The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

March 19, 2021

The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths

A 90 year old woman named Peggy Smith is found dead in her flat by her caregiver. At first, it seems the woman died of natural causes (she IS 90, after all), but when the caregiver is cleaning out the flat, she notices a large number of crime novels dedicated to Peggy:  PS: to PS.

It turns out that Peggy was a murder consultant for a number of popular writers, with a knack for thinking up clever and unusual ways to kill someone. But this time, someone wanted Peggy dead. The caregiver, an elderly (but very dapper) neighbor, and the owner of the local cafe team up to solve the crime with one of the local detectives, DS Harbinder Kaur. But then other writers start turning up dead, and the amateur sleuths pursue a lead to a popular book festival in Edinburgh.

This is the second book in the Harbinder Kaur series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. The characters are charming and the police detective is nicer than a lot of crime fiction cops.

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

January 22, 2021

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist, studying old bones from the Iron Age. She is 40-ish, overweight, and frumpy, living in a remote cottage with her two cats, living a quiet, orderly life. When a child's bones are found in the sand of a beach near her home, the local police suspect they are the bones of a child who disappeared about ten years earlier. But to Ruth's delight, the bones are much older, about 2,000 years old from the Iron Age. But then another child disappears and Ruth begins receiving threatening letters similar to the letters that the police received when the first child disappeared. 

This is the first book in the Ruth Galloway series.  It's a creepy mystery, very atmospheric, lots of dark and fog with the tide coming in and cutting off escape routes. Although Ruth describes herself as dumpy and unattractive, there are several men who are interested in her. I didn't care for this series enough to continue reading any more of the books, but many people enjoy it.

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

October 21, 2019

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

Clare Cassidy is a secondary English school teacher in an English town in West Sussex, specializing in the works of literary works of Victorian author R. M. Holland.  Part of the school where she teaches was Holland’s house, where a number of rooms have been preserved exactly as they were when the writer lived there.  Clare is devastated to learn that a fellow teacher and close friend has been found murdered, with a quote from Holland’s most famous story next to her body.  But things go from bad to worse when Clare’s life begins to echo some of her favorite pieces of literature.  She turns to her diary to record her feelings, only to find that some unknown person has been reading her diary and writing in it.

This is a modern gothic with a classic whodunit feeling, perfect for October reading.  Many of the themes that occur in classic gothic and supernatural fiction are included:  a creepy old school with a resident ghost, an abandoned factory, isolated houses, unreliable narrators, heavy fog and darkness, screams in the night, mysterious lights that flicker on and off.  I liked the story-within-a-story structure, as well as the plot twists that keep the reader guessing.  The three narrators all have distinct voices and are each likable in their own way – I especially liked the fact that Clare adores her rescue dog (Herbert) and doesn’t care who knows it.  Herbert is a little guy but has the heart of a lion and doesn’t hesitate to defend his humans.

Another thing I liked about The Stranger Diaries was that the lead detective is a smart woman – she doesn’t miss obvious and not-so-obvious clues and have to have some bystander point them out or figure out the solution for her.

Except for the fact that the killer's motive is a little weak, this is an excellent read.

And yes, Herbert is alive and well at the end of the book.