Book Review: The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

The Postscript Murders
Author: Elly Griffiths
Series: Harbinder Kaur (Book 2)
Publication: Mariner Books (March 2, 2021)

Description: "This droll romp is a latter-day Miss Marple.”—Washington Post

Murder leaps off the page when crime novelists begin to turn up dead in this intricate new novel by internationally best-selling author Elly Griffiths, a literary mystery perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Agatha Christie.

The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should not be suspicious. Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing out of the ordinary when Peggy’s caretaker, Natalka, begins to recount Peggy Smith’s passing.

But Natalka had a reason to be at the police station: while clearing out Peggy’s flat, she noticed an unusual number of crime novels, all dedicated to Peggy. And each psychological thriller included a mysterious postscript: PS: for PS. When a gunman breaks into the flat to steal a book and its author is found dead shortly thereafter—Detective Kaur begins to think that perhaps there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

And then things escalate: from an Aberdeen literary festival to the streets of Edinburgh, writers are being targeted. DS Kaur embarks on a road trip across Europe and reckons with how exactly authors can think up such realistic crimes . . .

My Thoughts: An elderly woman dies and three unlikely detectives are determined to find her murderer. Peggy Smith led a quiet life in a retirement home looking out the window and keeping track of what she sees. When her carer Natalka finds her dead in her chair, she thinks it might have been natural causes. 

Peggy's across the hall neighbor Edwin and Benedict who runs a coffee stand on the beach were also Peggy's friends and determined to find out what happened to her. One baffling clue can be found in the many books in her rooms. A substantial number of them are dedicated to her or she is mentioned in the books' acknowledgements. Then a card saying Peggy was a murder consultant is located. 

Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin begin trying to track down the authors who have acknowledged Peggy to see if they can find out who might have wanted her dead. 

Natalka has brought her questions regarding Peggy's death to DS Harbinder Kaur who is curious but doesn't think there is a case. But then one of the authors who thanked Peggy is murdered. It turns out that his mother and Peggy were friends until his mother's death. And Natalka and Benedict are threatened by a person with a gun while going through Peggy's apartment. 

The trio decides to head to Aberdeen for an author convention to meet with another of the authors who mentioned Peggy in their book's dedication. And still another author with ties to Peggy is found dead of the same cause as Peggy. That brings Harbinder to Aberdeen to work with the local police.

The story is filled with twists and turns. It is also populated with an eccentric but engaging group of detectives. I enjoyed the story very much. 

I bought this one July 18. You can buy your copy here.