Bleeding Heart Yard

Elly Griffiths must be one of our most productive crime fiction writers, regularly publishing two books each year, without ever letting that level of output to compromise the quality of her novels. They always feel lovingly crafted rather than churned out, which is sadly the epithet so often unthinkingly applied to the output of prolific authors. She already has two well-established series, one following Dr Ruth Galloway, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of North Norfolk, while the other follows stage magician Max Mephisto and Detective Superintendent Edgar Stephens as they unravel mysteries in Brighton during the 1950s and 1960s.

However, Ms Griffiths has also embarked on another equally engaging series, of which this is show more the third instalment, following the cases of (now) Detective Inspector Harbinder Kaur. In her first two exploits she had been back in her native Sussex, but Harbinder has secured promotion and moved up to serve in the Met, based in West London. Still eager to establish herself in her new role, and not yet feeling properly established in London, she finds herself leading the investigation into the death of a prominent right-wing politician who has died in unusual circumstances while attending a reunion at his old school. To make things more difficult, one of Harbinder’s Detective Sergeants was a fellow pupil of the dead man and had also been at the reunion.

It had clearly been a notable cohort of pupils in that year. The dead man’s friends back then had included pupils who would go on to become a leading actress, a successful rock star, the future headteacher of that very school, and another (Lib-Dem) MP. As Harbinder and the rest of her now-depleted team start to investigate, they uncover undercurrents of strong feelings left over from schooldays. And then another of the group is found dead in Bleeding Heart Yard.

There are various strands of investigation which, as always, Elly Griffiths manages with great dexterity. She excels at creating characters that provoke fellow feeling – that is as true of Ruth Galloway and Edgar Stephens (and especially Emma Holmes) as it is of Harbinder. These are all characters whom I would be delighted to meet. show less

Harbinder Kaur has now become a DI and has transferred to the serious crimes division of the London CID, leaving her family back home in West Sussex. Her very first case is extremely high–profile: the death of a prominent conservative MP, who apparently took a drug overdose at a high school reunion where his former classmates included another MP (this one Labour), a major actress and a pop star. Also in this group was Cassie, now a police officer who cannot work with Harbinder on the case because she is too close to all of the suspects, not to mention being a suspect herself. It is up to Harbinder and her new team to unravel the links between the schoolmates, and their connection to a death of another student that had occurred 21 show more years ago…. I love Elly Griffiths’s Ruth Galloway series, but her Hardiner Kaur books are a close second: a gay Sikh woman in the English police force is probably still quite uncommon in real life, but Ms. Griffiths lets her readers get into (and under) the skin of the character and shows us just how British this multicultural country is. I never guessed the killer until that person was revealed at the end of the story, which I think is a plus in murder mysteries, and I also very much enjoyed watching Harbinder grow into her job and into a new relationship. Highly recommended, but read the first two books before starting this third in the series! show less

I enjoy Elly Griffiths' writing so much that I'm beginning to think that her grocery lists should make the bestseller list, too. Many writers can "do" the mystery and the setting, but extremely few can combine those two elements with a finely crafted and multi-layered cast of characters. When you pick up an Elly Griffiths novel, it's a given that you're going to love, not just the main character(s), but the secondary ones as well. Bleeding Heart Yard is no exception.

Although Griffiths never intended for the lesbian Sikh police officer to be a recurring character, I am thrilled that this is now the third book in which Harbinder Kaur has appeared. In Bleeding Heart Yard, she's been promoted and is now living in London with two roommates, show more a teacher and an architect. I enjoyed seeing how she works with her team-- Cassie, who must stay out of the investigation because she's a member of the group of school friends linked to the dead man; the empathetic Kim who has an encyclopedic knowledge of London restaurants; the not-so-bright Tory; and the manspreading Jake. The book is told from various points of view, but Harbinder's is the best. Her thoughts and observations illuminate her character, and they're often quite humorous. Before I forget, a trio of characters from The Postscript Murders makes an appearance here, and it gives me hope that we may see them again. (Remember what I said about Griffiths' genius for characterization?)

Okay, enough about the characters. What about the mystery? Glory hallelujah-- I never saw the ending coming, and that's a rare occurrence for me. I love it when that happens, especially when I stop, think back, and can see where all the clues were planted. Clues that I ignored because I was enjoying the characters and the story so much.

Do you have series burnout and just don't want to start at book one (The Stranger Diaries)? Bleeding Heart Yard works well as a standalone, so confusion should not be a problem. However, don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for the other two books, and if you're new to Elly Griffiths (I almost envy you), she also writes the splendid Dr. Ruth Galloway series. Don't miss Ruth or Harbinder! show less

Bleeding Heart Yard is the third book in Elly Griffiths' Harbinder Kaur series.

For me, it is Griffiths' characters that that have made me such a fan. Yes, Ruth Galloway is my fave, but Harbinder is a close second. She too, is not a cookie cutter character. She's 'real'and her personal life has been moving forward. I really like her inner dialogue. Her professional life is moving forward as well. She's landed in London with her own squad as a Detective Inspector. The squad is a mixed bag of new players - that I hope will become regulars.

Harbinder's first 'in charge' case is a puzzle for sure. A MP is found dead at his school's twenty-first reunion. There are a number of suspects to choose from for the whodunit. But the focus ends up on show more the members of 'The Group' - an 'elite' group of students. It took me a few chapters to solidify who was who in the group, specifically the women.

Bleeding Heart is written from a number of viewpoints - Harbinder's and group members Anna and Cassie. Anna and Cassie's past entries give the reader background, memories and motives - for each and every player. They're all hiding something. Present day chapters let us see how the investigation is proceeding, even as events from the past take on more of a motive for the current day crime. I did find the numerous interviews a bit repetitive.

The settings descriptions are well drawn and I quite liked the lore behind some of them - especially Bleeding Heart Yard. I think Harbinder's change of locale will open up a lot of opportunities for future cases and plots. And for Harbinder's personal life!

All in all, Bleeding Heart Yard is another great entry in this series. A little bit slower than the previous two books but still a very entertaining read. And a quick P.S. - that cover is fantastic! show less

Another fantastic read from Elly Griffiths. This novel sees Harbinder Kaur move to London and become a Detective Inspector. Inside her head you get a feel for the nerves and excitement as she deals with her first murder case, that is a high profile one with a dead MP. The narrative moves between different characters, Cassie, a police officer with a secret and Anna, who is looking after her ill mother. They and the murder victim, are both part of a tight group at a well-performing London state school and attend a reunion. The narrative isn't always linear and occasional covers an activity from two perspectives but Elly Griffiths controls the story and I never felt lost. I also never guessed who the killer was!

Detective Inspector Harbinder Kaur, recently promoted to a position in London, is assigned her first high-profile case: a murder at a school reunion. The victim, a Member of Parliament, was part of a tight social circle during his school years. These classmates were all present at the reunion, and one of them might be the killer. The case may also have its roots in the death of a student during the group’s final days at the school.

Harbinder immediately takes charge and assembles her team, but the reader is also privy to Harbinder’s inner monologue and personal life, where she struggles with the insecurities typical of someone new to their job and community. Readers are also privy to the memories and present-day actions of the show more victim’s classmates. A second death further complicates the situation. Elly Griffiths effectively led me by the nose to what I thought was a foregone conclusion, and I was beginning to feel frustrated by how obvious it was. But not to worry, there’s a twist!

Griffiths has hit her stride in this third book featuring Harbinder Kaur, and I hope she continues to develop the detective and her London team in future installments. show less

This is the third book in the author’s series featuring Harbinder Kaur, formerly a Detective Sergeant in the West Sussex, England Murder Squad, but now promoted to Detective Inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Police in West Kensington, London. Harbinder, 38, finally moved out from living with her parents to take this job. Harbinder is peppery, witty, and very clever, albeit always feeling a bit out of place as a gay Sikh woman. She has not told her two flatmates in London she is gay. She gets along well however with Jeanne, a teacher from Scotland, and Mette, a tall Danish-born architect. But she is afraid to reveal who she really is.

As the book begins, Harbinder and her team are called to show more investigate the murder of an MP, Garfield (“Gary”) Rice, while he was attending the 21st reunion of the class of 1998 from London’s posh Manor Park school. Harbinder is surprised to find one of her officers, Detective Sergeant Cassie Fitzherbert, was from the same class at the same school and also attended the reunion. Since Cassie was a witness, she could not be involved with the case.

Harbinder soon focuses on a group of friends which included Gary Rice. All the members of his clique were at the reunion: Isabelle (“Izzy”) Istar, now a well-known actress; Henry Steep, also an MP; Chris Foster, now a famous band member; Anna Vance, a language teacher in Italy; and Cassie herself.

The group is tied together not only by friendship, but by the death of fellow classmate David Moore at the end of their senior year. Since that time, at least some members of the group occasionally attended lunches with Rice at a dining club in "Bleeding Heart Yard" in Holborn. Moreover, shortly before his death Gary had received anonymous notes that read “bleeding heart,” a few of which also included a drawing of a heart with an arrow through it.

There are plenty of tantalizing leads and red herrings, especially after another member of the group is found dead.

Harbinder is only one of the narrators in the book; we get to see what happens with group members from multiple viewpoints.

Evaluation: Fans of Tana French will be reminded frequently of the Dublin Murder Squad book, The Secret Place. It wasn’t the similarities in the story line so much, although both were set in elite schools, but the style of writing. It would have been hard for me to remember it was by Elly Griffiths, were it not for the occasional injection of very funny observations by Harbinder. At any rate, I consider any likeness to Tana French to be a very positive aspect of a book, and the combination with Griffiths’s slightly different strong writing points made for an excellent novel.

One can’t help loving Griffiths’ recurring characters, and I can’t wait to read more about them. show less