Book Beginnings: The Postscript Murders

The Postscript Murders
by Elly Griffiths
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021

Opening Lines

Prologue

The two men have been standing there for eighteen minutes. Peggy has been timing them on her stopwatch.

About the Book

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 the account of Peggy Smith's death given by the woman's carer, Natalka.

But then 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. 

Then, after a masked gunman shows up in Peggy's apartment while Natalka is clearing it out, DS Harbinder Kaur begins to think maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

Initial Thoughts

 

I read The Stranger Diaries — the first book in Elly Griffith's Harbinder Kaur series — a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it, so I was very glad to find that she's written a second one. And so far, I'm enjoying this one even more. Lots of twists and turns, and some wonderfully quirky and appealing characters. Hoping to finish it up and maybe even get a review written (imagine that!) in the next day or two. 

Have a good weekend, everyone.
Stay safe. Stay calm. And happy reading!

Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted my last Monday reading update — sometime in January, I think. And that's mostly because I just haven't been doing much reading this year. Too many things going on and claiming my attention and taking up the time I'd ordinarily spend on reading. But I'm trying to change that and get back to the books now that I've got most of that other "stuff" attended to. I usually get quite a lot of reading done during the spring, so things might be looking up.

So far in 2021 I've only managed to finish eleven books. And several of those were children's books, which means I've been doing even less reading than it seems. 

Of all the books I've read this year, I think I enjoyed Christopher Fowler's Oranges and Lemons the most. 

It's the 17th book in Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery series, but it was my introduction to the books. I'll definitely be reading more of the series in the future.

At the moment, I'm trying to finish two ARCs I should have read back in February or March: The Postscript Murders, by Elly Griffiths; and The Lost Village, by Camilla Sten. 

Looking forward to both of those, and they should keep me busy for a while. Now I'm off to see what ya'll are all reading this week. 

Happy reading, everyone! And have a great week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs.