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. ... view entire excerpt...

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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