The Last Word: A Novel (Ruth Galloway Mystery)

Although The Last Word by Elly Griffiths is the fourth in the Harbinder Kaur series, that character, now a Detective Inspector in London, is barely in this novel. Instead, the plot revolves around the members of the newly formed K&F Detective Agency comprised of Edwin and Natalka, who we met in The Postscript Murders. When the agency is asked to investigate the murder of a local writer, they soon find that several other writers have also died under mysterious circumstances—all who share a connection to a particular writer’s retreat. Edwin, joined by Benedict, barista and former monk, goes undercover hoping to discover truth. Unfortunately, The Last Word does not measure up to what we have come to expect from this author. It could be because of the lack of feisty Harbinder Kaur to move the action along, with less fleshed out detective characters taking her place. Or perhaps it is just too long with too many irrelevant details heavy-handed religious asides. Honestly, I wish I could point out one thing that makes this novel not work, but it simply does not. That said, I do hope there is a book five in this series, and I hope that Griffiths refocuses on what made the others work so well.