Introduction

Murder leaps off the page when crime novelists begin to turn up dead in this intricate new novel by internationally best-selling author Elly Griffiths, a literary mystery perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Agatha Christie.

The death of a ninety-year-old woman with a heart condition should not be suspicious. Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur certainly sees nothing out of the ordinary when Peggy’s caretaker, Natalka, begins to recount Peggy Smith’s passing.

But Natalka had a reason to be at the police station: while clearing out Peggy’s flat, she noticed an unusual number of crime novels, all dedicated to Peggy. And each psychological thriller included a mysterious postscript: PS: for PS. When a gunman breaks into the flat to steal a book and its author is found dead shortly thereafter—Detective Kaur begins to think that perhaps there is no such thing as an unsuspicious death after all.

And then things escalate: from an Aberdeen literary festival to the streets of Edinburgh, writers are being targeted. DS Kaur embarks on a road trip across Europe and reckons with how exactly authors can think up such realistic crimes . . .

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Excerpt

1

Natalka

The Linking Words

She knows immediately that something is wrong. It’s not anything tangible, the post is neatly stacked on the half-moon table, the flat is silent apart from the sound of seagulls mugging someone outside, the art-nouveau clock ticks serenely, set in its stainless steel sunset. But somehow Natalka knows. It’s as if the molecules have rearranged themselves.

‘Mrs Smith?’

She tries the Christian name too, although Mrs Smith is not one of the cosy ones.

‘Peggy?’

No answer. Natalka pushes open the sitting room door. The air hums with something like electricity, as if a device has been left on, but Natalka knows that Mrs Smith turns the radio on for The Archers at two and then off again at fifteen minutes past. She can’t stand the Afternoon Drama. ‘Full of self-obsessed people talking about their lives. That or time travel.’ It’s now six o’clock. Time for the evening call, to help clients get ready for bed. It’s insultingly early for bed, of course, but Natalka has five other clients to see so what can she do?

She enters the room. Mrs Smith is sitting in her armchair by the bay window. She likes to look out to sea and even has a pair of binoculars to spot rare birds with or, Natalka suspects, spy on passing ships. But she’s not looking at anything today. Mrs Smith is dead. Natalka knows that even before she checks the pulse and notes the half-open mouth and misted eyes. She touches the old lady’s skin. Cool but not cold. Natalka makes the sign of the cross in the air.

‘Rest in peace,’ she mutters as she dials the number for Care4You.

‘Patricia Creeve.’ The boss is in. Miracle.

‘Mrs Smith is dead.’ Natalka doesn’t believe in wasting words.

‘Are you sure?’ Nor does Patricia.

‘No heartbeat.’ In moments of crisis, Natalka often forgets prepositions and connectives. All the linking words.

‘I’ll come over,’ says Patricia. ‘God rest her soul.’

It’s an afterthought but Natalka doesn’t think any the worse of her boss for it. It’s going to be a long night.

Natalka sits on the sofa to wait for Patricia. She would never just sit down in a client’s house, unless they specifically wanted a chat and Peggy wasn’t exactly the chatty sort. She was always polite but she knew that Natalka had a job of work to do and a limited time in which to do it. Now it feels odd to be sitting doing nothing, facing the silent figure in the chair which is angled to look out over the sea. Natalka gets up and walks to the window. There’s the wide blue sea with white-tipped waves and seagulls circling in the paler blue above. It’s a picture postcard view, if you don’t look to the right and see the power station and the sinister trawlers with Russian names. Suddenly Natalka realizes that she has her back to a corpse. She also has the strangest feeling that she’s being watched. She spins round but Peggy hasn’t moved. Of course she hasn’t, Natalka tells herself. Peggy is dead. She’s not about to start dancing a mazurka. One floor below, Natalka hears a door open and shut. Then there are heavy footsteps on the stairs and Patricia is in the room. Natalka had left the apartment door on the latch. Natalka gestures towards the chair and Patricia comes over. She takes Peggy’s hand with professional detachment but her eyes look sad.

‘She’s passed away,’ she says.

Passed away. It’s an English phrase that Natalka has never really understood. It sounds ethereal, ephemeral, something half seen and then forgotten. Clouds pass over the sky. But death is for ever.

‘Did you call an ambulance?’ says Patricia.

‘No,’ says Natalka. ‘I mean, I could see she was dead. What do you think it was? Heart attack?’

‘Probably. How old was Peggy?’

‘Ninety,’ says Natalka. ‘She was very proud of it. We had a little party for her at Benedict’s café.’

‘She was good for her age,’ says Patricia.

‘There are pills by her chair,’ says Natalka. ‘Perhaps she forgot to take them.’

‘Perhaps, but probably she just passed away in her sleep. It’s a good way to go,’ Patricia adds, patting Natalka’s shoulder kindly.

‘I know,’ says Natalka.

‘I’ll call the undertaker,’ says Patricia. ‘They’ll send a private ambulance.’

She has the undertaker on speed dial. Of course she does. While Patricia talks on her phone, Natalka approaches the body — Peggy — again. It’s only about fifteen minutes, but she’s changed. She’s no longer Peggy; it’s as if there’s now a wonderfully lifelike statue of an old woman in the chair. Her skin has a waxen quality to it and the hands, clasped in Peggy’s lap, look like they’ve been drawn by an artist. Who was it who drew praying hands? Dürer? Natalia is relieved that Patricia has closed Peggy’s eyes.

‘Rest in peace,’ she says again.

‘You should go home, Natalka,’ says Patricia. ‘This must have been a horrible shock for you. Take tomorrow morning off too.’

This is quite a concession. There are never enough carers at Care4You and Natalka is usually being asked to do extra shifts. The thought of a lie-in is intoxicating.

‘Have you told Peggy’s family?’ she says. ‘I think there was a son.’

‘I’ll look.’ Patricia is consulting Peggy’s file, which she’s taken from the half-moon table. The clients all have them, carers have to write in the dates and times of every visit: Toileted, gave meds, all well.

‘Here it is,’ says Patricia. ‘Next of kin: son, Nigel Smith. There’s a mobile phone number too.’

While Patricia telephones, Natalka turns back to Peggy. She looks at peace, that’s what Patricia will say to Nigel. Passed away peacefully. There’s a book open on the arm of Peggy’s chair. High-Rise Murder by Dex Challoner. Peggy’s binoculars are on the table beside her. There’s also a pen, completed crossword and a pill dispenser, the sort that has the days of the week on it. There’s something else too, a piece of paper just poking out from under the crossword. Natalka slides it out. It’s a business card, very official, with black, curly writing.

Mrs M. Smith, it says. Murder Consultant. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1. At first, Natalka believes that Peggy Smith died of natural causes. What makes her change her mind and go to the police? What does DS Harbinder Kaur think about Natalka’s suspicions? What kinds of “evidence” do Natalka, Edwin, and Kaur discover that suggest Peggy may have been murdered? Does all of this evidence ultimately help them to determine what happened to Peggy? Why do you think that Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin are so invested in helping to solve the crimes being investigated by Kaur? 

2. Explore the character DS Harbinder Kaur. How does Kaur compare to detectives in other crime novels? What sets her apart, and how does her character challenge stereotypes about this profession? How do the other characters relate to Kaur and interact with her? What challenges does she face in her career as a detective sergeant and how does she handle them? Why does Kaur say that she would find herself unsympathetic if she read about herself as a character in a book? Did you feel sympathetic toward her character? Why or why not? 

3. Consider how the author creates and maintains a sense of suspense throughout the novel. How does Griffiths create suspicion among her characters—and her readers? At the start of the story, Natalka asks, “how do you know what’s suspicious and what isn’t?” (9). Does the book ultimately answer this question? What makes a person suspect? Are the characters always justified in their suspicions?  

4. Discuss how the book creates a dialogue around racism and prejudice in contemporary society. What are some examples of racism and prejudice found in the book? What assumptions do Kaur and Natalka make about each other when they first meet? What does Kaur say she is not going to let Natalka get away with? What other inaccurate assumptions do the characters make about each other based on race, age, sexual orientation, etc.? Is there any resolution of these issues? Do the characters ever seem to come to a better understanding of one another? If so, how? 

5. How does the book also create a conversation about sexuality and LGBTQ culture in contemporary society? What does Edwin reveal about his experience living as a homosexual man during the height of AIDS? How does he say that things have changed since his youth? What secret does Harbinger keep from her parents and how does this affect her life? What does Natalka reveal about her own sexuality? To whom does she reveal it, and how do they respond to this? 

6. In her novel, Griffiths incorporates the popular debate about the merits of crime fiction and other “genre fiction” versus so-called literary fiction. What questions does she raise about the valuation of literature and this mode of classifying and assessing books and genre fiction in particular? How does she challenge assumptions about crime fiction and genre fiction not being “serious” literature? What do Lance and his colleagues have to say on the subject at their panel in Aberdeen? How does Peggy’s son, Nigel, feel about his mother’s predilection for crime novels, and why is his stance ultimately hypocritical? What other books and classics, perhaps not commonly thought of as crime fiction, are revealed as such within The Postscript Murders?  

7. In one scene of the book, a discussion ensues about why so many women write about violence. Why does Becki contend that women write about violence and crime? What did you think of her statement? Discuss. 

8. Consider the form of the book. Why do you think the author chose to divide the chapters by character, with each chapter focusing on a single character’s point of view? How does this contribute to a sense of mystery and suspense? Did any one of the voices resonate with you more than the others? Consider the chapter headings—do these enhance your enjoyment of the chapters? Are any of them clues?

9. Evaluate the portrayal of the elderly in the novel. How does the author characterize this group? Do the older characters in the book mostly reinforce stereotypes of this generation or overturn them? How do characters like Peggy, Joan, Weronika, and Edwin challenge conventional depictions or characterizations of elderly people? 

10. Revisit the backstories of the main characters. Which character’s story most surprised you? At the end of the story, who does Harbinger say are usually not seen by society? Do you agree with her? Were they “seen” within the book? How does Griffiths’s book ultimately expose and create a dialogue around this cultural bias of who is “seen” and who is “invisible”? 

11. Who is responsible for the murders of the various characters in the book, and how are these crimes solved? Were you surprised by the ending of the story? Who ultimately solves the murders, and what qualities could it be said make one a good detective? How did the author help to create in her readers the same sense of “detective fever” that Natalka, Edwin, and Benedict experience in the book?

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