Publication: 1st October 2020 – Quercus
The ultimate gripping murder mystery from the bestselling author of The Stranger Diaries and the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries
PS: Thanks for the murders.
The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should absolutely not be suspicious. DS Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing to concern her in carer Natalka’s account of Peggy Smith’s death.
But when Natalka reveals that Peggy lied about her heart condition and that she had been sure someone was following her…
And that Peggy Smith had been a ‘murder consultant’ who plotted deaths for authors, and knew more about murder than anyone has any right to…
And when clearing out Peggy’s flat ends in Natalka being held at gunpoint by a masked figure…
Well then DS Harbinder Kaur thinks that maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.
From the sleepy seaside town of Shoreham to the granite streets of Aberdeen, The Postscript Murders is a literary mystery for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Agatha Christie and anyone who’s ever wondered just how authors think up such realistic crimes…
PS: Trust no one.
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Delighted to share my review of The Postscript Murders, the thrilling new novel by Elly Griffiths.
When Peggy Smith is found dead on her chair everyone thinks that it was an heart attack, but not her carer, not her neighbour and close friend, and not the owner of the shack by her flat. They think she was killed and, to convince the police to investigate, they turn into amateur detectives and start digging into Peggy’s life. A vast collection of crime novels, a threatening note, and an harmed man breaking into Peggy’s flat convince DS Harbinder Kaur to investigate, while, at the same time, she tries to keep the detective trio out of trouble.
The Postcript Murders is the second novel featuring DS Harbinder Kaur who we already met in the gripping The Stranger Diaries. I really like this character. She is fun and smart. I enjoyed reading about her relationship with her working partner and about her personal life, living with her parents, worrying about her love life and life in general. She feels authentic and relatable.
The author did a great job creating the characters of the amateurs sleuths. Natalka is a twenty-something carer from Ukraine with great math skills that allow her not to worry about money and with a bit of a dangerous past. Benedict is a monk-turned-coffee-shop-owner who still struggles with his identity and his character develops really well in the story. Edwin is Peggy’s fellow resident and friend. He is a brisk 80-year-old former TV producer and radio host looking for the truth about Peggy’s murder. We meet the character of Peggy only briefly at the beginning, but her presence is felt throughout the story thanks to the memories of those who knew her and I found her interesting and entertaining. She was considered a “murder consultant” by many crime writers who asked for her help in making up unthinkable murders for their books. She also seems to have quite a mysterious past.
Elly Griffiths is an author who I have been following and reading for years, especially for her Ruth Galloway series, but I also enjoy this new series and the character of DS Harbinder Kaur. I really like her writing style and her twisty plots and the characters feel realistic and well-developed. The Postcript Murders is really a terrific read and I can’t wait to read more from this series.
A huge thank you to Ella and Quercus for providing me with a copy of this novel.
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Book After Book 