The Last Word by Elly Griffiths
What's It About?
Words turn deadly with an unlikely detective duo on the case of a murdered obituary writer in this literary mystery.Putting a new Elly Griffiths novel in the hands of a super fan is like giving a chocoholic a Willy Wonka golden ticket — as this powerhouse author never falters or disappoints. While the Ruth Galloway series is on hiatus, The Last Word gifts readers with the return of both DI Harbinder Kaur and stand-out characters Natalka and Edwin who first met in a puzzler of a case described in The Postscript Murders.
A Sudden Death and a Reunion
Initially, no one thought it suspicious when nonagenarian Peggy Smith died suddenly in a retirement home except for her primary caregiver Natalka and Edwin, Peggy’s across the hall neighbor and best friend. The keen observations of this unlikely duo of amateur detectives proved that “murder consultant” Peggy who, for many years, had worked with mystery authors to improve their plots had been deliberately killed. They won over skeptical police investigators by solving the case and gained the respect of then DS Kaur. Despite their 50+ year age difference, Natalka and Edwin worked so well together, they subsequently formed a partnership in a detective agency specializing in insurance fraud detection and divorce cases. Edwin proudly proclaims himself “the oldest detective in England”.
They never dreamt they would once again be involved in investigating another murder or string of homicides. An avid reader of the obituaries published in three major London newspapers, Edwin shrewdly began to notice that several recent deaths of people he slightly knew attributed to natural causes were curiously linked; circumstances a police investigator might well overlook. In The Last Word, when once again they began to cry “foul play” to the doubting local police, the recently promoted Detective Inspector Harbinder Kaur readily vouched for them.
Well-Rounded, Likable Characters
Edwin Fitzgerald, well groomed and impeccably dressed, is an 84 years young pensioner who retired from a career with BBC Radio 3. He credits his robust good health with daily yoga practices, deep breathing, long walks and a balanced diet combined with an abiding curiosity and mind exercises like reading poetry, working crossword puzzles and “Wordle”, a devilishly addictive online word game. He is competitive and enjoys comparing solving times with Natalka’s life partner Benedict Cole whom he frequently bests.
Benedict is serious-minded; an ex-monk who renounced his vows of silence and chastity. He left the monastery and moved to the lovely, historic seaside town Shoreham in West Sussex, merely 18 miles from London. With the help of his parents, he bought The Coffee Shack becoming a small business owner and barista with a part-time helper during the busy breakfast and lunch hours. His guilty pleasure since his early teens is reading murder mysteries and watching them on television as well as true crime programs. His preference is for the classics going back to Wilkie Collins. He often daydreams of investigating another real-life murder with his beloved Natalka and their mutual friend Edwin. Benedict had moved into her one-bedroom flat shortly before the pandemic lockdown began. With his business temporarily closed, he worked long hours as an assistant caregiver in the residential home.
Natalka Kolisnyk is a blonde and strikingly beautiful Ukrainian transplant. Her superior mathematical mind has helped them intuitively solve insurance fraud cases. She would like to expand their detective business sufficiently in order to afford a larger flat for the three adults now crammed into a compact space. Recently her mother Valentyna fled war-torn Ukraine to move in with them. She makes no complaints about sleeping on a sofa bed, cheerfully cleans, shops and prepares elaborate meals nightly. They all worry about her husband who is a high-ranking officer and Natalka’s brother who has disappeared while on a secret mission.
Suspicious Deaths
The detective team has a new set of clients, twin sisters Minim (Minnie) and Harmony believe their mother, writer Melody Chambers, was murdered and hire them to investigate. She was the wife of pharmacist Alan Franklin who was a much younger man who inherited the family home and a considerable estate. Alan does appear to have a strong work alibi. Through Edwin’s deductions from perusing obituaries, they uncover two other suspicious deaths, also of writers. The locus for these supposed victims is Battle House, the site of a recurring writer’s rural retreat which they all had attended. It’s time for Edwin and Benedict to don their virtual deerstalker hats, pretend to be aspiring fiction writers and enroll in a long weekend intensive writers retreat. The small group contains several published authors who have previously attended these residential workshops. Danger lies ahead and murder is in the forecast. New major character DS Liv Brennan is assigned as chief investigator.
A Delightful Read!
It’s time to read with delightful anticipation The Last Word. DI Harbinder Kaur was introduced in 2018 in The Stranger Diaries and has played a prominent, if not lead role in all four of these fascinating literary mysteries. She has become an unofficial mentor to DS Brennan but cannot direct this case as London is her jurisdiction, not West Sussex. However, she does communicate regularly with Natalka and acts as an informal consultant on this case. Harbinder has evolved tremendously since her early days as an investigator both professionally and personally. Exceptionally bright, this petite bundle of energy is a British-born Punjabi Sikh whose close-knit family resides in Chichester.
Since Bleeding Heart Yard published, Harbinder has acquired a live-in girlfriend whom her parents and brothers adore, has become more confident and less shy than when she began. Readers will hope for the continuation of this unofficial series of “stand-alone” novels.
Only author Elly Griffiths can determine whether DI Harbinder Kaur will dominate the action or continue to work alongside the detectives Natalka, Edwin and Benedict. In any case, whatever this much admired, award-winning and best-selling novelist chooses to write will be swiftly devoured.
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About Elly Griffiths:
Elly Griffiths is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series, as well as the standalone novels The Stranger Diaries, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel; The Postscript Murders; and Bleeding Heart Yard. She is the recipient of the CWA Dagger in the Library Award and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in Brighton, England.
