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Mitchell and Markby #10
A Word After Dying
Inspector Alan Markby and his long-time friend Meredith Mitchell have taken a cottage in the country for a much needed holiday. But so sooner are they relaxing with a neighbor over a glass of blackberry wine, when Markby is being badgered for an "off the record" opinion about a somewhat suspicious accidental death.
Retired journalist Wynne Carter has been satisfying her professional curiosity by investigating a former villager: Olivia Smeaton, a reserved old lady with a racy past whose life -- and recent fatal fall -- leave a lot of questions unanswered. Determinedly off duty, Markby grumbles that the woman's death was probably caused by a loose slipper sole. Still, Meredith's interest is piqued by suggestive acts of vandalism that have been striking the village, including the malicious poisoning of the victim's much-loved pony. And, when another body is found, even Markby must admit that there is foul play afoot. with the villagers becoming increasingly unfriendly, and the mysterious violence continuing, Meredith and Markby begin to fear that Olivia's death may have been just the first of many, unless the two of them can make sense of the scandalous secrets so carefully hidden by the inhabitants of the seemingly peaceful Cotswold village.
Retired journalist Wynne Carter has been satisfying her professional curiosity by investigating a former villager: Olivia Smeaton, a reserved old lady with a racy past whose life -- and recent fatal fall -- leave a lot of questions unanswered. Determinedly off duty, Markby grumbles that the woman's death was probably caused by a loose slipper sole. Still, Meredith's interest is piqued by suggestive acts of vandalism that have been striking the village, including the malicious poisoning of the victim's much-loved pony. And, when another body is found, even Markby must admit that there is foul play afoot. with the villagers becoming increasingly unfriendly, and the mysterious violence continuing, Meredith and Markby begin to fear that Olivia's death may have been just the first of many, unless the two of them can make sense of the scandalous secrets so carefully hidden by the inhabitants of the seemingly peaceful Cotswold village.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
14 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Ann Granger
77 books302 followersAnn 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
January 27, 2026
I just love the Markby and Mitchel stories.
This one didn't disappoint as well.
The quirky characters and lovely rural atmosphere just hit all the right spots for me, while reading a nice little who-done-it.
This one didn't disappoint as well.
The quirky characters and lovely rural atmosphere just hit all the right spots for me, while reading a nice little who-done-it.
May 7, 2016
I really enjoyed this tenth mystery in the Mitchell and Markby series. It sees Meredith and Alan on holiday in a Cotswold cottage belonging to Alan's sister, Laura and her husband in the village of Parsloe St John. Their neighbour - Wynne Carter, a former journalist - is hospitable and talkative and the whole village seems welcoming. But Wynne is convinced that the recent death of recluse, Olivia Smeaton, is suspicious and wants Alan and Meredith to investigate it.
Witchcraft, standing stones, some eccentric characters and some very odd episodes of vandalism precede the discovery of a gruesome murder and the police are called in. Alan, Wynne and Meredith must keep their own investigations low key to avoid getting in the way.
The book is well written and I loved the small village background. I didn't work out who the murderer was so it was quite a shock to find out. I had worked out what the background was to Olivia' decision to shut herself away in her home and see as few people as possible but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story.
This is a series which really needs to be read in order of publication if the relationship between Meredith and Alan is to make sense. I am reading the series back to back and I am finding I am still enjoying it - which is always a good test of a series. If you like your crime novels written in a low key style with plenty of amusing moments and not too much graphic violence then this may be the series for you.
Witchcraft, standing stones, some eccentric characters and some very odd episodes of vandalism precede the discovery of a gruesome murder and the police are called in. Alan, Wynne and Meredith must keep their own investigations low key to avoid getting in the way.
The book is well written and I loved the small village background. I didn't work out who the murderer was so it was quite a shock to find out. I had worked out what the background was to Olivia' decision to shut herself away in her home and see as few people as possible but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story.
This is a series which really needs to be read in order of publication if the relationship between Meredith and Alan is to make sense. I am reading the series back to back and I am finding I am still enjoying it - which is always a good test of a series. If you like your crime novels written in a low key style with plenty of amusing moments and not too much graphic violence then this may be the series for you.
August 3, 2020
🍷🍷🍷🍷
Yet another very satisfying entry in the “Mitchell and Markby” English village mystery series. Here Inspector Alan Markby and his paramour Meredith Mitchell have gone on vacation and rented a cottage in Parsloe St. John, where they meet next door neighbor Wynne Carter, a retired journalist. Over glasses of wine she tells them that a notable resident who had a checkered past was recently found dead in her home. The official verdict was accidental death, but Carter’s reportorial instincts tell her that it was no accident.
That might have been the end of it, but Markby visits the now vacant home of the deceased Olivia Smeaton and is very interested in purchasing it. Meredith is intrigued by Wynne Carter’s telling of the unsettling details leading up to Miss Smeaton’s death but Alan pooh-poohs them until a local handyman turns up dead on the Smeaton property, and certainly not by accident.
The game is afoot, as they say, and Ann Granger is an expert in telling this story. My only concern is that I’ve only 5 books left in this estimable series and that I’ll have read them all too soon.
Yet another very satisfying entry in the “Mitchell and Markby” English village mystery series. Here Inspector Alan Markby and his paramour Meredith Mitchell have gone on vacation and rented a cottage in Parsloe St. John, where they meet next door neighbor Wynne Carter, a retired journalist. Over glasses of wine she tells them that a notable resident who had a checkered past was recently found dead in her home. The official verdict was accidental death, but Carter’s reportorial instincts tell her that it was no accident.
That might have been the end of it, but Markby visits the now vacant home of the deceased Olivia Smeaton and is very interested in purchasing it. Meredith is intrigued by Wynne Carter’s telling of the unsettling details leading up to Miss Smeaton’s death but Alan pooh-poohs them until a local handyman turns up dead on the Smeaton property, and certainly not by accident.
The game is afoot, as they say, and Ann Granger is an expert in telling this story. My only concern is that I’ve only 5 books left in this estimable series and that I’ll have read them all too soon.
July 1, 2024
I would say my least favourite of the recent ones I read. I have to admit Mitchell was really getting on my nervers in this one, and it was one of the reasons, why it took me soo long to finish it - I had to force myself a bit. The plot was interesting, and I was really wondering about Olivia's death. And there were surprising twists and turns, so that part was fun. But Meredith was really annoying me , with her assumptions, and at times just acting out of her mind, like the chase accross the fields. And since it was described on several pages, I could not help, but get bit bored. And I was really looking forward to finding the mystery but at times I felt like the book was being prolonged way too much.
Overall, I am not sure I will ever come back to this one. I did not enjoy it as much as I did some of the other ones.
Overall, I am not sure I will ever come back to this one. I did not enjoy it as much as I did some of the other ones.
March 16, 2023
Slow going for me, but a good book.
I was slow reading as had other things to do this week. Meredith and Markby are on holiday in a sleepy village, when a neighbour asks a favour. Look into the death of a pony who had died. .....
Well the neighbours are all quiet and unable or unwilling to say anything. 🤔 Markby is not in charge, he's off duty but what has happened does seem odd, then a murder dies occur and a regional crime squad called in. Still nothing is being told, and Markby & Meredith are told they are persona non grata in the local pub.
But as always they do solve the case and looking forward to the next one.
I was slow reading as had other things to do this week. Meredith and Markby are on holiday in a sleepy village, when a neighbour asks a favour. Look into the death of a pony who had died. .....
Well the neighbours are all quiet and unable or unwilling to say anything. 🤔 Markby is not in charge, he's off duty but what has happened does seem odd, then a murder dies occur and a regional crime squad called in. Still nothing is being told, and Markby & Meredith are told they are persona non grata in the local pub.
But as always they do solve the case and looking forward to the next one.
September 2, 2025
The usual and expected high quality of writing in Granger's work is always appreciated in the small asides and little fillips of commentary that make her work especially fun to read. Even so, I did feel she had to reach for Mitchell racing after the local village 'idiot' (the long ignored submissive assistant to the local odd-job man) when it surely would be the LAST thing a sensible person interested in self-preservation would do. I found that a tad hard to accept: shouting out loud at the text "NOOOO! Leave that guy Alone!!" might have been a clue to my partner sleeping beside me.
Ah well.
Suit your self.
Ah well.
Suit your self.
May 5, 2024
I loved the entire Mitchell and Markby mystery series. I was always hoping that the BBC would pick it up and we'd have another great series to watch like Midsomer Murders, Vera, Shetland, etc. I enjoyed but didn't love the Fran Varady series. They were enjoyable but I prefer the former. Sadly, try as I might, I could not get into her others series at all. Hmm. I think it might be time to re-read those Mitchell and Markby mysteries. :)
July 12, 2018
Leider ist dieser Teil der Reihe wieder ziemlich schwach. Eine Auflösung ergibt sich schon fast aus dem Titel und die übrigen Vorkommnisse sowie das Verhalten der Dörfler (besonders die - fehlende - Reaktion der Protagonisten darauf) sind für mich schwer nachvollziehbar.
February 25, 2024
A delightful read. From page one the pictures and the quirks, had me. I felt I was roaming through the village. Able to watch the unfolding.
Good use of comedy and language flows free.
At a few spots I found I could see a bit ahead which is always fun. Only to realise I was wrong.
Good use of comedy and language flows free.
At a few spots I found I could see a bit ahead which is always fun. Only to realise I was wrong.
July 10, 2017
Not my favorite title in the series. You see where it was headed which is not the usual Mitchell and Markby way!
July 6, 2018
Great Mystery and the twist at the End was so unexpected!
January 7, 2019
#52books2018 number 1: A Word After Dying by Ann Granger. Love Meredith and Markby but this isn't the best. Could've done with a bit more character development. No surprises. Faint praise!
July 3, 2021
A little into A Word After Dying (Mitchell and Mark and you'll find that it is impossible to put down!
November 21, 2023
DNF, too slow for me
December 5, 2023
3.75 stars. Good.
January 11, 2025
Väga konstrueeritud ja kunstlik intriig. Aga rohkem häiris mind eesti keel. Ma ei teagi kas tõlge, toimetaja või oli juba originaal kehv.
July 26, 2025
Not a favorite in this series. Protagonists seemed crabby, argumentative, and intolerant. If this were my first, it would be my last.
March 16, 2017
An enjoyable who dunnit
January 26, 2023
Читав російською. Британська глубинка 1990х дуже дивна. Там є люди, що не вміють читати, відьми збирають шабаші і ніхто нічого не скаже чужинцю
March 4, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in June 1998.
One of the Mitchell and Markby series of crime novels. In A Word After Dying, the romance between Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell has finally reached the point where they feel comfortable going on holiday together. They go to stay in a cottage belonging to Alan's sister and her family; needless to say, they begin to get involved in the death of an old woman in the small village.
The old woman, Olivia Smeaton, seems to have died perfectly naturally from a fall, but Wynne Carter, a retired investigative reporter who lives next to the cottage, has a feeling that something was wrong. As Meredith begins to investigate and pressurise a reluctant Alan into joining in, they quickly discover that the village is not the tranquil place it appears to be. Meredith begins to investigate a local coven, and soon a murder takes place.
If you enjoy the gentle tone of this series, they are all winners; this has one of the harder puzzles to solve (I didn't work it out). The books are all fairly similar, which is a criticism of most series, particularly in the detection genre.
One of the Mitchell and Markby series of crime novels. In A Word After Dying, the romance between Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell has finally reached the point where they feel comfortable going on holiday together. They go to stay in a cottage belonging to Alan's sister and her family; needless to say, they begin to get involved in the death of an old woman in the small village.
The old woman, Olivia Smeaton, seems to have died perfectly naturally from a fall, but Wynne Carter, a retired investigative reporter who lives next to the cottage, has a feeling that something was wrong. As Meredith begins to investigate and pressurise a reluctant Alan into joining in, they quickly discover that the village is not the tranquil place it appears to be. Meredith begins to investigate a local coven, and soon a murder takes place.
If you enjoy the gentle tone of this series, they are all winners; this has one of the harder puzzles to solve (I didn't work it out). The books are all fairly similar, which is a criticism of most series, particularly in the detection genre.
February 5, 2013
When I'm in need of a comforting, predictably good murder mystery I always try to find a Mitchell and Markby to contrast against the more gruesome terrors of, say, a Karin Slaughte. Here there is no terror, although there is a little gruesomeness, and the English village setting is very cosy. As usual, all is resolved quietly and satisfactorily. I do worry sometimes that non-English readers might get a strange opinion of what goes on in English villages, though . . .
March 26, 2009
They go to a small village as a weekend retreat. It ends up being anything but a calm weekend. Markby and Mitchell find out about another murder and a strange village happening. alan wanted to buy the house, but they decide the village has just too much happening for them
September 10, 2012
This is the first time I'm reading a book by Ann Granger. It's okay, but rather draggy at times. I'm more interested in the relationship between Markby and Mitchell than knowing who the killer is! Is the book not exciting enough? Or perhaps it just means I'm in the mood for a love story.
November 7, 2012
I'm frustrated. I really liked this book--interesting English country setting, with village intrigue and standing stones, detective character and girlfriend on vacation, lots of twists and turns. However, this book is number 10 in a series I don't seem to have access to, darn it!
June 13, 2013
I like Ann Grainger's writing.
She writes quick to read mystery stories about tiny little English villages with all kinds of quirky characters living in them.
Interesting topics in this book were witchcraft and child neglect.
She writes quick to read mystery stories about tiny little English villages with all kinds of quirky characters living in them.
Interesting topics in this book were witchcraft and child neglect.
December 26, 2013
I don't think this is one of the author's better efforts. The plot was relatively predictable and there isn't any development of the main characters (rather an issue for me as it happens at a glacial pace through the series).
April 9, 2009
Good read, as always
February 19, 2010
I did guess the ending on this one, but I always enjoy the series characters and the setting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews