There is a quote on the cover of this book taken from the Sunday Mirror. A love letter to murder mysteries. And it certainly feels as though Elly Griffiths was having fun when she wrote this book.
In The Postscript Murders, we are invited into the world of crime authors, where sometimes they become the victims at the centre of a murder mystery themselves.
DS Harbinder Kaur investigates the death of ninety-year-old Peggy Smith, a 'murder consultant' who plotted deaths for authors. At first DS Kaur is little concerned by the case, but when Peggy's carer, Natalka, reports being held at gunpoint whilst cleaning out Peggy's flat, that soon changes.
By turning her lens onto the world of crime writing, Griffiths has been able to have a little fun with her own profession, and share its best aspects. For a start, there's Peggy, the victim herself, whose job it is to devise interesting ways to murder people. Not real people, mind you. Still, inventing ways in which to commit murder is still inventing ways in which to commit murder.
And from Peggy, inventing murders and people-watching, and her death, there is born a mystery solving gang, almost à la Scooby Doo. Natalka, Peggy's carer leads the way, a strong and determined young woman from Ukraine with a past that's home to shadowy figures; Benedict is a mindful coffee shop owner – The Shack – who used to be a monk, and he is measured, but also uncertain when it comes to the ways of the world; Edwin is an elderly gentleman, a real gentleman, who used to work at the BBC, and who knew Peggy because they lived in the same building. Together this gang make it their mission to find the answers to the questions around Peggy's death.
DS Kaur works with the gang to solve the case, whilst also navigating the struggles of having to live at home with mum and dad. Whereas other fictional coppers might hit the bottle for relief from the pressures of the job, DS Kaur is addicted to the games on her phone.
Along the way, we traverse the world of the crime novelists, and even get to poke a little fun at elements of that world. Such as the slightly pretentious writer who insists their work is more literary than crime fiction – genres such as crime, horror, and romance all have to put up with their snooty detractors, sometimes from within.
Yes, it definitely feels as though Elly Griffiths was having some fun when she wrote this one.
And, I had fun reading it. In particular, following the amateur sleuths, Natalka, Edwin, and Benedict. To be honest, I found each of these characters more interesting than the detective of the novel. If Elly Griffiths ever feels the need to return to this world, I hope it is to revisit the gang rather than the detective.
In this novel, Griffiths presents each chapter from the point of view of each character. Apart from giving the reader the chance to see the mystery of the book from different points of view, the chance consider the problem from different angles, it is a useful device for getting to know each of the characters better. And I very much enjoyed getting to know the characters.
Though it is useful to have a detective in the novel, able as they are to go places an amateur sleuth would find it difficult to gain access, I did find those chapters with DS Kaur the least enjoyable of the book. I found her to be the least likeable character. She seems to have a problem with absolutely everyone and everything else – her brothers, her partner at work, the family dog. To be mildly annoyed seemed to be her default setting.
However, of course, liking or disliking a character is all very subjective. It could be that I am in the minority and others will completely and utterly despise Natalka, probably my favourite character of the novel.
Yes, I very much enjoyed this crime novel set in the world of crime novelists. I don't know that I have read a crime novel quite like it before.
You can purchase a copy of The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths here.
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