Harbinder Kaur has made the move to London and is now a DI in the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Unit. Her first case involves the murder of an MP attending a 21st class reunion at the prestigious Manor Park School. Among the celebrants are members of "the Group" who socialized together as students. One of the Group members presents a problem for Harbinder as Cassie is a member of her investigative team.
The murder is meant to appear as a drug overdose but when an autopsy proves otherwise the murder investigation begins. When a second MP and member of the Group is murdered police action escalates.
Secrets begin to emerge about the death of a student who allegedly attempted to rape two of the young women and died by falling, or being pushed, on to the track in the path of an oncoming underground train.
Members of The Group have different recollections of the incident and Harbinder and her team must unravel the past of each Group member to solve the crime.
This is the third title featuring Kaur and by far, the best. The character has come into her own both professionally and personally and I look forward to reading more of her detective work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for providing the opportunity to read this title.

In DS (Detective Sergeant) Harbinder Kaur’s third jaunt, Bleeding Heart Yard, she’s been promoted to DI (Detective Inspector). Author Elly Griffiths never lets her characters stay stagnant, and this latest entry is no exception. Harbinder is looking toward the future in every way - she’s living in a new city, has new roommates, and has her own team of detectives to command in her new position. Being away from her family and friends is a big adjustment to her life, but it's lovely to see her making positive changes. Of course, her first case is focused entirely on the rest of the character’s pasts.

Bleeding Heart Yard introduces us to Cassie Fitzgerald. As readers, we know from the start she was involved in a murder over twenty years ago. She and her friends escaped legal repercussions, but never fully dealt with the emotional fallout of getting away with murder. When someone from her old friend group, Garfield Rice, turns up dead at a class reunion it seems all those old memories and sins are getting stirred up again. To make matters more complicated, Rice was a controversial MP. Many of the other members of The Group, as they called themselves, have become famous as well. There’s an actress, a rockstar, and another political figure.

Like Griffths’ other Harbinder Kaur novels, this one has chapters told from some of the suspects' perspectives. The Group spends much of their narrative reminiscing about the past, particularly now that they’ve drifted apart as adults. Getting to see one another again drags up more than memories - there is at least one romance that bursts back to life before the ending. Despite lingering so often in years past, however, the story moves along at a brisk pace. There’s never a point where it lags, or slows down. I absolutely whipped through.

If there is a downside, it's that Harbinder doesn’t get enough time in the spotlight. Given that Cassie is a police officer serving under Harbinder, she’s probably here to stay. This story can really be seen as her development and introduction into Harbinder’s world at large. That just leaves the reader with less time with our much loved main character, and puts the friends she made in The Postscript Murders in a cameo role.

All of the books in this now three book series are very different from one another.  The fist one, The Stranger Diaries, was a gothic ghost story; the second, The Postscript Murders, was a caper with comic overtones; and in this novel Griffiths is entering the suspense territory of a group-of-friends-with-a-past that’s very up to the minute.  Being an Elly Griffiths novel, it’s one of the best of this type of novel.

To me, after the eccentric sleuth side characters from Postscript, The Group just isn’t as fun. Cassie even describes herself as a background friend in her own former friend group, and there isn’t a lot of her to get invested in. However, the fast moving story nicely sets up Harbinder’s new life in London, and it gives Cassie a start to develop further later. I can’t wait to see what Griffith’s has in store for Harbinder (and Cassie) next.

This mystery has much to recommend it: sordid histories, exclusive social networks, and a solid mystery plot. What elevates it to a five star novel for me is watching the growth of Harbinder as she unfurls into a stronger, self-possessed version of the Harbinder we meet in #1.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review. I am so glad we are back with another installment featuring DI Harbinder Kaur in her new post, freshly arrived in London and navigating life in the bigger city. A murder at a class reunion sets off a chain of events that reach back to the 1990s, when everything in the lives of the reunion attendees changed forever. How does this latest murder and a death in the 1990s tie in with the memories of one of Kaur's officers, and will she be able to solve it before it's too late? Oh heck yes she will! I loved the twists, turns, and the eventual putting-it-all-together. A well written, delightful read.

Griffiths is already one of my go-to authors and I am so pleased to see her ramping up the Harbinder Kaur series at the same time she ends the Ruth Galloway series.

Kaur is a magnificent protagonist - wry, funny, brave, and well-able to hold her own in the male-dominated world of London CID. In this new entry, Kaur has moved from Sussex to London and is trying to acclimate herself to the big city. Her social awkwardness is endearing and familiar to anyone who has found themselves in a new, unfamiliar, but exciting city. That awkwardness has no effect on her ability to solve a murder, and this one is a doozie!

As usual, Griffiths writing is on pointe - perfect blend of dialog and description, witty, and clever. This series is a winner and I really, really hope we see Harbinder on the screen sometime soon.

DS Cassie Fitzgerald has a new boss, Harbinder Kaur, and she also has a secret. When she was in high school, she and her friends killed one of their classmates. Cassie has filed away this traumatic event and went on to become a police officer, and is happily married with children. However, when she goes to a high school reunion, one of her classmates, an MP is murdered. Could this be connected to her past? Cassie and Harbinder have to solve this case before someone is killed again. As secrets are revealed, Cassie becomes less of an investigator and more of a suspect.

I loved this book so much—it started off a bit slow and I was considering whether to DNF, but boy was I ever glad that I stayed with it. Harbinder is a great character—it’s not often that I can identify with the protagonist in a police procedural, but she is so well drawn. Her connection to her community is so strong, even though she has left Sussex for London and the big time as a DI at the Met. I would say this one is the best of the three Harbinder Kaur books, and I can’t wait for more

Thank you netgalley for the free ARC in return for an honest review.

DI Harbinger Kaur is called to investigate the suspicious death of a politician at his 21st high school reunion. Murders at high school reunions intrigue me for some reason. And the characters in this story are about my age so that was kind of fun. In this one, a group of old buddies have secrets surrounding the death of a classmate. We immediately learn who believes they are responsible for the death but things become more complicated when we found out motive and what lies are kept over the past two decades. Like her Ruth Galloway mysteries, Griffiths has interesting characters and a well written mystery, this time set in London.

I’m jumping into the Harbinder Kaur series in book three. Even though I don’t know a lot about her experiences in the first two books I felt that Elly Griffiths revealed enough important details. I really like DI Kaur and her team. She’s got her first big case at her new job in London and hopes to show everyone she deserves to be there.

I liked the class reunion at a posh school setting and all the trappings you’d expect. There were some surprises along the way but midway through the pace slowed for me and I grew a bit bored. What kept me reading, though, was DI Kaur and her team – and of course wanting to find out whodunnit. Will I read more in the series? If there’s another book I’ll definitely make time to read it.

I won't be reading this because I did not realize it's book three in a series (DOH!)

I obviously will not review on any consumer websites and won't give it a bad rating here as this was my error. Thank you to Mariner Books for the advanced copy!

Another great entry in the Harbinder Kaur series! Loved the multiple POVs. Hope for more in this series!!

Elly Griffiths tells a tight, impeccably wound detective story, but it’s the glimpses of the lives of the characters that keep you coming back. DI Harbinder Kaye’s first London case is a one that brings together a large group of people who were friends at school 21 years ago. They have a dark secret, or do they? Either way, somebody is willing to kill to keep them quiet.

I'm a long-time fan of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series. Now Harbinder Kaur is quickly winning me over. Bleeding Heart Yard was a fantastic mystery. It's also deeply ingrained in London -- or maybe vice versa. :) I really appreciate the normatization of LGBTQ+ storylines and major characters, too. A win on all fronts.
It was a bit funny to read a novel whose characters graduated from high school the same year I did. It felt very current -- but I think it underscored that we're getting on in life! ;)
Highly recommended.

So I definitely love Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series but now I'm kind of thinking that maybe I love these Harbinder Kaur mysteries even more? This one in particular was really compelling for me. Harbinder is in London now, and she gets her first big case - an MP is found dead at his secondary school reunion, and foul play is suspected. Soon, another member of his school cohort, an MP on the other side of the aisle, is also murdered, and somehow all of it seems to be connected back to the accidental death of one of their old classmates on their exam day 21 years prior. A great mix of characters and a solid blend of the current case with what turns out to be a bit of a cold case. I was satisfied with the mystery and how it wrapped up, but I was bummed when this was over, which I think is the sign of a great read.

Harbinder get her first murder case on London. Her three sidekicks are absent, so she must make her way with a brand new team. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy it.

I've enjoyed many of Elly Griffiths' novels, though this is the first in this series for me. I was very pleased as expected, and loved the intricate plotting and it subtle twists, the characterizations, and the whodunnit suspense.

The murder mystery revolves around The Group, a set of high school students at Manor Park School, who were always together, even when one of them, David, falls to his death in front of a moving train. Now, twenty years later, the remaining members of The Group are at a school reunion, where another one of them is murdered. Suspicion falls on all of them.

I loved that the mystery plot is not predictable, nor is the culprit or the reasons behind the murders. Another excellent mystery by the author.

Harbinder Kaur is now a DI in London, sharing a rented flat while leading a Murder Investigation Team of the Metropolitan Police (Homicide and Serious Crimes Unit). Harbinder is thrilled to be out of West Sussex and into the multicultural spaces of the teeming metropolis. It's been a little boring at work though so Harbinder is excited when the phone rings and DS Jake Barker calls her in to an "unexplained death."

The unexplained death turns out to be Garfield Rice, posh MP, attending a class reunion at posh Manor Park school with all his posh classmates. The case gets upgraded to a murder enquiry when the pathologist finds evidence of poisoning and the game is afoot. Which one of the old school chums did the deed?

My interest waned here. I'm not emotionally invested in some random Brit millennials and their naughty high school deeds. And I must say this trope has been done and overdone recently (If We Were Villains, The Secret History). I did enjoy Harbinder's chapters as she persevered on to a satisfying conclusion.

Bleeding Heart Yard
by Elly Griffiths
Pub Date: November 15, 2022
Mariner Books
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This was a new author for me, and I loved this book so I will definitely be looking for more of her books.
A murderer strikes at a school reunion—but the students are no strangers to death— in this propulsive, twisty thriller from the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries.

5 stars

Are you kidding?!? This was so good! Hooked me from the get go, loved the back and forth storylines and omg the characters! Great thriller! I will definitely check out other books from Ellis Griffiths. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

“Memory is a dynamic thing, it’s constantly being updated” ….“ But, is it possible to forget that you’ve committed a murder?”

Manor Park’s graduating class of ‘98 was quite distinguished. “The group” as they were known in school included seven members.

Isabelle Istar, a famous Actress, Chris Foster, a well known Pop star, and two Politicians with opposing views about Climate change-Garfield Rice and Henry Steep.

Anna Vance, now teaching English to students in Italy, was also a member, having dated Chris, as was Sonoma Davies, who is now the Headteacher at Manor Park.

Oh, don’t forget Cassie Fitzherbert, who is now a DS on DI Harbinder Kaur’s new “Murder Investigation Team”.

She killed fellow student David Moore, 21 years ago, and got away with it, as she will tell you in the prologue. And, ALL of “the group” was complicit in the crime.

Harbinder Kaur is back for the third installment of the series (The Stranger Diaries #1 and The Postscript Murders #2) but she is now sharing a flat in London with two other women, and heading her own team, graduating from DS to DI.

Her first major case…when one of “the group” is murdered at Manor Park’s 21st reunion, organized by Sonoma Davies.

Cassie who was in attendance has secured the guests in the library, but after overhearing a private conversation, she is afraid that one of the group has killed again to make sure that what they did to David Moore remains a secret from the past, so she tries to steer her new boss away from those at the reunion, suggesting an alternate motive instead.

But then another member of the group is found dead in the legendary Bleeding Heart Yard, a courtyard in Holborn named after the murder in the seventeenth century of Lady Elizabeth Hatton, second wife of Sir William Hatton, and the pressure to solve this case is ramped up.

Lady Elizabeth’s body was found, torn limb from limb, with her heart still beating blood.

And, a heart is found with this body too.

These books seem like a “modern” cozy series to me-(all violence occurs off page) not “cute” but touching on the more relevant themes of Politics, Privilege, and Prejudice with a unique lead character.

Although “The Stranger Diaries” is most definitely my favorite of the three, I enjoyed getting to see a more mature version of Kaur, as she confidently leads her team which includes new characters -Detective Sergeants Kim, Jake and Tory.

And, now that she has finally moved out of her parents home, at the age of 38, will she also find the courage to introduce her traditional Sikh parents, to her first official girlfriend?

I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Available November 15th in the U.S. from Mariner books who gifted me a copy through NetGalley. Already available in the U.K. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I have read other books in the Harbinder Kaur series. I like how each book introduces new characters and mysteries, so the series always feels fresh. In this one, however, the main character was not as likable as in past books, but I still enjoyed the story. I look forward to the next book in the series.