Asking for Trouble

Fran Varady #1

by Ann Granger

The death of a squatter is not all it seems...

Ann Granger introduces the unemployed and soon-to-be-homeless amateur sleuth Fran Varady in the first of this riveting crime series. The perfect read for fans of Edward Marston and LJ Ross.

'It looks as if Ann Granger is on to another winner' - Birmingham Post

Fran Varady is insolvent, unemployed and, though for the moment she's got the leaky roof of the squat she shares in Jubilee Street over her head, she'll very soon be homeless thanks to the council eviction department. Her dreams of becoming an actress, nurtured when her father and grandmother were still alive, seem a long way off. But the quietly resolute Fran is a survivor ... which her former housemate, Terry, found hanging from the ceiling of her room, clearly is not.

Terry, secretive and selfish, was far from popular with the rest of the household, but her death shakes the Jubilee Street Creative Artists' Commune, as the squat residents half-jokingly call themselves. And, the more Fran discovers about the death of the young woman whose life briefly intersected with her own, the more she begins to see it was not all it first seemed.

What readers are saying about Asking for Trouble:

'Fran is too good to confine to one book. What good news to learn that there is a series!'

'An intriguing storyline, described with humour and affection'

'Fran is a delightful character and one well worth following through the other parts of this series'

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

312 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1997

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

[Ct2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2nd top pick in the British female detective stakes. Fran Varady reminds me of my own youth in 1980s living in squats and shared houses.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog here in August 1999.

After six or seven Mitchell and Markby novels, Ann Granger has written a detective novel outside the series, almost completely different in tone and background. Her central character, Fran Varady, is about to be thrown out of the condemned building in which she is squatting when one of the others in the house is found dead, hanging from the light fitting in her room. At first thought to be suicide, it soon becomes clear that her death is murder.

Fran starts to look into the murder partly because it soon becomes clear to her that the squatters are the main suspects, and partly because relatives of the dead girl ask her to do so. Fran is not at all like their preconceptions of a squatter; she is well spoken, well educated and from a good background; she is neither a drug addict nor an alcoholic.

This in fact brings us to the heart of the novel, which is to do with the true nature of those who live in what is frequently considered Britain's underclass. None of those who lived with Fran were particularly unusual; they were normal people who for one reason or another had ended up in a squat. Asking For Trouble is unusual among detective stories about people in this type of background in that the squatters are not stereotypes. On the other hand, the police are not attacked either, the main reasons that they come over in a bad light being institutional bureaucracy (ill equipped to deal with the rather unofficial lifestyle of the squatters), and the prejudices of individual officers. So often crime novels reinforce a right-wing view of the world, in which squatters (or New Age travellers, or the homeless) are depraved addicts, and policemen guardians of virtue, and it is nice to see a writer making them all out to be normal, imperfect people.

As well as this point in its favour, Asking for Trouble is well written, in a style which reminded me of Ruth Rendell. Granger is better at writing about young people than either Rendell or P.D. James, and so her main character is not only sympathetic but also believable.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun murder mystery with an interesting premise and perspective. Being homeless doesn't mean you can't try to solve a murder.

[Ita · Rating 1 out of 5]

The biggest problem was the main character, who was a tedious idiot.


SPOILERS!!

She's sure who the killer is and does really dumb things! She continually spends time alone with this person. What kind of moron spends time alone with someone they think killed someone? At one point she goes horse-riding with him (she's never ridden a horse, so you know Something Bad will happen. And it does. CONTRIVED, CONTRIVED, CONTRIVED!) It was incredibly frustrating.

Then not once, but TWICE tension builds and she gets a big scare. And it turns out it's her best friend. TWICE! LAME!

Also, the author has quite a few mysteries under her belt, so you know that the person you think is the killer, isn't. And, really, there were so many clues pointing to this wrong person it got tedious, because you knew that he couldn't be the killer. But then who? I had quite a few scenarios in mind for why Terry ran away from home, but when we get to the big reveal, it was a huge let-down. It didn't make sense. She didn't have to run away from home to avoid this person. She could have told people she was afraid of the killer, that he was a bit crazy and she could have stayed home.

So, botttom line, this book didn't work for me and I'm not going to waste my time on her other books.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this series before randomly running across Asking for Trouble. I read the first page and was hooked - and how often does that really happen? I think the characters are exceedingly sympathetic and the two contrasting settings (a squat in 90's London and a horse farm run by an eccentric family in the middle of nowhere) are both vivid and well-handled.

Now is where I criticize, because I always feel the need, even when a book like this one is quite good: The progression of events is logical when you're reading, but once you know the solution... it all seems unnecessarily roundabout. And although the actual killer was my #2 suspect, I really think the book would have been more clever if my #1 suspect actually had dunnit.

I will read the rest of this series, for sure.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never suspect who the murderer is. Great book with a, for me, new detective. Hope Fran's lifestyle will improve over time :)

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein netter kleiner Krimi, der zum Ende hin eine überraschende Wende brachte.
Das Buch ließ sich gut lesen, hat mir aber nicht den Schlaf geraubt. somit ist es Seniorentauglich.

[Mavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misterul Morții din Strada Jubilee - Editura Nemira

[Linda Amos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in a derelict house in Jubilee Street, Fran Varady keeps herself to herself. She shares everything, except her history, with the other members of the squat, Squib and Nev. Terry is a recent edition, obviously from a well to do home, but she doesn't share anything least of all how she got there. When she is found dead in dubious circumstances, the other three residents are under suspicion. Fran decides to do some digging, and is encouraged by Terry's uncle. She is taken out of her comfort zone, but can she keep out of danger?
First one in a new series and a good start. Tight writing, good description of poor quality housing and the risks involved in living in areas marked for demolition. Doesn't give a good impression of the council. Read in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off with a lot of promise. It was a unique idea. A murder takes place in a condemned building occupied by four squatters and one of them decides to investigate. I don't think I've ever heard of a homeless detective before.

But then, by the second half of the book, things turn conventional when the action shifts to an English country house and the murderer clearly is one of the residents/guests in attendance. Not that I have anything against that sort of format, but I was hoping for something a little different this time. Eventually our heroine makes her way back to the condemned building for the climax, but by then, it felt too late.

[Jane Shand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would try another Ann Granger series, but although it was slightly less old fashioned than the others there were still things that I couldn’t get on with. Fran was a reasonably likeable character but I couldn’t really see why she and Ganesh were friends - they just appeared to argue all the time about everything. Nobody else was particularly likeable and the police were not shown in a very favourable light! Still, the plot was okay and it kept me reading because I wanted to know the ending. But I won’t be reading any more personally.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a mystery reader for more than 50 years. Since I read more than 100 each year, I am difficult to impress. This particular book is OK, but not remarkable. If you can accept the premise that a gentleman hires a homeless woman to investigate his granddaughter's murder, Fran Varady is a likeable protagonist. I did not guess the villain, so that is always a plus for me. Mild recommendation. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Johann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Leben in einem Londoner Abbruchhaus treibt eine Bewohnerin auf den ersten Blick in den Selbstmord. Die Mitbewohnerin Fran kann es nicht glauben, dass es Selbstmord war. Neben den Problemen mit der Polizei und ihrer Wohnungsnot versucht sie den Hintergründen auf die Spur zu kommen. Bei diesen detektivischen Arbeiten, die sie sogar auf ein Pferdegut am Land führen, hat sie nur eine Hilfe: ihren Freund Ganesh, der sie mehrmals von unausweichlichen Situationen rettet.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most unusual main character and a totally new take on detection and investigation. I wasn't sure I liked the premise at first but it makes sense in the situation. Since this is #1 of a series, makes me wonder if a second book could carry this premise again. Overall, a very interesting book with a big surprise at the end.

[Kelly Callaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not love this book. The solution to the mystery was a pleasant surprise. However I did not like the protagonists. I prefer this author’s other detectives and will not be reading any more in this series,

[Bryngel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am (obviously) very picky when it comes to my preferred murder mystery detective stories. This is far too "arranged" for me to really enjoy it, add to that the not so likable Fran Varady, and this is a miss for me.

[Neely Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fran Varady and her bank of homeless misfits are happy in their dilapidated squat until the council sends eviction notices. However, plans change when one of them is found dead. An introduction to a new series. Not bad.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, if a little predictable, story.

[Cirrus Minor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es hat mir sehr gut gefallen, dass hier Stimmung und Schreibweise eine völlig andere sind als bei Mitchell und Markby. Leider ist die grundsätzliche Auflösung auch hier eher dem Zufall geschuldet.

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of a series, I found the plot a little uninteresting as well as a bit unbelievable but enjoyed it nevertheless.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Listened to audiobook.

[LaShana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just ok. Not a lot of mystery in this book

[Labyrinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angenehm zu lesen und unterhaltsam

[Hilary G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve got 3 Fran Varady books so will review them altogether when I’ve read all three.

[CAW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Fran Varady series. It introduces us to Fran - a homeless girl who seems to find herself at the center of a murder regularly!

[Marnelli Sinajon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not see that twist coming. 👏👏👏

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

#1 *Asking For Trouble* [8 hours 11 mins]
blurb - Fran Varady is living in a "squat" (she's one of a group of illegal tenants in a building scheduled to be torn down -- they just pulled off some boards and moved in, because there's a severe shortage of housing in London and they can't afford housing). Her dreams of becoming an actress, nurtured when her father and grandmother were still alive, seem a long way off. But the quietly resolute Fran, for all her youth and apparent vulnerability, is a survivor. The local housing council is on the verge of evicting them when one of the squatters is found dead -- it's made to look like an accident, but clearly there's signs of a struggle. The police suspect that the killer is one of the other squatters Fran manages to finally convince them that none of them did it, but she sets out to find the killer. She ends up investigating the victim's family home in the english countryside, where being a city girl, she is truly a duck out of water, and nearly a dead one...

3* A Restless Evil (Mitchell and Markby #14)

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍷🍷
An easy four stars, I could almost give it five. This was Ann Granger’s first of seven mysteries featuring Fran Varady, and a decided departure from her “Mitchell and Markby” mysteries. Those were quite good and I eventually read them all; at some point during those she decided to try a different tack: a young woman with virtually nothing but her wits and drive to survive on, and that’s Fran to a T: currently living in a squatter’s house on Jubilee Street in a rough section of London with three others and having lost her job (not that the others have one, either.) All with the somewhat nebulous desire to get into “the arts” as a way to make a living, they call their squat The Jubilee Street Creative Artists’ Commune. But things turn dire when Fran, Squib, and Nev return home to find the fourth hanging dead from a ceiling light bracket. Call the police they must, knowing what that means for them. And Fran is the only one with the pluck and wit to investigate Terry’s death to find who might have set up this bogus suicide tableau and thus clear themselves.
Wonderfully written, with very interesting characters and a fast paced plot and very satisfying denouement. Will def read the others in this short series.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of Ann Granger's books is quite different in many ways from her better-known Meredith and Markby series. Fran Varady lives in London -- and in this first book, she is basically homeless. She's quite a bit younger than retired diplomat Meredith. But they have in common their strength of character, their wariness of close relationships, and their propensity to get involved - particularly when there's a crime. I happened on this book by chance and have been slowly managing to acquire and read the rest. Not just a good mystery, but a look at a side of London we usually don't hear much about.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite series. Fran is a completely unique character, living on the edges of society. Very different from the author's much more popular Meredith and Markby series. I don't know why this series doesn't get more attention, it is a refreshing change from the typical British amateur sleuth genre.