Natalka and Edwin are perfect if improbable partners in a detective agency. At 84, Edwinregularly claims that he’s the oldest detective in England. He is a master of surveillance, deploying his age as a cloak of invisibility. Natalka, a Ukrainian-born and more than fifty years his junior, is a math whizz, who takes any cases concerning fraud or deception. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated. She loves murder, as she’s fond of saying, and none have come the agency’s way. That is until local writer Melody Chambers dies.
Melody’s daughters are convinced that their mother has been murdered. Edwin thinks that Melody’s death is linked to that of an obituary writer who predeceased many of his subjects. Edwin and Benedict go undercover to investigate and are on a creative writing weekend at isolated Battle House when another murder occurs. ( )

When one author dies, and then another, it could just be coincidence. But when there are several other deaths, and there are threads of connection between them, things start looking suspicious, to say the least. Edwin and Natalka are now officially working together as a detective agency, with Benedict helping out in a pinch. When they're asked to look into one of the murders, they discover that a nearby writers' retreat was visited by several of the dead authors. When they reach out to Harbinder, now working on the London police force, they discover yet another connection. Can they all work together to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again?

I always enjoy Griffiths' mysteries, and this was no exception. As with her other books, I like the character development and the through-running plot as much as I enjoy the mystery aspect, or maybe more than (this one seemed a little shaky to me, but I was enjoying the read, so I didn't nit-pick). A fun mystery with a variety of interesting characters, technically the fourth book in the series, but you really only need to read The Postscript Murders to get the background on these characters. ( )

Natalka, Benedict and Edwin are approached about the death of a romance author by the woman’s daughter: she is convinced that her mother’s much younger second husband deliberately killed her in order to gain ownership of her large house, despite the fact that the death was attributed to a heart attack. As it happens, a couple of other writers have also recently died, and one of Benedict’s former colleagues at the seminary suspects that one of them was also murdered. Because the various authors had all visited a weekend writing retreat before their deaths, Edwin and Benedict go undercover to the retreat to see what they can see, but what they find is another dead writer, presumed a suicide but subsequently deemed suspicious. The investigating officers, knowing that they know DI Harbinder Kaur, agree to accept their help in solving the case, but are the deaths even connected? And then another death occurs…. This is, I think, the fourth book in the Harbinder Kaur series, although she herself is barely in the story this time, except to save the day of course. Nevertheless, the three co-leads (to whom we had previously been introduced in earlier books) are quite entertaining characters - Edwin in his late 80s but still spry, Benedict the ex-monk now working as a coffee shop owner and Natalka, the beautiful Ukrainian care-giver and sleuth who loves Benedict, are all interesting and believable, especially Natalka who is navigating life in Britain with her refugee mother while her younger brother is fighting in the just-begun war there (the book is set in 2022). I’d always love to have more Harbinder, possibly London’s only lesbian Sikh police detective, but I will take whatever I can get about her, or really about any character written by Elly Griffiths. Some people have difficulty with Ms. Griffiths’ writing style, which tends to the third-person present tense, but I just become completely absorbed in her storytelling and don’t even notice that authorial choice anymore. Recommended! ( )

Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors. And though I'll never stop missing the Ruth Galloway books, I have found some new favorites. You can meet some of them in Elly Griffiths' new book - The Last Word.

DS Harbinder Kaur from The Postscript Murders is back - but in a supporting role this time around. Instead we're with the two owners of the K and F Detective Agency - eight four year old Edwin and Natalka, who also runs a carer business. Oh, and her boyfriend Benedict steps in when needed as well. Amateur sleuths? Yes - but they're very clever and dogged in their search for answers and results. Griffiths has created a set of new players that I really, really like. I must admit to having a favorite already with Edwin. As readers, we are privy to their inner dialogue and that really rounds out the characters.

The case itself is a murder. Or a possible murder. It's hard to say. So that's where the sleuthing starts. But Benedict sees a possible connection to something he's found. And the answers may be found at a creative writing weekend. There are many, many choices for the whodunit. I must admit to losing track as to who was who at times. But, there are updated clue lists as the investigation progresses that help.

Everything is tied up nicely be the end of the book. But the door is open for more of this crew - and I'll be watching for the next book. ( )

The more Elly Griffiths writes, the more I admire her skill and artistry. When I learned that The Last Word would be a return to Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin-- characters last seen in The Postscript Murders-- I couldn't wait to read it, and it certainly did not disappoint.

Readers get to experience the story from the points of view of the three main characters: Natalka, an Eastern European caregiver who runs a detective agency on the side; her live-in boyfriend, Benedict, a former monk who runs a coffee shop at the beach; and Edwin, a former BBC employee who's on the far side of seventy. Natalka's life has been further complicated by her mother moving in and the news that her brother is in the army fighting in Ukraine. Is it any wonder that she wants a big, juicy investigation to take her mind off her worries?

The Last Word takes us into the worlds of writing retreats, book clubs, authors, and obituary writing. I love how Griffiths ties her story and characters into the here and now of our everyday world by mentioning things like the song "Jolene", a television series called "The Repair Shop", Goodreads ratings, and even tennis legends Federer and Nadal.

Harbinder Kaur is tangential to the story. She appears only a few times to give Natalka, Benedict, and Edwin advice even though she really doesn't want to become involved because "Authors, in Harbinder's experience, mean trouble."

I was enjoying myself immensely, but when all the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place, I actually crowed with delight at the unveiling of the mystery's complete construction. (And you'll rarely hear me crow.) What a wonderful story peopled with characters who seem actual flesh and blood! Do yourself a favor. Get your hands on a copy of this book, sit back, and savor. ( )