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 carer Natalka's account of Peggy Smith's death.

But when 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...

And when clearing out Peggy's flat ends in Natalka being held at gunpoint by a masked figure...

Well then DS Harbinder Kaur thinks that maybe there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

I bought this as a birthday RBACK for a friend who is an Elly Griffiths fan just like me so I had to read it before sending on.

It's a terrific read, absolutely loved the motley crew of characters setting out to solve the murders from the South to the North.
Subtle humour, great one liners and a story that flowed easily. It's a completely different setting than the gritty Ruth Galloway series but I loved it just the same. Harbinder Kaur is definitely another strong female lead character to watch out for.

Happy birthday dear friend

Thank you so much for this wishlist book, I love this author. Thank you too for all the other lovely gifts, you've spoiled me x

Having thoroughly enjoyed "The Stranger Diaries" I was really looking forward to this & while delivering the excellent read I was expecting, Griffiths also surprised me. The first in this series was, to quote myself, "a chilling mystery that blended the elements of Gothic thrillers with contemporary crime in a very satisfying manner". This however was of a different style. While I’d hesitate to describe it as "cosy", it certainly isn’t a chiller in the way it’s predecessor was. It was, however, a gripping murder mystery that had lovely touches of humour throughout.

While billed as the second in the Harbinder Kaur series, once again, she doesn’t hog the limelight. Despite being a strong & very likeable character, I felt she was almost overshadowed by the motley group of wannabee-detectives who take it upon themselves to investigate the death of the elderly Peggy Smith "Murder Consultant" extraordinaire. These three, Natalka, Benedict & Edwin were an absolute delight. All have interesting pasts to discover & the camaraderie between these new & unlikely friends was both credible & endearing.

The storyline takes us into the literary world of authors & publishers & of course has it's twists & red herrings – I spotted a few "clues" along the way but their meanings weren’t always clear so I was kept intrigued to the end where the loose end were all tucked in satisfactorily.

All-in-all an excellent & thoroughly enjoyable read & I look forward to Harbinder’s next investigation.

I'll hold onto this now until I find it a new worthy reader ;o)

Arrived safely today. Many thanks for this Wishlist Tag. Like Plum-crazy I've enjoyed the Ruth Galloway series so was curious to see what this series is like. I have Stranger Diaries TBR so will make sure to read that first.

I enjoyed this book more than The Stranger Diaries and found it much quicker and easier to read as a result. The third book has mixed reviews so it will be interesting to see what it’s like!

Sending on to millycat next as part of a trade.

A bonus inclusion on a book trade, along with bookcrossing stickers and release bags thankyou! I've read most of her Norfolk and Brighton series, so am looking forward to reading this new one.