Keeping Bad Company [Large Print] [Paperback]

Ann Granger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

Buying a coffee for down-and-out 'Alkie' Albie at Marylebone Station is Fran Varady's good deed for the day. But when the grateful Albie takes her into his confidence, Fran suddently finds herself launched on her second investigation. For Albie, though obviously fond of a drink and none too familiar with soup and water, is absolutely clear about one thing - he claims to be the only witness to the violent abduction of a young girl. Although the police scornfully dismiss Albie's story as alcoholic hallucinations, Fran is determined to follow it up. And her suspicions seem to be spot on when she is warned off by her old sparring partner, Sergeant Parry, and then approached by a boyhood friend of her late father's, distraught over the kidnapping of his daughter. But this is only the beginning of Fran's investigation - days later, Alkie Albie is found dead ...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

Granger departs from her Markby and Mitchell series with this refreshing mystery. Amateur sleuth Fran Varady befriends a homeless alcoholic in London who confesses to having witnessed the abduction of a young woman. When no one else takes Alkie Albie's claim seriously, Fran begins to investigate--in spite of threats and eventual injury. Narrator Kim Hicks is superb, creating a sincere Fran whom listeners cannot fail to warm to. She also portrays a wide range of secondary characters, including street people, Fran's retired librarian landlady, and Sergeant Parry, Fran's conservative partner. Each character is finely developed by Granger and perfectly brought to life by Hicks. The complex story never wavers because Hicks gives plot the same care that she gives character and dialogue. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786215909
• ISBN-13: 978-0786215904
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,097,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love the Fran Varady series, and this was a great one!, July 1, 2005

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Keeping Bad Company (Paperback)

I started reading another series by Ann Grangers and discovered the Varady series only when I'd read all her other books. I honestly prefer the Varady series. "Detective" Fran Varady is a great character -- and so real it's hard to believe that she doesn't exist.

Varady is just surviving as a young woman on her own in the world. Her mother abandoned the family when she was a child, her grandmother and father are dead, and she has no other family. She ended up on her own at 16 and since then has struggled to survive, living in abandoned houses, taking various temporary low-paying jobs, and solving mysteries on the side. She's gutsy, doesn't like the police very much, and is compassionate to people that are looked down on by everyone else. Her best friend is Ganesh, an Indian who works for his family -- first his parents, then his uncle -- in their shops. Gan and Fran don't have a romantic relationship (it would kill his family, I suspect) but are best friends.

This story begins with Fran sitting at a train station waiting to be picked up by Ganesh. She starts talking to a bum and gives him some money for a cup of coffee. He tells her about an abduction he's seen. She insists he go to the police with his story, but he doesn't want to. He agrees to meet her the next day, when she will accompany him, but he doesn't show up. So Fran goes to the police herself... and the rest of the story involves her attempt to find out who was abducted and where the woman is being held. It gets more complicated than that, but I don't want to reveal too much.

The characterizations are great in this series -- people and places so alive that you feel like you're right there, plus the plotting is very well done.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great series by Ann Granger, January 13, 2011

By 

Martha Evans (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Keeping Bad Company (A Fran Varady Crime Novel) (Paperback)

I really like the main character in this series. An interesting twist is that she is homeless. But that doesn't interfere with her ability to help solve crimes! In fact, it gives her an interesting perspective. I highly recommend this book. Thanks Ann Granger!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to promise, August 3, 2000

By 

Helen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeping Bad Company (Paperback)

This is the second in the series featuring Fran Varady, a young amateur sleuth in London. While the series had a slow start in Asking for Trouble, that book showed some promise as to how Fran would develop and the author lives up to this promise in Keeping Bad Company. Fran's character is developed and she remains the core and focus of the story. There is an intelligent plot, albeit somewhat predictable. It would be interesting to see Fran develop a harder edge in the future while retaining her youthful honesty.