A Restless Evil

Mitchell and Markby #14

by Ann Granger

It sends a shiver down Detective Superintendent Alan Markby's spine when he hears that a rambler has stumbled on human bones in Stovey Woods in the heart of the Cotswolds.

Twenty-two years ago, as a fresh-faced young inspector, he had a rare failure in the hunt for a brutal serial rapist preying on local women. After the third rape, the attacker went to ground, never to be heard of again.

Now, with a new investigation prompted by the grisly remains, the trail could be warm once more. But almost at once Markby is confronted with another body and a thoroughly up-to-date murder. Could the two be connected?

It seems that some of the village residents would be just as happy to let sleeping dogs lie and secrets - both old and new - stay hidden ...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, British Literature

341 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Ann Granger attended the Northern Grammar School for Girls, and had thoughts about becoming a veterinarian, but discovered women were not accepted into vet schools because they were not believed to be strong enough. Instead she earned a Modern Languages degree at the University of London, where she first developed a desire to become a writer. 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 had two children.

Her first novels were historical romances published under the nom de plume Ann Hulme.

In 1991, Granger made the decision to switch to crime novels, saying, "Basically, there is only one plot in love stories: You can describe it in different ways, but you always come back to the subject of man and woman. Crime fiction opens up a world of possibilities for the writer. It lets you tackle deep and difficult issues." Her first crime novel, Say it with Poison, centred on the protagonists Meredith Mitchell, a consular clerk, and police officer Alan Markby. The book proved popular and Granger wrote 14 more Mitchell & Markby novels between 1991 and 2004.

Granger also wrote other crime novel series & in 2021, in recognition of thirty years of crime novels, Granger released a collection of eighteen short stories, Mystery in the Making.

On 24 September 2025, her publisher Headline announced that Granger had died at the age of 86

This autobiography was added to with information from Wikipedia & Encyclopedia.com.

Reviews

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Markby und Mitchel Reihe ist einfach fantastisch. Perfekte cozy Krimis, die im ländlichen England spielen. Bisher hat mich noch kein Buch dieser Reihe enttäuscht!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent crime novel set in the Cotswolds.

Bones are found in woods near where a serial rapist preyed twenty years ago. Are they the bones of the rapist? Then a woman is murdered in a nearby village. A new case? Or a link to the old one? Superintendent Alan Markby has to find out.

A well written whodunnit that kept me guessing until the end.

This is the first Ann Granger novel I have read. It certainly won't be the last.

[Laura]

Good for long commutes--I really enjoy the audio versions of the Mitchell/Markby series.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by Granger I have read, and therefore is my introduction to her characters Detective Alan Markby and lover Meredith Mitchell. The two are looking for a house to buy together when they see police cars roaring into a small village. Markby can't resist investigating and is soon officially in charge. A doctor doing a walking vacation had come across a pile of human bones. Whose bones? How did the person die? How long ago? These are the immediate questions.

It soon turns out that the person who died did so about 20 years before. Markby was just starting out as a detective at that time and was investigating the case of the "potato man", a rapist who attacked several women in the area. Could this person be connected to that case? It had never been solved, and it weighed on the detective's mind.

It takes a bit of time to discover to whom the bones belonged. Before then, Meredith discovers a body in a church. It is the roommate and close friend of Ruth Aston. Ruth and Hester Millar jointly cared for the church. Nobody can explain why Hester should have been murdered.

Markby has to focus on this recent murder but his mind is never far from the Potato Man, and he asks a lot of questions about that time.

In the investigation it seems that information arrives haphazardly and accidentally. I didn't detect a systematic approach in the questioning or in the development of forensic evidence. As a fan of procedural mysteries, I was disappointed. It seemed like Granger did not do the research that would be needed to learn about police processes, and further, did not develop a particularly good plot. The book, nevertheless, is easy to read and absorbing enough.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read.

[The Cruciverbalistic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A neat mystery with all the loose ends tied up...

[Hilary G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a lot of Ann Granger books lately and they are all enjoyable, a bit formulaic, but the same is true of most detective series. The plots are interesting and Ann Granger is a decent writer. I enjoyed this one as I have the others, but I just can't enthuse about the characters Mitchell and Markby. Apart from the excitement in their lives derived from solving crimes, they are just rather dull. I have no picture in my mind of what they even look like and they seem to me to have little personality. This may be unfair as I have only read 2 or 3 of what is a long series, but I suspect the ones I have read are fairly typical. Their long standing relationship is unexciting, they don't seem to do anything beyond solving murders and having the occasional pub meal. They seem to be defined by what they used to be but aren't any more - she (like the writer) lived in far flung places during her Foreign Office career, but now commutes into London. He now has a desk job, though doesn't really accept that. I wouldn't like to be one of his reports as he doesn't give them a chance to go it alone. I don't dislike them, but I have to admit they bore me. Fran Varady (another of Ann Granger's main characters in another series) was much more interesting and original.
That said, I enjoyed the books. They were at least as good as those written by writers better known than her, and perhaps superior to some of them.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series never fails to deliver a good story; A Restless Evil is a particularly good entry. Twenty years ago, DS Alan Markby’s first case was in Stovey Woods in the heart of the Cotswolds, a series of five rapes which were never solved. Now, human bones have been discovered in those woods, and they are of an age that coincides with that previous case - are they connected? Markby is drawn to this discovery as a bee to nectar, in no small part because his first case still haunts him. As the investigation proceeds, there is a murder, and it does seem to bear on the previous case, as well as these newly found remains.
Much wonderful plot to digest here, terrific character portraits, and an entirely satisfactory denouement; I’d be even more chuffed if this didn’t mean I’ve only one more in the series to read.

[Rhona Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery.

This case had me stumped for quite a while. I'd gone off tangent, not seen the clues,or remembered them.
Meredith and Markby are looking at a big old rectory when a police car goes by, unable to stop himself. Markby follows and finds out that some bones have been discovered. The hiker is a doctor who confirmed it is human remains. From then on, Markby is pulled back into the past on his first case as an Inspector that he had not solved. A series of rapes by a man known as The Potato Man. Was this body the rapist? Was he killed by the rapist? Why had the rapes stopped? Then, a murder occurs, and once again, Markby is determined to solve the case, both of murder and the rapes as well.

[Reggie Billingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm prompted to post a review on this title because it just seemed so well paced and balanced.

We all know there are formulae to this genre and its various sub-genres but Granger played this so neatly, so evenly with just enough for a reader, weary of the current world, could pause at the end of each chapter and ponder the next step: "What are the possibilities?" and consider the options without the (to me) wholly unnecessary sturm und drang and hyperbolic jolts too common these days. (Digital horror and fantasy murderous epics have a lot to answer for.)

Granger knows what she's doing and does it elegantly. I appreciate that no end and will be returning to her list to gently enjoy others. So there.

[Laura Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was unaware that this was book #14 in a series until I was halfway through.

Still, it was an enjoyable read and I was able to follow along, although I do believe I would have gotten more out of it had I read the other 13 books leading up to it. I may have connected with the main characters of the series more had I know more of their past.

[mrs a beadle]

A Restless evil

I enjoyed this plot, full of intrigue. Anne Granger really has done her homework on the church to make this book come to life in an old English village, where strangers are not welcome. Well written.

[Lynne Gosbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

I used to love the Mitchell and Markby series but haven't read any in years. This one - which I've never read - was published in 2002 but feels even older. This series was cosy crime before it was even a genre! Enjoyable but not much character exploration and some outdated ideas in places.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 stars. A good, page turning English mystery. Rich, intriguing characters.

[Kat Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable cozy mystery!

[Cirrus Minor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein reichlich düsterer vorletzter Fall, den die beiden lösen mussten. Leider wieder mit sehr vielen Zufällen gespickt und mit der ewigen Frage: Wird es ein Happy End geben?

[jcwolfkill · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Ann Granger

Very well written and well plotted. Thoroughly enjoyable! I will start at the beginning of the series and read them all.

[Nicola Royan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid mystery, does what you expect it to. Not so sure about Dave Pearce though.

[Goldie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't finish this one but enjoy the first few chapters, but ran out of time for reading and when I went back to it I could pick the story back up so will pick this up again at some point

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting twists.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great suspense novel

[Wendy Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not usually one for mysteries but this was very good. A good bunch of characters and an interesting "who done it" If you like mysteries, you will really enjoy this book.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

Unsurprisingly I thought this was another enjoyable book from Ann Granger. This series is getting long but it's not getting boring or predictable. Though Granger does tend to stay with much the same kind of format for the stories they are all individual enough to make them interesting reads.

In this book Alan and Meredith are house hunting in the dead end village of Lower Stovey when Meredith comes across a dead body (I've got to the point with this series where I no longer worry about realism at the point where Meredith comes across a dead body, it has to happen and I don't think the unlikelihood of it impacts the realism of the rest of the books) and Alan comes across a connection to a case he worked on twenty odd years back when he was a young and newly promoted inspector. What follows has nothing outstandingly unusual to recommend it except for excellent writing, great characters, a decent setting and a good plot.

In short it would be easy to write these books off as gentle country whodunnits but I think that they are thoroughly good books and I find them a lot finer reads than many others that try to bring the English village mystery into the twenty first century. I hope the series, which is already fifteen books long, keeps going for some while yet. There's a lot of life left in both Meredith Mitchell and Alan Markby.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unsolved case from twenty years ago comes back to haunt Superintendent Alan Markby when a hiker finds human bones in Stovey Wood. The unsolved case was a series of brutal rapes carried out by someone the press referred to as The Potato Man because he enveloped his victims in a potato sack to stop them escaping.

Markby, as a young inspector, felt there was something evil about the village of Lower Stovey and that the villagers knew more than they were willing to say. Now the discovery of the bones - which may or may not be connected with the old case - has brought everything to the surface again.

Then a murder is committed in the here and now and the village is inundated with police determined to solve this crime if not the older one. The whole thing throws a spanner in the works of Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell's house hunting efforts and crosses Lower Stovey off their list of possible places to live.

I thoroughly enjoyed this atmospheric and absorbing story. It has interesting characters and plenty of clues for the reader to try to make sense of. I didn't work out who the murderer was so it was a shock to me when they were revealed. I can thoroughly recommend this well written crime series for its interesting plots, believable characters and low key writing with touches of humour.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love Mitchell and Markby stories, but this book is not Ms. Granger's best in this series. In this book Meredith and Alan are house hunting, and they end up in a pokey little village called Upper Stovey. Not much goes on in this backward little village, but while they are there someone discovers human bones in Stovey Woods. Markby has been in Upper Stovey before. Twenty-two years ago he was hunting a serial rapist who was nicknamed The Potato Man. They did not find the perpetrator then, but Alan hopes that the discovery of these old bones will give him a lead on this old case. But before he and his team get too far with the bones, another much fresher corpse turns up in this village. Markby hopes that the two cases (the old and the new) are connected thus giving him a line on solving a case that has haunted him for 22 years. I felt though that the tension wasn't maintained in the book and I found myself losing interest at times. This is quite contrary to most Mitchell and Markby stories, so therefore a disappointment to me.This is a great series though, and I fully expect the next book to be back on form.

[Joanne]

Good cozy read.
DS Alan Markby and girlfriend Meredith drive to Lower Stovey to look at a house for sale. The area is a place Markby visited 22 years previously when he was investigating his first case - that of a series of rapes - which never was solved and attributed to the Potato Man.

While there they witness a police car heading to the woods: Markby can't help but follow where a hiker has found the jawbone and other bones of a person.

Old Billy Twelvetrees and daughter Dilys; Ruth and Hester who act as church wardens; Mrs. Scott and her dog Roger.

Hester is found stabbed to death by Meredith in the church.

Bones are those of Simon, who impregnated Ruth when she was 17 (he was a tosser).

Hester is killed by Dilys when she sees Old Billy's box of souvenirs that he took from the women he raped. She recognizes Simon's ring.

Dilys has been protecting her Dad all these years - he was responsible for the rapes and Simon's death, though that's claimed as an accident. She attempts to kill Meredith.

Is the fellow who found the bones Ruth's illegitimate son whom she gave up for adoption?

Good read.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 22-year-old brutal serial rape case was unresolved in the Cotswold village of Lower Stovey. Alan Markby investigated at the time and was disappointed not to end up with a conviction. But 22 years on he, now Detective Superintendent Alan Markby, and his girlfriend Meredith Mitchell were looking at property in the village when, coincidentally of course, a murder took place in the local church and in addition some human bones were found in Stovey Woods, the scene of the multiple rapes of years ago.

This led Mitchell and Markby to begin investigating and what they turned up proved invaluable in helping solve not only the current murder and the identification of to whom the bones belonged but also the identity of the serial rapist from long ago. And there are plenty of twists and turns along the way!

[Barbara Hoyland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now almost finished the whole series, binging several of them, which is hardly fair to o the author really as you see the tropes and formulae too clearly.
I think I liked the later ones better than the earlier and I did like this one, particularly for its air of menace and ancient evil allied to present day . The style is easy and readable though Granger is one of these authors who feel compelled to put the protagonists name several times in every paragraph , even when it is completely unnecessary and nobody else could be doing the actions or thinking the thoughts in question . ( why do they do this I wonder)
As ever Meredith is not at work - that woman has more leave and less responsibility than any senior civil servant ever born !
Also as ever, she accidentally finds the body of a murder victim ……

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alan Markby has always been disturbed by his failure, as a young detective, to find the rapist known as the Potato Man. Now bones have been discovered in the woods that were the Potato Man's haunt. Could they be a victim, or did the rapes stop with the Potato Man's death? Then a harmless newcomer to the village nearby is killed. Alan's fiancee, Meredith Mitchell, talks to the victim's friend, and gradually learns enough about the relationships in the village to endanger her. Topflight British cozy series.

[Carol Peace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable mystery, when bones are found in Stovey woods and old case resurfaces. Who do the bones belong to and are they connected to the rape cases 22years ago. The rapist went to ground after the fifth rape and the case was unsolved. The finding of the bones sets the police thinking they have to be the reason. They are then confronted with another body and it is a murder and in the church. Who is the murderer and why. The outcome is very good and in some ways unexpected. Good book.