Customer Reviews

That Way Murder Lies

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I was eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series, and I was not disappointed. This was a very enjoyable and satisfying read, even if, as others have pointed out, the ending was a little rushed. If you haven't read any of the earlier Mitchell and Markby mysteries by Ms. Granger it may take you a little while to understand the relationships among the repeating characters, but that won't detract from the story and shouldn't stop you from starting with this book. I suspect that when you're finished you'll want to read the earlier ones as well.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and hope there's not as much time between books as there was between this and the previous one.

I have just one quibble. Did others notice the several typographical errors throughout the book? I think editors and proofreaders are relying too heavily on computerized spelling and grammar checkers, and not enough on carefully reviewing the actual text.

The most interesting thing about this book is the very natural and realistic relationships between the people and the events that unfold as a result of these relationships. The characters act out because of their shame, fear, loyalty, envy, ambition, sloth, etc. They all have unique characters and world views and all act accordingly. It seems an odd thing to say, but it seems very organic and believable. I think Granger must be a great student of human nature.

I quite like the main characters, too. Meredith Mitchell works for the Foreign Office and her fiancé Alan Marksby is in the police. In their 30's and 40's, they are a strong couple who are willing to compromise to be together and tolerate each other's baggage. Like Toby Smythe, a friend and co-worker of Meredith's who Alan doesn't care for, and who gets them involved in their current unpleasantness - poison pen letters which are being sent to his aunt.

Another thing I liked about this book is that Granger doesn't have Mitchell and Marksby competing to solve the crime before the other does. I find it so annoying when the unofficial detective messes up evidence and conceals information from the police. Instead, she investigates background information that the police don't have the time or inclination to pursue and then turns over what she finds to Marksby. It is a pleasing, cooperative effort that doesn't grate on the nerves.

Did I guess it? Sort of. If you are looking for a solid mystery with really good characters, pick this one up. This is a long series and I plan to go back and read the others, too.

Detective Superintendent Alan Markby and his fiancé Meredith Mitchell have been asked to look into the source of some poison pen letters by Toby Smythe , a friend and colleague of Meredith's . Meredith and Toby have been friends for years and both work for the Foreign Office. Toby's uncle, Jeremy Jenner's second wife has been receiving hateful letters alluding to a murder trial in which she was the defendant twenty years ago. She was cleared of the charges, but it seems someone wants to embarrass her. Before Markby and Merideth's investigation has barely started, Jeremy Jenner`s daughter is found murdered made to look like the murder so many years ago.

Ann Granger can be counted upon to produce a really good cozy mystery. Her characters are a bit more realistic and dimensional than the traditional cozy. The plot was well constructed. The clues came at a quick enough pace to keep suspense high without it being a book that could not be put down. I look forward to the next Markby and Mitchell mystery.

Meredith Mitchell is elated to see her friend Toby Smythe, temporarily home from overseas assignment, for the first time in a long time. However, Toby is not here on a friendship renewal visit. He needs a favor, but not from Meredith. Toby's relative Alison Jenner needs help as someone has been sending her hate mail that implies that she murdered her Aunt Freida Kemp over two decades ago; a crime that she was acquitted of doing by a court of law and never solved. She hopes that Toby can get Meredith's fiancé Detective Superintendent Alan Markby to investigate who the loathing pen pal is.

Markby wants to tell his beloved no as he dislikes Toby, and can rationalize that he is preoccupied by the upcoming wedding. However, he meets Alison, her spouse Jenner, and his daughter Fiona. Before he can follow up, someone murders Fiona. Though the cause of death is different from the Kemp killing the similar crime scenes make the murder seem somewhat like a copy cat first homicide. Markby ably assisted by new team member Jessica Campbell and amateurish by his fiancée and her friend, begins to unravel the current homicide whose roots go back twenty-five years ago when Frieda was killed.

Anyone who enjoys a delightful English cozy that is a clever blending of amateur sleuth and police procedural will enjoy the Meredith-Markby tales. The latest tale is another strong entry as Markby and company investigate the current homicide that leads to the need to look at the first murder. The cast is wonderful and the new cop adds freshness to a fine who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

Interesting murder mystery that takes place in England. Several murders are linked to a murder that transpired some 30 years prior to more recent murders. Meredith Mitchell and her inspector finance are hot on the trail. The author keeps you guessing and wanting to read more. A number of young people die before the murders are solved so that made the story somewhat sad. The story kept me involved and I enjoyed trying to decide who the murderer was.

When Alison Jenner opened the mail and found the poison pen letter, she was taken aback. Way back, 25 years to be exact, to when she was acquitted of murdering her aunt Freda Kemp in Cornwall. When her husband confronts her with the malicious missive, he insists on having the police look into it. The investigation stirs up a hornets nest and two more murders occur right in the Jenner's back yard, so to speak. The search for the poison pen writer and murderer leads investigations to Cornwall and back. Attempted murder number three is the undoing of the perpetrator and the resolution of the case.

A plot of murder motivated by greed, resentment and cover- up makes this a highly recommended novel. If you like British based mysteries with a little amateur help thrown in by the Inspector's fiancee and some truly believable supporting characters, romantic sub-plots,good local flavor, then this is the book for you.

Agree with Laura Pressler regarding the grammatical errors/typos. It's really said when you pay for a book and the entire story line is disruped with these errors.

Meredith Mitchell is rather looking forward to her upcoming marriage to Detective Superintendent Alan Markby, and their moving into the old vicarage. But first comes the packing, renovating of the vicarage and selling of both their current abodes. And in the meantime there is Meredith's old friend, Toby Smythe's return to England to enjoy. But Toby has a problem -- or more exactly a relative of his has. Alison Jenner, Toby's cousin's wife, has been receiving poison pen letters. About 25 years ago, Alison's aunt, Freda Kemp, was murdered, and Alison was tried for the crime. She was, however, acquitted of the charge. But now, she's receiving letters accusing of the murder and threatening to make her pay for her crime. Alison is near breaking point, and so Toby asks for Markby to talk to the Jenners and listen to their concerns. And although Markby is understandably reluctant to get unofficially involved in anything, he agrees to meet the Jenners. But before he can even start an investigation into the poison pen letters, Alison's stepdaughter is murdered in a manner similar to Freda Kemp. Is the murderer and the poison pen writer one and the same? Are the two murders, separated by 25 years connected at all? And what is Alison's part in all this? Is she innocent of all that is happening around her? Or is she hiding a darker and more sinister character? Detective Superintendent Markby must ask himself all these questions as he considers all the angles of this case...

This latest Mitchell & Markby mystery novel while enjoyable and intriguing, still felt a little off mainly because of the manner in which it suddenly culminated -- things were unfolding at a sedate but satisfactorily manner, when things suddenly picked up at a dizzy pace and clues and suspects came out of the woodwork for the explosive end. All very well, but I did still feel a little shortchanged -- perhaps if the real culprit could have been more than just a sinister suggestion in earlier chapters? All in all however, this Mitchell & Markby mystery novels was wonderfully engaging police cozy that was well written and loads of fun to loose oneself in. And in spite of my faintly aggrieved feelings, I did enjoy reading "That Way Lies Murder" quite a bit