Ahhh, it is so lovely to be back in Shoreham in Sussex with Natalka, Edwin and Benedict! I first met them in Elly Griffiths’ ‘The Postscript Murders’ and this is another mystery all twisted up with books and writing and authors. Perfect for a bookworm and crime-fiction fan like me!
This is (I think) the fourth mystery in the detective Harbinder Kaur series, but some of the books are set in London and don’t feature the rest of the gang. They’re all brilliant and all can be read as standalones, but it is great to be back by the sea in Edwin’s retirement flat and ex-monk Benedict’s coffee shack. This story does pick up some of the themes from ‘The Postscript Murders’ but everything is explained so you don’t need to have read it.
In this book, Edwin and Natalka (Benedict’s partner) have set up a private detective agency and are awaiting a big case. When they get asked to investigate the death of a local writer, Melody Chambers, they immediately find the links with Battle House, a writers’ retreat, and head off undercover to try to find out whether Melody was murdered. Another mysterious death follows and Edwin and Benedict find themselves in danger.
For anyone who has read other Elly Griffiths books, this is definitely at the cosy crime end of her writing scale. Although this isn’t my usual genre, I absolutely loved the clever plotting and the warm characterisation – these are excellent characters with interesting back stories and they’re written with humour and affection.
The main characters make an unlikely investigative team – octogenarian Edwin, ex-monk Benedict, Ukranian care worker Natalka and gay Sikh Harbinder Kaur. Natalka is my absolute favourite as she’s tough and resourceful, plus managing to live with reasonable good humour with her interfering mother who has fled Ukraine due to the war. She’s clever and an excellent investigator. The others are also lovely – and I really enjoyed Harbinder’s mentoring of Brennan. There’s some great commentary on the challenges facing women of colour in the police force, but Griffiths weaves it into the narrative cleverly.
In fact, I think Griffiths manages to cover a lot in this book, while still making it a cracking mystery. There’s stuff about war, loss, grief, love, relationships, ageing, racism, sexism, refugees…but all packaged into a warm, humorous, enjoyable book. I honestly could just read about these unlikely friends interacting forever! Add in Valentyna (Natalka’s mum), Mette (Harbinder’s girlfriend) and a host of writers ‘enjoying’ the retreat and you really see Griffiths’ gift for characterisation.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys crime fiction with humour and heart. All of Elly Griffiths’ books are fabulous, but this little series is my favourite.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Header photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
