Book Review: The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

Oh but I do love an Elly Griffiths novel! Whether it’s these Harbinder Kaur books, the Magic Men series, or her stand-alones, I (generally) just enjoy her writing style and her quirky characters. She spends a lot of effort in creating a cast of characters that don’t feel like the cookie-cutter protagonists and villains that populate other mysteries, and that effort pays off. The result is a set of characters that are endearing, original, and wholly engaging. Add to that a deft hand at plotting out unusual mysteries, with more than a passing nod to the worlds of books and writing, and you wind up with an extremely delightful series!

In this second installment, we see Harbinder coming into her own. I really enjoyed seeing more about her family in this one. I am enjoying watching her work out her interpersonal issues – she feels very real and resonant, even though our lives don’t relate in many ways, and I find her to be a delightful protagonist. She’s just the right mix of focused and awkward to be endearing and relatable.

Honestly, I didn’t even realize the series was focused on her. The first book seemed nearly entirely Clare-focused to me, but the whole series is referenced on Amazon as the “Harbinder Kaur” books, so there you go. Clare has a cameo in here and it was nice to see her again, although it had been a while since I read the first book (The Stranger Diaries) and I didn’t remember very many details beyond liking it a great deal. Griffiths doesn’t make much reference to the first book here, which was fine with me. While I realize I may have missed some things, it meant I could read this book without needing to go back and reread the first, which was good because time is in short supply these days. Which is a long way of saying, if you haven’t read The Stranger Diaries, you could still read this one and enjoy it perfectly fine (although I never recommend reading out of order, sometimes it’s not a problem if you do).

The plot here is intricate and involved and clever. The interplay between the characters really helped build the tension throughout the course of the unraveling. The revelations, red herrings, and secrets were presented with just the right amount of drama. The whole thing came together beautifully and was a wild rumpus of a tale!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy. The Postscript Murders releases in the U.S. on March 2, 2021.