I have read author Elly Griffiths before, but mostly stand-alones, and I didn't realize this new title, "The Last Word" was number 4 of another series. That's totally on me, my bad! That said, I think this one flows very well for a sequel and the detective was in the background, so I was able to easily follow this murder mystery - with someone bumping off authors in England. I really enjoyed this one and found it well-plotted with delightful characters & settings - so now I'll will need to check-out "The Post-Script Murders" and others from the author's back-list! My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley for the complimentary DRC, my pleasure to review it.

Another winner from Elly Griffiths in the cozy mystery genre. The combination of intergeneration cooperation, interesting suspects, the description of wanna be authors and ungrateful children make for an entertaining tale. My only quibble is the geopolitical comments that seem in my eye superfluous to the story.

Another excellent mystery from Elly Griffiths. The plot in this book wandered a little but, as always, the wonderful characters made it a very enjoyable read.

A cozy murder mystery that keeps you reading and guessing! What more could you ask for?! I love a detective novel and this one was definitely extremely readable.

So glad that I got to read this early. I love when she has a new book out. Nice to read about familiar characters. The mystery was interesting and not easily guessed. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Once again Elly Griffith had written a winner. In her newest mystery Natalka and Edwin are called in because they think their mother has been murdered by her husband. Along with Benedict, Natalia’s partner and Edwin’s friend, they set out to investigate. Along the way they find more suspicious deaths and they seem to point to a writers retreat. This book has many twists and turns and keeps the reader engaged with both the plot and characters. Highly recommend!

This is billed as number four of the Harbinder Kaur series, but this is really the story of private detectives Natalka Kalisnyk, from the Ukraine and 84 year old Edwin Fitzgerald who are investigating the death of several writers. To do so Edwin and Natalka’s boyfriend go undercover at a writer’s retreat. Harbinder, a police detective, does appear in a small role, but this is really the K and F show.

I was unaware of this series so I hadn’t read any of the previous books but got along fine with this book. Natalka’s mother has come to stay with her and her brother is fighting in Ukraine’s war with Russia a current events addition that I liked quite a bit. The mystery was interesting and I enjoyed the book, just as I have enjoyed most things I’ve read from Griffiths, the author of the Ruth Galloway series.

A solid series book, but I would not recommend this as a standalone book. Understandably, the characters are already established and not much time is spent on set-up or background. Bleeding Heart Yard, the third book, was more about the mystery and less about the characters. I would still recommend this to fans of mystery series, such as those by Janet Evanovich and Simon Brett.

What a fun set of characters. I love their ages, their backstory’s, and the interactions between the three of them. Complex and intriguing with a great mystery thrown in! This is a great series.

Writing: 4.5/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 4.5/5

A fledgling detective agency is asked to investigate the (to all appearances natural) death of a client’s mother. The client is even so kind as to provide the name of the murderer — the mother’s second husband who has inherited the lot! Another client is worried about a similar situation, and oddly enough, the obituaries of both were written by a man who predeceased each of them! Natalka — a beautiful and blunt Ukranian careworker; her partner Benedict — a philosophical ex-monk who now runs a coffee shop; and Edwin — an erudite and genteel former BBC producer of advanced age all tackle the case which quickly heads off into surprising territories. At the center of the proliferating coincidences is a writers retreat and a book club run by one of the retreat’s instructors.

I always love Griffiths’ characters. They are interesting in the way real people are interesting — not just superficial quirks but different ways of thinking, different things that give them pleasure, different ways of tackling problems. While some characters get the diversity treatment (the DI with a small role in this book is a lesbian Sikh), they get to be individuals within that identity classification and do not pretend to represent the whole or spend much time letting their identity inform the important parts of their lives. Her characters are completely believable, and I would be very happy to spend time with most of them. I also love Griffiths’ writing which has been consistently good throughout all of her many (many) books. Although I would classify her mysteries as cozies, there is never any dull filler. In this book, what “fills” the pages are questions of spirituality and ethics, literary references ranging from Shakespeare to Christie to Richard Osman, (good) writerly advice, operatic clues, and feathered barbs relating English experiences to those of a Ukranian.

I read a lot of mysteries — they are my comfort reads — but most mysteries are nothing special. Some nice closure at the end, a few historical tidbits, an engaging character. I find Griffiths’ mysteries a cut (or two) above. She is in my top three along with Louise Penny and JK Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) — satisfying at every level. I’m so happy with her prolificity!

Another addictive addition to the series! It was wonderful to spend time with Benedict, Natalka, and Edwin again. I love the age-positive theme and the fun mystery.