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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Shades of Agatha…
When Peggy Smith dies in her flat, nothing could seem more natural, since Peggy was a 90-year-old woman with a heart condition. But something doesn’t feel right to her young Ukrainian carer. Natalka had visited her earlier in the day and she had seemed in good health and spirits. However, the official verdict is natural causes and although Natalka and two other friends of Peggy express their doubts to the police, Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur sees no reason to think otherwise. Until, that is, the appearance of a mysterious man with a gun, who breaks into Peggy’s flat and steals a book…
In the first book in this series, [b:The Stranger Diaries|40796097|The Stranger Diaries (Harbinder Kaur, #1)|Elly Griffiths|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532738769l/40796097._SY75_.jpg|58794499], Griffiths paid homage to the ghost story writers of the Edwardian era and produced an excellently spooky Gothic story. Here she is riffing on the mysteries of the Golden Age and does just as good a job, though as a result the tone of this book is very different to the first. This one has a proper mystery with clues, a group of suspects, a trio of likeable amateur ‘tecs, and a touch or two of romance. Partly set in Shoreham, a small seaside town on the South coast of England, and with a fun road trip culminating in a visit to a book festival in Aberdeen, the tone is light, with lots of humour and plenty of warmth. It wasn’t what I was expecting after the first novel, but I loved it! There’s lots of hat-tipping to the Golden Agers, and indeed it is a Golden Age novel that is stolen from Peggy’s flat. But why?
Peggy is dead before the book begins so we don’t meet her in person. But we get to know a lot about her life as the story progresses, and she’s a woman with a past! Not only that, she had a wide acquaintanceship among contemporary mystery novelists, having become a ‘murder consultant’ – she could be relied upon by novelists stuck for an idea to come up with interesting methods to bump off their victims.
While Harbinder sets up a conventional police investigation, Peggy’s friends take the vintage route of amateur investigation. There’s Natalka, who also has a past of her own that we’ll gradually learn about. Edwin is an elderly neighbour who had become friends with Peggy, often doing crosswords together, or taking short walks with her to the nearby Coffee Shack on the seafront. And there’s Benedict, ex-monk now looking for love and the owner of the Coffee Shack. Natalka, Edwin and Benedict are an unlikely detective trio, but Griffiths makes it work – the warmth and friendship among them makes this a lovely, heart-warming read, despite all the murders. Because, yes, of course there will be other murders – what Golden Age novel stops at one? The trio decide to talk to the various authors who used Peggy as a consultant, hence the road trip to Aberdeen.
The plot is intricate and well done, so I don’t want to say any more about it for fear of spoilers. But it maintains its Golden Age feel all the way through, although all of the characters are modern people in a modern setting. Harbinder herself is as likeable as she was in the first book, still living at home with her ageing parents, and still not having summoned up the courage to tell them she’s gay. I’m so late reading this one that there’s another book in the series due out at the end of this month and the blurb makes me feel Griffiths may have changed the style again for it – can’t wait to read it and find out, and also to see how Harbinder’s life develops! Yet another hugely enjoyable series from Griffiths’ ultra-prolific pen – I wonder if she has a whole team of murder consultants at her command, or just a great imagination…
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
When Peggy Smith dies in her flat, nothing could seem more natural, since Peggy was a 90-year-old woman with a heart condition. But something doesn’t feel right to her young Ukrainian carer. Natalka had visited her earlier in the day and she had seemed in good health and spirits. However, the official verdict is natural causes and although Natalka and two other friends of Peggy express their doubts to the police, Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur sees no reason to think otherwise. Until, that is, the appearance of a mysterious man with a gun, who breaks into Peggy’s flat and steals a book…
In the first book in this series, [b:The Stranger Diaries|40796097|The Stranger Diaries (Harbinder Kaur, #1)|Elly Griffiths|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532738769l/40796097._SY75_.jpg|58794499], Griffiths paid homage to the ghost story writers of the Edwardian era and produced an excellently spooky Gothic story. Here she is riffing on the mysteries of the Golden Age and does just as good a job, though as a result the tone of this book is very different to the first. This one has a proper mystery with clues, a group of suspects, a trio of likeable amateur ‘tecs, and a touch or two of romance. Partly set in Shoreham, a small seaside town on the South coast of England, and with a fun road trip culminating in a visit to a book festival in Aberdeen, the tone is light, with lots of humour and plenty of warmth. It wasn’t what I was expecting after the first novel, but I loved it! There’s lots of hat-tipping to the Golden Agers, and indeed it is a Golden Age novel that is stolen from Peggy’s flat. But why?
Peggy is dead before the book begins so we don’t meet her in person. But we get to know a lot about her life as the story progresses, and she’s a woman with a past! Not only that, she had a wide acquaintanceship among contemporary mystery novelists, having become a ‘murder consultant’ – she could be relied upon by novelists stuck for an idea to come up with interesting methods to bump off their victims.
While Harbinder sets up a conventional police investigation, Peggy’s friends take the vintage route of amateur investigation. There’s Natalka, who also has a past of her own that we’ll gradually learn about. Edwin is an elderly neighbour who had become friends with Peggy, often doing crosswords together, or taking short walks with her to the nearby Coffee Shack on the seafront. And there’s Benedict, ex-monk now looking for love and the owner of the Coffee Shack. Natalka, Edwin and Benedict are an unlikely detective trio, but Griffiths makes it work – the warmth and friendship among them makes this a lovely, heart-warming read, despite all the murders. Because, yes, of course there will be other murders – what Golden Age novel stops at one? The trio decide to talk to the various authors who used Peggy as a consultant, hence the road trip to Aberdeen.
The plot is intricate and well done, so I don’t want to say any more about it for fear of spoilers. But it maintains its Golden Age feel all the way through, although all of the characters are modern people in a modern setting. Harbinder herself is as likeable as she was in the first book, still living at home with her ageing parents, and still not having summoned up the courage to tell them she’s gay. I’m so late reading this one that there’s another book in the series due out at the end of this month and the blurb makes me feel Griffiths may have changed the style again for it – can’t wait to read it and find out, and also to see how Harbinder’s life develops! Yet another hugely enjoyable series from Griffiths’ ultra-prolific pen – I wonder if she has a whole team of murder consultants at her command, or just a great imagination…
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
WOW! A very new twist on cozy mystery genre. The characters are very interesting and original. The plot is way more complex that the typical cozy. The entire story just flows in so many ways. You really begin to like each and every one of them and really hope they re-appear. This is the second Harbinder, I have not yet read the first but certainly will do now.
I read lots of cozy and nothing has even come close to the plotting and writing style shown here. I just didnt want it to end!
I read lots of cozy and nothing has even come close to the plotting and writing style shown here. I just didnt want it to end!
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great second book, love her style! Loved this story too! Kept me guessing and had no idea who it was at the end!
When I got this book, I didn't realize it was second in a series. It read quite well as a standalone. Though the book started a tad slow, it quickly picked up pace. I found the plot intriguing, with numerous threads to keep track of. The characters were well written and diverse. Best of all, I appreciated the fact that clues were sprinkled throughout the story so I was able to figure out the ending - but not too soon.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more about these characters (particularly Edwin!)
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more about these characters (particularly Edwin!)
Love the characters so much. Especially Harbinder and Benedict.
The second Harbinder Kaur murder mystery tale. The focus of this series seems to be about books - first one had a Victorian novelist and a creative writing teacher; this one is about murder mystery writers - and Harbinder making friends with people involved in the case. It seems she's stayed mates with Claire from the first book, although it's randomly referenced and brings nothing to the ongoing story. And this could easily be read as a stand alone, so you wouldn't need to know about all that I am waffling on about.
Entertaining enough mystery delving into the world of murder mystery writers, complete with their publishers and agents and even a crime writing book festival up in Aberdeen. An old lady dies. And people assume it's natural causes. Then it turns out there's a lot of dedications to her in a lot of murder mystery books, and she has a business card calling her a "murder consultant." And then murder mystery writers start dying too.... Between Harbinder and her new zany collection of friends - an ex-monk now running a coffee shack; an ex-BBC man now in the same retirement flats as expired old lady; and a Ukrainian maths whizz working as a carer - the mystery will be solved.
Entertaining enough mystery delving into the world of murder mystery writers, complete with their publishers and agents and even a crime writing book festival up in Aberdeen. An old lady dies. And people assume it's natural causes. Then it turns out there's a lot of dedications to her in a lot of murder mystery books, and she has a business card calling her a "murder consultant." And then murder mystery writers start dying too.... Between Harbinder and her new zany collection of friends - an ex-monk now running a coffee shack; an ex-BBC man now in the same retirement flats as expired old lady; and a Ukrainian maths whizz working as a carer - the mystery will be solved.
Technically 3.5 stars. There were just a bunch of tiny things that added up in a way which caused me to take off 1.5 stars. Still an enjoyable read, and a good murder mystery. It felt cozy, no bad language to speak of, and a (mostly) enjoyable cast of characters.
I didn’t realize this was a second book of a series, but I’m not surprised. It’s set up like a series. The characters were likable and the story was good.
I absolutely loved this book! The characters are so real and you really start to care for them. I didn't know 'who done it' until it was spelled out for me. Elly Griffiths has become one of my favorite authors!