“This droll romp is a latter-day Miss Marple.” —Washington PostMurder 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 … 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 . . .
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Well this was definitely a surprise of a book coming from this author! I read and loved “The Stranger Diaries” and some of her Ruth Galloway books. I think those books had a more “sinister”, heavier feel to them.
Who has ever heard of a “murder consultant”?? Well in this book you will hear all about Peggy, a lovely woman who was considered just that. She helped authors find unique ways of “killing off their characters” and she was well known among murder mystery writers.
The book opens with her Ukranian caregiver, Natalka, finding Peggy dead at her desk. This is where she wrote her “investigations” and observations of the people passing in front of her bay window overlooking the sea. Her death was thought to be a heart attack, natural causes. She was said to have a known heart condition? Did she??
This starts the beginning of a very novel mystery. The lead detective assigned to the case, DS Harbinder Kaur, gets lots of help from Peggy’s friends in solving this case. There are many different ideas floated around but when others are found dead, supposedly of natural causes, there are suspicions of a possible serial killer?
The characters were amazing, here are some of them; the first 4 make up our murder solving investigators! I love how their relationships changed and how well these four worked together :
Edwin, Peggy’s friend used to frequently do crossword puzzles. He was a very close friend and is shocked at her death. He said he thought she was quite healthy.
Benedict is a former monk, he is a caring neighbor and thinks Peggy’s death is suspicious, he loves murder mysteries
Natalka, is an amazing caregiver, we see her change a lot during the book, in a good way. She found Peggy dead and was the first to suggest this might be murder!
Harbinger Kaur is a very interesting character, she seems to have a rough exterior but she shows another side of herself in this novel
Nigel, Peggy’s son who doesn’t seem to be in mourning for his mother, in fact he starts packing the flat up to sell as soon as he could. Why was he in such a hurry, something isn’t right here.
Multiple murder victims whose names I will not mention or that would spoil the surprise 🙂
I really enjoyed this book, it was a very different side of Ms.Griffiths that I have not read before. I would recommend this book, it was a good mystery, well plotted and had great characters that made me care about them.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley
This novel will be published on March 2, 2021
This was a joy to read – almost like a cryptic crossword puzzle but with a high body count. The murders are very radio 4. The novel has a quirky plot with plenty of irony. An absolute joy for anyone with any insight into the world of authors and publishing – it bursts with sly references to building social media profiles, literary snobbery, author paranoia, and old-boy networks. Peggy Smith, a super intelligent, crossword solving, ninety-year-old murder consultant, dies in her chair, but Care4You worker, Natalka, suspects foul play. She, along with café owning ex-monk, Benedict (who dreams of finding a quirky girl and doing something heroic) and Peggy’s neighbour; the dapper, bow tie wearing, Edwin, decide to interfere; leaping to various conclusions as to what happened. This is done under the watchful, yet reluctant, eye of the brilliant DS Harbinder Kaur who is herself busy juggling work and caring for her elderly parents. With, the woodland-esque DS Neil Winston in tow, she pieces together the fragmented clues. Why does Peggy have a room full of murder books, full of dedications or acknowledgements to her? How much did Peggy help the various authors plot their bookish crimes? A novel, containing a mysterious message, paves the way to celebrity author Dex Challoner. But then a book is stolen at gunpoint and things take a sinister turn which lead the trio to a literary festival in Aberdeen.
I love the sub-headings for the chapters and how Griffiths gets into the head of each character, flitting back to their pasts to show insight into their present actions – I especially enjoyed the brief glimpses into Edwin’s relationship with Nicky. Griffiths’s style is pithy, but she is never unkind, just gently mocking the assumptions some of the characters make regarding Harbinder’s lifestyle and I also love the little digs at Shoreham versus Brighton. She takes the rules of the cosy crime eg. the murderer always attends the funeral, and amplifies them so that it’s almost a parody of Murder She Wrote.
Griffiths’s prose is beautiful and I love the witty attention to detail; chocolate brownies that taste of charcoal; a writer who laments: ‘all I do is sit at home, writing books and eating biscuits’. There is gentle romance in a couple of disguises, sleep talking, cryptocurrency, latin dedications, homicidal vampires called Trevor, a dog called Ozymandias, plus plenty of time for Harbinder to play Panda Pop. The way the friends interact is sometimes very moving and I welled up reading one scene with Harbinder and her father. This is offset with some great, laugh out loud moments; the disastrous games of ‘Who Am I?’ and when Biba’s trip to hospital is more akin to a spa visit which results in her making confectionary for all the nurses. There are lots and lots of twists, turns and red herrings and I didn’t want the story to end. It is the perfect book to cosy up and read, with a mug of Benny’s excellent coffee, preferably with a delicate leaf or heart etched into the foam.
336 pages
5 stars
Natalka is the caretaker who discovers ninety-year-old Peggy Smith’s corpse. She believes that Peggy’s death is suspicious. She goes to the police station and talks to DS Harbinder Kaur. Natalka’s friends Benedict and Edwin are helping with her “investigation.”
When Natalka and friend Benedict are confronted in Peggy’s flat by a man with a gun, Harbinder and DS Neil Winston respond. Maybe there is something to Natalka’s suspicions after all. When another author gets killed, the tension increases. DS’s Kaur and Winston are looking at that murder, too.
Peggy received a threatening note, as did the second person murdered. The murders that follow are the same.
At the same time, Natalka is sure she is being followed. She becomes afraid for something she did while she was home in the Ukraine.
The identity of the killers come out of left field. I had not considered them at all, even after Benedict found the holy card in the book. I didn’t pick out the clues – whoops…
There are a host of colorful and somewhat strange authors in this book. I found I didn’t like many of them. Odd. I was glad to see that DS Neil Winston is coming along fine and I like the
“little furry creature” thoughts that Harbinder has while thinking of him. It is an interesting and humorous aside. I really like Benedict and was rooting for him all the way. This book is so very well written and plotted as are all of Ms. Griffiths’ novels. I especially appreciated the way that Ms. Griffiths revisited all the principals at the end of the book to tie up loose ends – just as Peggy would have wanted. I truly enjoyed reading it and look very much forward to reading more of her work.
I want to thank NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.