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.

mystery, England, cosy-mystery, sly-humor, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, procedural, suspense***** The active 90 year old died suddenly and her caregiver finds a business card stating that the woman was a Murder Consultant. She also finds that many authors have referenced her in their Acknowledgements. So it begins. Exploring the personalities and cultures of an interesting number of awesome characters as together and individually they explore the murders of authors linked to the Murder Consultant is riveting as well as fun. I found it to be a terrific read. I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via NetGalley.

I have long been a fan of Elly Griffiths - in particular her fabulous Ruth Galloway mystery series. Back in December of 2018 I read "The Stranger Diaries". At the time it was touted as being a stand-alone. I loved the protagonist DS Harbinder Kaur so much that I wished then that her character would be brought back in another book. My wish came true! DS Harbinder Kaur is a petite, though fierce, young policewoman, and a force to be reckoned with. Her character is written with empathy and humour. This time out she is accompanied by a diverse assortment of somewhat quirky characters. The dual settings of seaside Sussex and Aberdeen, Scotland were well described. The plot was interesting and read like a successful combination of serious crime fiction and cozy, at times almost farcical mystery. It is the brilliant characterization coupled with the humour that makes this series special for me. I will eagerly read the next installment when the opportunity arises. Overall, I found this novel to be an intelligently written, literary murder mystery with an outstanding cast of well-developed characters. A 'whodunit' rife with cryptic clues. Highly recommended!

I loved this book! I've read most of Elly Griffiths books and they are all good!

What a brilliant read this is. It is a rather gentle murder mystery to solve with a band of wannabe super sleuths who are entertaining in their own right. When 90-year-old Peggy is found dead by her carer it seems that the old lady had just simply come to the end of her life but something just doesn’t feel right about it all, especially when a postcard is found. I was in my element reading this story as it revolved around the world of authors, book signings and crime festivals, as well as solving the crime of course. Peggy has quite a collection of books that have some rather unusual dedications in them to her. It is Peggy’s carer that feels there is something more to her death. This is the second book in the DS Harbinder Kaur series, who is a 36-year-old gay Sikh who lives with her parents. They don’t know that she is gay and it isn’t something she feels she can talk to them about. She is more than happy to come home to still be pampered, she is definitely not someone that likes cleaning or cooking. The motley crew of carer, ex-monk and elderly resident that lives in the same sheltered accommodation and was a good friend of Peggy’s, take a trip northwards to do a little more digging. Much to the horror of DS Harbinder, it isn’t long before the murders grow in number, with the same peoples’ names entwining time and time again as well as an identical postcard that they have all received. Brilliant characters, great storyline and a joy to read. I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.