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Mitchell and Markby #11
Call the Dead Again
Meredith Mitchell investigates the murder of local lawyer after giving a mysterious hitchhiker a ride to his house the night before he was murdered. Original.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
19 people are currently reading
236 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 36 reviews
May 8, 2016
Meredith Mitchell takes pity on a hitchhiker just outside Bamford but there is something about the young woman which makes her uneasy. She drops her at the gates of Tudor Lodge, the home of Brussels based Lawyer, Andrew Penhallow and his TV celebrity wife, Carla. When Andrew is found murdered in his garden the next morning by his distraught wife, Meredith immediately remembers the hitchhiker.
I worked out who the murderer was quite quickly and what the murder weapon was but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. I thought the book was well plotted in spite of this and there are plenty of clues. I think there are maybe not enough suspects but it was still interesting seeing how the evidence is pieced together by Superintendent Alan Markby and his team.
If you like your crime novels low key with interesting characters and backgrounds then this series might be worth a try. The novels are best read in the order in which they were written because of the development of the relationship between the main characters.
I worked out who the murderer was quite quickly and what the murder weapon was but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. I thought the book was well plotted in spite of this and there are plenty of clues. I think there are maybe not enough suspects but it was still interesting seeing how the evidence is pieced together by Superintendent Alan Markby and his team.
If you like your crime novels low key with interesting characters and backgrounds then this series might be worth a try. The novels are best read in the order in which they were written because of the development of the relationship between the main characters.
October 17, 2010
I have been reading the Mitchell and Markby series for some time, but I took a hiatus from the series for awhile as I was reading other things. This book is just as good as the others in the series. I love this series and the duo of Meredith and Alan is wonderful. These are English village mysteries, but the characters are always wonderful, and the mystery is usually complex. It was great to get back to this wonderful series and to lose myself in the village of Bamford again. These books do not disappoint at all.
March 21, 2023
Another case solved.
This case was a good one. A girl hitching a lift,but everyone who sees her thinks something bad is going to happen. However, when the murder does happen, she's the first suspect, then there's motive....the girl had no reason to want him dead, so who else would? ...
Read the book and find out. It's a good book, as usual. Meredith and Markby have some time to themselves, to have a dinner date at his sister's. It's not brilliant, brilliant. But good book.
This case was a good one. A girl hitching a lift,but everyone who sees her thinks something bad is going to happen. However, when the murder does happen, she's the first suspect, then there's motive....the girl had no reason to want him dead, so who else would? ...
Read the book and find out. It's a good book, as usual. Meredith and Markby have some time to themselves, to have a dinner date at his sister's. It's not brilliant, brilliant. But good book.
June 26, 2018
In the 11th book in the series, Meredith and Alan are starting to become irritating. She is too quick to take offense and he is far too clingy. Sometimes these character flaws distracted me from an otherwise good mystery.
August 16, 2020
Mõnus rahulik krimka, mis on siiski piisavalt põnev.
Kuigi kardetakse, et hääletaja pealevõtmine ei too head, siis ometi saab kaunis Kate Drago küüti Bamfordi. Järgmisel hommikul on aga Tudor Lodge'i peremees surnud. Kõik viitab ilmselgelt Kate'ile, kuid loomulikult ei saa asi nii lihtne olla. Lõpplahendus oli minu jaoks üllatav, ma ei oleks seda inimest ise mõrtsukaks pakkunud. :)
Kuigi kardetakse, et hääletaja pealevõtmine ei too head, siis ometi saab kaunis Kate Drago küüti Bamfordi. Järgmisel hommikul on aga Tudor Lodge'i peremees surnud. Kõik viitab ilmselgelt Kate'ile, kuid loomulikult ei saa asi nii lihtne olla. Lõpplahendus oli minu jaoks üllatav, ma ei oleks seda inimest ise mõrtsukaks pakkunud. :)
October 26, 2021
Good village atmosphere. Meredith and Markby act like a married couple, so the author should just let them get married. The will she/won't she question is getting a bit tiresome.
March 19, 2022
I enjoyed the story but hated all the characters
September 4, 2022
The book was ok to read, although I would say it was one of the weaker books by the author and I read several of them. I do not know why, but I do find that when the murder affects Meredith and Alan closely and more personally than some of the other murders that they had to investigate. It also makes the book slightly more uncomfortable to read - maybe because I recently read two other affecting them directly and it can affect their judgement, which I think is reasonable.
I would still say it is worth the read, if you enjoy the series.
I would still say it is worth the read, if you enjoy the series.
December 7, 2024
I enjoyed this and now have another crime series and author to follow. I came to know Meredith and Markby and the setting. The plot was quite complex although I guessed the suspect early in the story.
August 1, 2025
Every character is thoroughly unlikeable. Meredith is an argumentative snowflake (takes offense at everything). Kate, Luke, Carla, etc. are all screamingly unpleasant and vile. And Markby is a sap....
August 31, 2018
Wieder ein solider Teil der Serie, der durch interessante Figuren unterhält, aber leider sehr dadurch verliert, dass schon früh klar ist, wer der Mörder ist.
February 6, 2022
Päris põnev, aga mõrvar oli ikkagi too, kellele esimesena mõtlesin.
May 17, 2023
Very enjoyable mystery with 2 engaging lead characters
December 23, 2023
A little disappointing.
June 20, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in February 2000.
Another Mitchell and Markby novel; once again, the usual strengths and weaknesses of Granger's series are repeated. The unreasonable coincidence by which Meredith Mitchell becomes involved in the murder takes place once again - here, she picks up a hitch-hiker who becomes the main suspect.
The night after a strange, beautiful girl hitch-hikes to Bamford, the rich Andrew Penhallow is found murdered at his own back door. As Kate Drago's purpose in coming to the town was to visit Andrew, she is naturally suspected. When the police question her, Andrew's double life is revealed: she is his illegitimate daughter rather than the mistress that others thought her to be.
I do have an additional word of criticism. Granger uses the device of the extra thin skull, useful to crime writers because it reduces the force needed for a fatal blow and so widens the field of suspects. I'm pretty positive that there is a passage in a Dorothy Sayers novel in which this idea is dismissed as too hackneyed to use in a modern detective story (but I can't remember quite where), but here it crops up again sixty years later.
Another Mitchell and Markby novel; once again, the usual strengths and weaknesses of Granger's series are repeated. The unreasonable coincidence by which Meredith Mitchell becomes involved in the murder takes place once again - here, she picks up a hitch-hiker who becomes the main suspect.
The night after a strange, beautiful girl hitch-hikes to Bamford, the rich Andrew Penhallow is found murdered at his own back door. As Kate Drago's purpose in coming to the town was to visit Andrew, she is naturally suspected. When the police question her, Andrew's double life is revealed: she is his illegitimate daughter rather than the mistress that others thought her to be.
I do have an additional word of criticism. Granger uses the device of the extra thin skull, useful to crime writers because it reduces the force needed for a fatal blow and so widens the field of suspects. I'm pretty positive that there is a passage in a Dorothy Sayers novel in which this idea is dismissed as too hackneyed to use in a modern detective story (but I can't remember quite where), but here it crops up again sixty years later.
March 30, 2009
Meredith and Alan once again have to solve a murder. But interspersed in all of this is always their continuing relationship. Can Meredith commit to him or is she afraid of marriage? A rich man starts the book with a young female visitor. He mysteriously takes her to the hotel and leaves her there. Later that night he is murdered. Why and by whom?
February 25, 2010
Meredith Mitchell and her friends seem to have a lot of bad luck. Fortunately, Meredith's significant other is policeman Alan Markby. Meredith breaks her own rule to pick up a young woman who is hitchhiking at dusk. The next morning, there's a dead body at the house where Meredith had left the hitchhiker, and Meredith can't help feeling that she played a part in causing the tragedy.
Read
July 29, 2011really loved this one. a bit of a different storyline than you are expecting, which is refreshing. i can't believe that this far into the series she is still coming up with fresh plots, but, once again, i like this one even better than the last.
July 8, 2012
A pretty good Mitchell and Markby mystery marred only by the fact that there were not enough potential people who could have committed the murder so you get to the person who did it fairly early and wait for the sleuths to catch up.
January 6, 2015
A light read and it was easy to spot the murderer from the start. As soon as the victim checked on his sick wife, I realised who the murderer was going to be before it even happened. Nevertheless a quick and fun read in the typical whodunnit genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2023
Ich habe ein Buch bei BookCrossing.com registriert!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13782593
Ein netter kleiner Krimi, ohne überflüssiges Blut und ohne ausufernde Brutalität.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13782593
Ein netter kleiner Krimi, ohne überflüssiges Blut und ohne ausufernde Brutalität.
June 18, 2008
I couldn't really get into this book for some reason. It just wasn't exciting. I really didn't even care who the murderer was...
August 14, 2009
a nice little mystery; at times a bit dull
March 18, 2011
very good. kept me guessing right up to the end!
November 21, 2011
I love this series - especially its main characters. A great British village murder mystery!
January 30, 2013
I liked this book better than the other novel in this series that I read earlier. However, I just don't enjoy this series quite as much as the author's Fran Varady series. I'm not sure why.
November 26, 2014
As usual a great Mitchell & Markby murder mystery. Did miss Meredith being more involved at the beginning of the case though.
Their relationship got complicated ;)
Their relationship got complicated ;)
August 15, 2014
boy a real slice of day to day life when the cops can't find the killer-different but entertaining
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews