“Don’t clever people read crime novels?’ asks Edwin, making a list of murder mysteries in his head, starting with Macbeth and including Dickens, Dostoevsky, Charlotte Brontë and Wilkie Collins. He’s a particular fan of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.”

This is the second book in the Harbinder Kaur series. Harbinder is a 30-something detective who lives with her parents above the store they own. They are Sikh and have all of those stereotypical expectations for Harbinder and don’t know that she’s secretly gay. Her familial relationships play into this series really well and I enjoy her interactions with them.

This mystery was a really clever and bookish one. Peggy Smith, a woman living in an assisted living home (called sheltered living in the UK, apparently), suddenly dies. A business card with her name and Murder Consultant is found among her things. One of the carers who worked with Peggy is immediately suspicious and approaches the police, which brings Harbinder onto the case and three unlikely friends together. Soon, someone is murdering writers who have acknowledged Peggy in their books. What are they trying to hide? Who was Peggy? And what is a murder consultant??

This book is described as a modern day Miss Marple and perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz – and I totally agree. Elly Griffiths is in very good company with this one!