Editorial Content for The Last Word
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In 2021, Elly Griffiths introduced us to a number of colorful characters, all of whom were involved in a murder mystery that had a literary reference at its heart. THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS found Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur stumped by the death of 90-year-old Peggy Smith. That is, until she teamed up with an unlikely duo: octogenarian Edwin Fitzgerald and his partner, Natalka Kolisnyk, who is more than 50 years his junior. They run a detective agency with the assistance of Natalka’s boyfriend, ex-monk Benedict Cole.
"THE LAST WORD is such a perfect mystery for fans of great literature and reading in general, as the written word is used as the very motive and impetus for the murders that are committed."
Peggy Smith had her name used throughout various books as a postscript reference. You see, Edwin and company are big fans of modern and classic literature. Readers of Griffiths’ work should be thrilled to see these characters return in her latest release, THE LAST WORD. Once again, we have a murder --- or, in this case, multiple murders --- that utilizes literature and the written word specifically in the clues and the overall plot.
The novel opens with a great quote that proves to have a lot of bearing on what is to come in this clever narrative: “Read your own obituary notice; they say you live longer” (James Joyce, ULYSSES). Natalka is a stickler for uncovering fraud and deception, and it feels like something fishy is going on with their current case. Their newest clients are sisters Minnie and Harmony, who believe that their mother, Melody Chambers, is a homicide victim.
Edwin learns that Melody’s obituary was written by Malcolm Collins, who died long before she did. Natalka reaches out to Harbinder Kaur as numerous deaths are linked to other strange obituaries that supposedly came from Malcolm. It turns out that Melody was involved with a writer’s retreat, Battle House, that also has ties to the obituary writer. Malcolm was there just prior to his death in 2021, but no foul play was suspected.
To determine exactly what is going on, Edwin and Benedict go to Battle House and pose as unsuccessful writers seeking the solace and support of other fledgling authors. They immerse themselves in the quiet and sedentary lifestyle sought out by its visitors. The attendees are quite a suspicious lot, and when one of them is found floating face down in a lake, this undercover mission takes a deadly turn.
THE LAST WORD is such a perfect mystery for fans of great literature and reading in general, as the written word is used as the very motive and impetus for the murders that are committed. Elly Griffiths also peppers her tale with literary references that include such authors as Dame Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, which makes for a twisted love letter to book lovers.
Teaser
Natalka and Edwin are perfect if improbable partners in a detective agency. At 84, Edwin regularly claims that he’s the oldest detective in England. He is a master at surveillance, deploying his age as a cloak of invisibility. Natalka is a math whiz who takes any cases concerning fraud or deception. Natalka loves a 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 was 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 when another murder occurs. Are the cases linked and what is the role of a distinctly sinister book group attended by many of the writers involved?
Promo
Natalka and Edwin are perfect, if improbable, partners in a detective agency. Eighty-four-year-old Edwin is a master at surveillance, deploying his age as a cloak of invisibility. Natalka, more than 50 years his junior, is a math whiz who takes any cases concerning fraud or deception. She loves a murder, but none have come the agency’s way. That is until local writer Melody Chambers dies. Melody’s daughters are convinced that their mother was 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. Are the cases linked, and what is the role of a distinctly sinister book group attended by many of the writers involved?
About the Book
Words turn deadly with an unlikely detective duo on the case of a murdered obituary writer in this literary mystery from the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway series. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.
Natalka and Edwin are perfect if improbable partners in a detective agency. At 84, Edwin regularly claims that he’s the oldest detective in England. He is a master at surveillance, deploying his age as a cloak of invisibility. Natalka, Ukrainian-born and more than 50 years his junior, is a math whiz, who takes any cases concerning fraud or deception. Despite a steady stream of minor cases, Natalka is frustrated. She loves a 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 was 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. Are the cases linked, and what is the role of a distinctly sinister book group attended by many of the writers involved? By the time Edwin has infiltrated the group, he is in serious danger.
Seeking professional help, the investigators turn to their friend, detective Harbinder Kaur, and find that they have stumbled on a plot that is stranger than fiction.
Audiobook available, read by Nina Wadia
