Cold in the Earth (Mitchell and Markby Village Whodunnits) [Paperback]

Ann Granger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 1992 | Series: Mitchell and Markby Village Whodunnits

To Meredith Mitchell, marooned in a dusty London flat, the Cotswolds seem like a haven of peace and tranquillity. But Chief Inspector Markby has a rather different view of his native area, as he witnesses the bulldozing of one of his favourite boyhood haunts to make way for yet another housing estate. And when a man's body is found buried in the foundations of one of the plots his outlook turns even grimmer. The only cheering prospect on the horizon is Meredith's forthcoming visit. The dead man however remains a mystery: the labourer who dug up his body has disappeared and the farmers whose lands abut the burial site are little help. Charming, eccentric Mrs Carmody treats Markby, whom she has known since he was a boy, with fond familiarity and Mrs Winthrop at the neighbouring farm is happy to supply him with tea and scones but gives little else away. The time has come for someone with a different perspective to see what they can glean. And Meredith, blessed with an uncanny ability for ferreting out the truth, seems the obvious candidate.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ann Granger has worked in British embassies in various parts of the world. She met her husband, who was also working for the British Embassy, in Prague and together they received postings to places as far apart as Munich and Lusaka. They are now permanently based in Oxfordshire.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (December 3, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074723874X
• ISBN-13: 978-0747238744
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.9 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,098,245 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars the best so far, November 19, 2008

By 

Julie B. "heart in the highlands" (chicago, il usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold in the Earth (Meredith and Markby Mysteries) (Paperback)

well, this is the third in the series and i really really liked it. i think it's the best so far - but i've lots left to go! the relationship between meredith and alan is the glue that keeps you wanting to go immediately on to the next book, but the mysteries are good in themselves.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another good one!, August 6, 2008

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold in the Earth (Meredith and Markby Mysteries) (Paperback)

Although I read this book a bit out of sequence since I read the next one first, I still really enjoyed this. I love the Meredith Mitchell and Alan Markby series, and I'm glad that this is only the beginning of the series, since I still have a lot of books to read yet. I can't wait to see the relationship develop between these two. This book brings Meredith back to Bamford for a week while she house-sits for Markby's sister's family, and throws her into Alan's investigation into a body found buried in the earth right where a development for houses is being built. Of course, Meredith can't resist doing some investigation on her own. A whole series of a family's secrets come out during the course of the investigation. For English Village Mysteries, they don't get much better than this or any of Ms. Granger's books.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery of Manners, March 14, 2006

By 

Benjamin Shaw "otrabbi" (Greenville, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold in the Earth (Meredith and Markby Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is the first of this series that I have read, so I have nothing else by the author to compare it with. There is a murder, in fact more than one, but the focus of the story is on the people connected to the murder and its effects on them. For those who don't know, Markby is a police officer in the town where the murder takes place, and Meredith is a Foreign Office employee currently stationed back home in the UK who is friend/love interest for Markby. I found one of the characters to be over-the-top unbelievable, but that may simply be because I don't have any experience with small English country towns and the people who inhabit them.

I recommend it for those who like a character-driven story, or are simply tired of the flood of serial-killer novels inundating the market.