It's becoming a habit to start and end each reading year with an Elly Griffiths book. I am currently hoarding the last few Ruth Galloway volumes, so I began 2025 with the second Harbinder Kaur book. I am coming to be almost as fond of Harbinder as I am of Ruth even though you couldn't get two characters more different from each other.
Harbinder is an Anglo-Indian police officer, in contrast to the Anglo archaeologist Ruth. Harbinder is a lesbian, but she lives with her parents so has very little purview to pursue a relationship. She suspects that her parents would be disappointed if they knew. She actually has a strong bond with her parents, once again unlike Ruth.
Also different is the looser focus on the main character. Yes, Harbinder ties all the various plotlines together, but the ancillary characters get a great deal of page time without her. Like Claire Cassidy in the first volume (who makes an incidental appearance in this one). Perhaps Edwin, Benedict, and Natalka will hang around too. That would be fun.
I also appreciated the method that Harbinder uses to be able to put up with her partner, Neil. She imagines him to be a shy forest creature—wiping his whiskers, twitching his tail, seizing a nut, nibbling, nibbling. I wish I had thought of this when I was still confined to an office! (Retirement really is the best decision I ever made.)
This was a very enjoyable part of the mystery binge that I seem to be indulging in at present. Ms. Griffiths is definitely one of my favoured authors.
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