Book review: The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

Title: The Postscript Murders

Author: Elly Griffiths

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication date: 2nd March 2021

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Summary:

“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.“

My review:

The Postscript Murders is the second book in the DS Harbinder Kaur series and follows on with the introduction of a new murder case which DS Kaur is assigned to. This time, an elderly woman is murdered and the circumstances surrounding her murder become more and more suspicious.

I thoroughly enjoyed the return of DS Harbinder Kaur and the confidence she built throughout this book. Her intuition always points her in the right direction and her determination to succeed and solve each case are a commendable aspect of her personality and work as a detective. I also liked the hints of the characters from the first book and this blended in nicely to showcase Harbinder’s character development.

The plot flowed seamlessly from one setting to another and I was invested in both Harbinder’s storyline and the other characters’ trip to Scotland. The pace was steady throughout although it picked up somewhat during the murders. I also really enjoyed how the ending developed with one murder reveal after another.

My main issue with this book was mostly with the unrealistic events surrounding the three characters who were too involved in the investigation despite not forming part of the detective team. Travelling across the country to attempt to solve a murder for someone who they did not know too well before she died seemed too improbable and forced.

Although some parts seemed too farfetched, I enjoyed the cozy mystery feel and would gladly read the next book in the series. This is an overall solid addition to the DS Harbinder Kaur series who is molding into a respectable main character with a lot of great qualities.

The Postscript Murders is now out to buy!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.