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Friday, April 09, 2021

Elly Griffiths' Newest Surprising in a Delightful Way


There's nothing unusual about residents of Seaview Court dying.  It's a block of retirement flats occupied by elderly people, after all.  Still, Ukrainian carer Natalka Kolisnyk can't help but think there's something fishy about the "sudden" demise of 90-year-old Peggy Smith.  Even more curious is the business card she finds identifying Peggy as a "murder consultant."  If all the crime novels dedicated to Peggy on the shelves of her apartment are any indication, the senior citizen advised authors on inventive ways to kill off their characters.  Surely a woman with such an odd job couldn't have died of natural causes.  Could she? 

Although Natalka brings her suspicions to DS Harbinder Kaur, it's not until there's a break-in at the dead woman's apartment followed by the murder of an author who used Peggy's services that Harbinder starts to take Natalka seriously.  Although the detective agrees that something strange is happening, she and her colleagues can't move fast enough for the concerned carer.  Much to Harbinder's dismay, she discovers that Natalka has enlisted the help of two friends—coffee shop owner and former monk, Benedict Cole and Edwin Fitzgerald, a senior citizen and good friend of Peggy's—to help her investigate the strange occurrences.  When another author murder takes place, Harbinder realizes they're in a frantic race against time to find a murderer who will not hesitate to kill again.  

One of the reasons I enjoyed The Stranger Diaries, the first installment in Elly Griffiths' engaging mystery series starring Harbinder Kaur, was its deliciously Gothic feel.  I was surprised, then, to discover that the second book in the series has an entirely different vibe.  The Postscript Murders is lighter and more upbeat than its predecessor, almost like a cozy mystery.  Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin are quirky, funny characters.  Harbinder is likewise appealing.  Plot-wise, the story is twisty enough that the killer's identity caught me by surprise.  Although The Postscript Murders didn't turn out to be what I expected it to be, I still found it engaging, compelling, and wholly entertaining. 

(Readalikes:  The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths and The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Postscript Murders from the generous folks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!

9 comments:

  1. Definitely something to check out when I'm in the mood for some crime procedural stories.

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  2. Great review, enough to get me interested in the series.

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  3. I haven't started this series, but it is good to know that the books are not all the same. This one sounds fun. Nice review Susan.

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  4. Oh, I like the idea of an expert witness/consultant being murdered and the books playing a role.

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  5. I have the first book in this series on my TBR and I love how this book has a completely different feel then the first one but both were still enjoyable.

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  6. Oh, I didn't realise that The Stranger Diaries was part one of a new series by Elly Griffiths (huge fan of Ruth Galloway). I have that on my Kindle unread so must get to it as I love the sound of the new one even though it's very different.

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  7. I really enjoyed reading this book; and I hope to see more of Harbinder Kaur in Griffiths' future books.

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  8. Oh, there's so many great books on this list!! Great post. :)

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End of Story by A.J. Finn

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows



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2024 Reading Challenge

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