A Word After Dying (Meredith and Markby Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Call the Dead Again (Superintendent Markby Mysteries) by Ann Granger 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  $69.95

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From Publishers Weekly
While the sleuthing duo of Inspector Alan Markby and his diplomat lover, Meredith Mitchell (last seen in Touch of Mortality, 1997), are rather quiet on these pages, this tale of secret doings in the remote English village of Parsloe St. John is carefully nuanced and concludes with a couple of fine surprises. Reclusive old Olivia Smeaton trips, apparently, and falls to her death. Her beloved horse Firefly is mysteriously poisoned, and then the large, unkempt body of Ernie, an illiterate local handyman, is found in one spot while his severed head shows up in another. Close to the village, evidence of recent satanic activity is found near three ancient stone statues. All this adds up to a busman's holiday for vacationing Markby and Mitchell, who are considering early retirement and have come to the area in search of a house to buy. The secretive Olivia's past (she was once a society lady and famous car racer) heightens curiosity about her long period of seclusion. The village boasts a tarty cleaning lady; Kevin, the abused and seemingly simpleminded offspring of Ernie; and Sadie, a shopkeeper and practicing witch. The narrative captures an accelerating tension and delivers final revelations that startle while remaining true to the nature of the characters in question. Granger's latest offers abundant, understated pleasures.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
Bamford's Chief Inspector Alan Markby and longtime girlfriend Meredith Mitchell (A Touch of Morality, 1997, etc.) are on holiday in the tiny village of Parsloe St. John, staying in the cottage bequeathed to Markby's brother-in-law Paul by his late Aunt Florrie. Meantime, next-door neighbor, retired journalist Wynne Carter, is worried about another recent deaththat of wealthy, elderly recluse Olivia Smeaton, dead of a fall down the staircase of the Rookery, her elegant manor house. Wynne's not convinced the fall was accidental and wants Markby to investigate--unofficially, of course. And so Markby and Meredith soon run into a few of the village's odd characters: Olivia's housecleaner Janine Catto, unmarried mother of two; Ernie Berry, a hard- drinking bully, ladies' man, and odd-job worker; his loutish son Kevin, and junk-shop owner Sadie Warren, rumored to be a witch and the leader of strange doings at the site of ancient standing stones on the towns outskirts. Some troubling acts of vandalism begin to seem trivial after Meredith comes upon the headless corpse of Ernie Berry on the grounds of the Rookery. It takes Markby's meeting with Olivia's detested brother-in-law Lawrence, lots of help from Meredith, and the remainder of their vacation before this two-sided puzzle is solved. The story's meandering mysteries are less compelling than Grangers depiction of an insular mini-society. Lovers of the village traditional will find little suspense but an adequate measure of leisurely entertainment. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Another good read by ann Granger, June 23, 1998 By A Customer This review is from: A Word After Dying (Hardcover) Inspector Alan Markby and his girlfriend Meredith Mitchell share a holiday in Parsloe St. John where they learn that an old woman recently died when she tripped and fell down some stairs. Thinking of early retirement, Alan is very interested in buying the deceased's cottage while Meredith wonders if the rumors of murder are true. Alan's disinterest in the senior citizen's death rapidly changes when the head of a handyman is found severed from the body. Other evidence of nearby satanic worship also exists. Instead of a laid back restful holiday, Alan and Meredith begin a working vacation as they investigate the rash of strange doings, that have rocked the tiny village and its eccentric people. A WORD AFTER DYING is a very interesting entry in the Markby-Mitchell mystery series because the lead protagonists are not quite featured as much as in previous entries. Instead the local villagers seem to dominate the story line as Alan and Meredith propel their stories and the who-done-it forward. Surprisingly, this cleverly works, turning the story line into an invigorating, very interesting novel. Fans of the series and the English cozy need to read Ann Granger's newest novel (as well as the rest of the series) to enjoy some of the top books in the sub-genre. Harriet Klausner Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   3.0 out of 5 stars yet another village mystery, January 7, 2009 By  petronius (asheville NC) - See all my reviews Granger's books would lead one to believe that English villages are among the most insular and dangerous places on earth. In this one she follows a rather predictable pattern that she has established in her earlier books. Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell are vacationing in a village. Markby is asked to look into the unsuspicious death of a reclusive widow. Meredith gets, as always, a local historical angle to investigate. The mystery isn't all that interesting, but the characters have a certain charm, and that's what Granger's books are really about. This particular novel is poorly edited, with some typos and some words left out. Most of the omissions don't do any more than annoy the reader, but at one point there's a reference to Markby's sister, Laura, and to her husband Paul, who is described as Markby's brother. And yet Markby complains about the inbreeding in an English village! Granger's writing could be tighter. For instance, she describes a minor character -- a police officer -- at great length, when all he does is find a weapon and then disappear. Granger might heed Elmore Leonard's advice to "leave out the parts that people tend to skip." There is a nice twist at the end, though, which a careful reader might have anticipated from one clue, but it's not such a blatant clue that the surprise is ruined. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   4.0 out of 5 stars Didn't wait for the paperback and wasn't disappointed, August 27, 1998 By A Customer This review is from: A Word After Dying (Hardcover) Until this year's Friends of the Tucson [& Pima County] Public Library book sale, I hadn't heard of this series. I picked up the first, second, and fifth books there. After I read them, I bought every book I could find in town. As soon as I learned there were more, I ordered them. I liked this book as much as the others. The bits of historical information we learn along the way were interesting,(especially how the people of the Regency period obtained a certain shade of pink paint). There are at least three separate mysteries: Who is the vicious vandal? Who committed the murder? What was the secret of the elderly recluse? and are they in any way connected? I can't feel too smug guessing the vandal's identity 32 pages before it was revealed or the recluse's secret 4 pages before Alan caught on because I missed a lot of clues and I didn't guess the killer. Furthermore, I didn't get even a whiff of the final revelation's coming. However, it wouldn't matter if readers could guess everything correctly. This series is worth reading just for the characters. Other comments: There's a very good lesson to be learned from the vandal's motive, but I don't know how many readers will heed it when it's so much easier to look the other way. On p.44, full paragraph 3, Alan says they're on the first floor, but they're upstairs. It was nice to learn that the game I knew as "gossip" is called "Chinese whispers" in England. The dust jacket wouldn't tempt me to buy the book if I were not already a fan, but it's rather pretty. Ann E. Nichols Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 4 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Another good read I enjoy the Meredith and Markby series very much and recommend them to all those who enjoy English mysteries. Please keep them coming. Read more Published on July 19, 1999 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 4 customer reviews...

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