgerald. Cassie and Garfield were at their school reunion, joining back up with a group of friends with whom they share a close past friendship... and secrets. Now Harbinder must figure out if Garfield's death is tied to those friends, or his political leanings.

I'm so glad Harbinder Kaur is in my life. Elly Griffiths tells all of her stories with such ease, and I love getting to know her characters. This is the third Harbinder book and while it certainly can stand-alone, I recommend reading the first two as well: both because they are excellent and because you can pick up on some nuances of her character. Plus, I just love Griffiths for writing a lesbian Sikh lead character.

I will admit, I was a little slow to follow the beginning of YARD due to its early emphasis on English schooling and politics. That's just my own ignorance. Everything made sense in time. There are a lot of characters introduced quickly (all of Cassie's friends at the reunion), but you soon learn who's who. The story is told not just from Harbinder's POV but Cassie and others, which adds an extra level of intrigue.

Griffiths gives us an interesting and timely tale filled with apt political aspects. I absolutely adore Harbinder (and her dry wit and sarcasm). Garfield's murder is a fascinating case that keeps you guessing

This is is my first book by Elly Griffiths and I was surprised to see she has quite a backlist. Always a good thing when you find a new author! This book has multiple narrators and two timelines. Different from other books written like this is that the same scene can be told from multiple people. It was a little confusing at first because I felt as if I was reading the same scene over but I quickly started to enjoy it. My favorite character so far is Cassie. I love her spunk and the way she handles herself and others. I didn’t want to out this book down!

While this story starts off with the interesting premise, “is it possible to forget you’ve committed a murder”, it really failed to hold my attention. We find out Cassie, a police officer, killed a classmate twenty years ago and has kept this secret closely guarded for years. At a class reunion, another classmate (who knew Cassie’s secret), is found dead of an apparent overdose. This may be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” but I just could not get into this and DNF at 50%. I felt I gave it a good chance to pick up and when it didn’t and I found myself no longer caring, I knew I had to put it down.

Due to my not finishing, I will not share my review on my Instagram blog.

While Bleeding Heart Yard is a pretty ominous title and it revolves around a murder at a posh school's reunion, this book never got too dark. DI Harbinger is an astute and likeable character, deservedly moving up the ranks and silently judging those around her without ever being unkind or unprofessional.
Though I enjoyed Harbinger, the first half of this book was pretty slow and the characters were boring. I liked that things went in a different direction than expected and enjoyed learning more about London, but this was a bit lighter than my typical thriller and overall I thought it was just okay.

I am a huge Elly Griffiths fan and this amazing story that keeps you guessing to the end reminds me why!

"The silence was louder than ever. What should I do next? Vacuum the upstairs rooms? Put some washing on? Relive the day I killed a man?"

The more books I read by @ellygriffiths17 (@EllyGriffithsAuthor), the more I love her! Her books have terrific plotlines, excellent characters and lots of little expertly placed bon mots, which place you in the heads of detectives, witnesses and murderers alike. So, I was thrilled to receive a copy of #BleedingHeartYard from #NetGalley recently. With just a few chapters left, I still hadn't figured out the villain. It's a treat to travel along with DI Harbinder Kaur on her journey - such a wonderful, wonderful character.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

DI Harbinder Kaur has a murder to solve! Recently transferred to London, Kaur has her first case - a MP dead under suspicious circumstances at a school reunion. To complicate matters, one of her own team was among the reunion attendees. Plenty of suspects among the class. And to complicate matters even more, the dead MP had witnessed a classmate die just after their A Level exams 21 years ago. Could this event be tied into the current case? Bleeding Hear Yard is a very nicely paced mystery told through the eyes of three main characters. The vibes of this book reminds me of The Stranger Diaries where DI Kaur is introduced as a character. All the loose ends are tied up nicely with a grand denouncement that is very satisfying! A very good read!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title!

Is it possible to forget you committed a murder. That is just one of the questions in Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths, the third in a series. The police are called to a murder scene at a class reunion. But it seems this death isn’t the first these classmates has witnessed. Twenty one years ago another classmate was killed by falling in the path of a train. It was ruled an accident but was it? This was a wonderful mystery that kept me guessing till the end. Thank you Netgalley for this Arc.

This was the first book that I've read of Elly Griffiths and she will definitely go on to my TBR list!

A school reunion of the class of 1998 at the posh Manor Park School ends tragically when one of the popular ex-students is found dead from a suspected drug overdose. To make matters worse is the fact that he was an MP. There were some very famous people in this class as well, an actress, a pop star, another MP and a police officer.
What really happened and is it linked to the death of a student David Moore who died after falling onto a railway track when they were celebrating the end of their A-levels?
What is the link with the Bleeding Heart Yard?
DI Harbinder Kaur of the criminal investigation department of the Metropolitan Police soon has her hands full in trying to solve the murder.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

To begin with I am a fan of British mysteries. I especially love reading about Colin Dexter’s Endeavour Morse and P.D. James’ Adam Dalgliesh, both so wonderfully flawed but oh so good at solving crimes.

So, having confessed my pleasure in imperfect detectives, I have to admit I’ve just added yet another Inspector to my list of favorites, Harbinder Kaur who is not only a female but one just promoted to Inspector and gay. Not exactly flawed but she is hesitant as to how to reveal her life choices to her new crew while she’s getting to know them and while they are working to solve the murder of an MP, which is a high profile case.

I loved the way we are almost immediately pulled into not only one murder but a second one that is twenty-one years old and seems to involve the same people yet again.

Since this was the third book in the series and I haven’t read the first two yet, I feel I should read the earlier books to get better picture of Harbinder but I did not feel that is completely necessary to have read and enjoy this book. It was a strange storyline which kept me guessing the entire time. Loved it!

Thank you to Scene Of The Crime, Mariner Books, HarperCollin Pulishers, NetGalley and the author, Elly Griffiths for

I received a free copy of Bleeding Heart Yard, by Elly Griffiths, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. From murderer, to a cop, married with kids, Cassie is quite a women. What a story, not your typical thriller at all.

This is the third installment in Griffiths' Harbinder Kaur series. In this one Harbinder has been promoted to Detective Inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Police. This required her to leave her parent's home in West Sussex and move to a flat in London with two roommates. A case soon appears when a Conservative MP is found murdered at a class reunion. It's Harbinder's first case as a DI and the first with her new team, complicated by the fact that one of the DS's is a possible suspect. It's an engrossing mystery story, showing both Harbinder's expertise and her efforts to become a Londoner and be independent for the first time in her life. A fun read and highly recommended.

Third in a series of crimes solved by Detective Harbinder Kaur, and another fun mystery that had a surprising ending. Almost too surprising, I think, and my least favorite of the three. I still enjoyed reading it, but I didn’t get as fond of the characters or invested in their lives and stories.
While the books don’t follow each other plot wise, Harbinder is the continuing character and it’s nice to see her develop from book to book. Thanks to the publisher for the arc.