Where Old Bones Lie

Mitchell and Markby #5

by Ann Granger

Joining her archaeologist friend, Ursula, on the site of a Saxon burial ground, Meredith Mitchell is astonished when they dig up the remains of Ursula's lover's wife, revealing a murder that brings Inspector Markby to the scene. Reprint.

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

278 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s years since I’ve read an Ann Granger novel and yet again I wasn’t disappointed. Good quality writing, endearing and well portrayed characters and a traditional mystery plot line that keeps you entertained. I love Meredith Mitchell and Alan Markby and hope it isn’t as long before I read another in the series! All the stars!

[Julia Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm plowing through this series and loving it! I'm new to Ann Granger, but I intend to read her whole series. I'm also feeling nostalgic, since the series starts in the 1980s and so many details are already historical. For example, a character prefers his typewriter to a modern "word processor." I had the same dilemma. ;)

[Lisa C · Rating 3 out of 5]

As expected, I'm getting tired of the relationship between the characters, even while I'm enjoying the stories themselves. I have a particular dislike for stories that rely on "romantic tension" to bring readers or viewers back, as the tension is frequently trite and blown out of proportion. Either you appreciate someone the way that they are, or you don't. I really can't stand whining about how someone would be just perfect "if only."

[Nancy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The oddest thing about this book is that so many murders were solved yet while we know who did one it seems he is forgotten at the end and a death goes unpunished--odd. The main death goes through a lot of twists and turns BUT in the end the person who seems the obvious choice is. Nicely done.

[Feeling-bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Ann Granger, and an enjoyable read. The writing is superb, and I loved the different layers she brought to the characters and the interaction between them.

The murder mystery was somewhat flatter than the build-up and the writing promised, but I'm definitely looking out for more from this author.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ursula Gretton, archaeologist is concerned that her former lover just might have done away with his wife and she discusses her suspicions with her friend, Meredith Mitchell. Meredith, naturally, feels obliged to discuss those symptoms with her friend DCI Alan Markby. Markby is inclined to make light of them but gradually as the evidence mounts it seems someone is going to have to take notice. Meredith joins Ursula at the site of an archaeological dig to try and act as site security because a group of New Age Travellers has set up camp rather too close to the dig for comfort.

As tempers flare between the opposing factions a body is discovered on the nearby council tip and a murder hunt is launched. The New Age Travellers have decamped and it seems on the face of it that they could be responsible but things aren't as simple as they seem and Meredith finds herself caught up once again in a police investigation.

This is a well written mystery with an interesting archaeological background and some well drawn characters. I particularly liked Mr Finny - the unofficial guardian of the rubbish tip. It was interesting to see more of Ursula - who appeared briefly in an earlier book in the series. While this book and this series can be read as standalone novels I think it is better to read them in the order in which they were published as then the reader can watch the development of the relationship between the two main characters.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the way Granger wrote this book, but the end kind of destroyed it for me. In all that she had written she completely forgot that Brian had killed the old Finny and that he should have been persecuted for this. But instead the murder was completely forgotten and Brian only moved the corpse of Natalie. This is a mistake that somehow really matters, because it feels like she didn't pay enough attention to her own story.

On a positive note, I am happy Meredith and Alan finally moved things further!

[John Frankham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Run-of-the-mill whodunnit, with stock characters all around. Writing mundane in the extreme, characters and relationships conventional and unconvincing. Plot OK.

The GR blurb:

'Ingeniously plotted and full of vividly drawn characters, Where Old Bones Lie is Ann Granger's fifth crime novel featuring the exciting sleuthing team of Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell. What do you do when you think your ex-lover murdered his wife? That's the question Ursula Gretton, an archaeologist working on an ancient Saxon burial ground on Bamford Hill, puts to Meredith Mitchell in the hope that Meredith's friendship with Cotswold chief inspector Alan Markby might cast some light on her dilemma. To Meredith's irritation, Markby is dismissive of Ursula's suspicions concerning the disappearance of Dan Wollard's wife - that is, until a woman's body is found in the garbage dump near the site Wollard and Ursula have been excavating. The archaeologists aren't the only ones disturbing the peace of the remote windswept hill. Much to the fury of the local landowners, the taciturn and truculent Felstons, a band of New Age hippies has set up camp on the hill, only to disappear at dawn the day after the discovery of the body. Markby is faced with a tangle of conflicting clues, suspects and possible witnesses - including Meredith Mitchell herself. And when a second body is found it is clear the web is growing ever more complex - and destructive.'

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Granger's best. The characters are thinly drawn and stereotyped. If someone speaks with a 'cultured' accent, then they are obviously intelligent and well-educated (the two terms are obviously synonymous in Granger's mind). If anyone speaks with a rural accent, then they are poorly educated and stupid (again, synonymous to Granger). And if they are male and do a manual job, then they will be eccentric loners who have weird obsessions with women and sex.

This might have scraped into the three-star category if it weren't for the totally weird ending where Granger seemed to forget that she had two murderers in her book, but allows one to go back to his daily life and carry on as normal...Also felt it was a bit odd that someone who is guilty of three attempted murders is likely to get off with a suspended sentence

[Eunice · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn't pay, I've found, to read these books one after another. Because I am now fed up with Markby, and I find myself wishing that Meredith would go off abroad again. She deserves better than this curmudgeonly, possessive, pig-headed man. He tells her off if she brings him clues, he tells her off if she doesn't. He nitpicks every aspect of her life, and yet we are being told that he loves her. I'm no longer convinced.

I was also upset about the little piece of racism. Someone was referred to as having "welshed". I'm English, but I've lived in Wales for decades and no Welsh person deserves to be associated with a slur like that. I don't think I'll be reading any more of these books, at least not for a good while.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meredith's archaeologist friend Ursula shares her worries that her boyfriend Dan may have done away with his wife, though he says she's away visiting her mother, who lives in Bamford; when Meredith tells Markby of Ursula's concerns, he's skeptical, but they all get drawn into the mystery when Meredith accompanies Ursula to the dig site (also in Bamford), where the recent arrival of a group of New Age travellers has tensions running high, escalating when a woman's body is found in a rubbish dump nearby. [A note in the front of my library copy, written purportedly by an archaeologist's wife, says "I can attest to the authenticity of the scenes of the dig."] 

[Rhona Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good mystery.

Bodies turning up and Markby thinks he knows who did it? Is he right? Meredith's flat in London is made to feel small as Toby returns home from his posting and as it's his flat, he's staying put. But he's a slob and getting on Meredith's wick, so she travels down to Bamford to stay with an old friend guarding a dig as hippies/travellers are also on the site of the dig.
I'd love this as a tv series. But wouldn't want it ruined though.
These are good books, I'd had them as audio books ages ago but can't remember the who did what. So it's nice to read them in the proper order.
Highly recommended if you enjoy a good mystery.

[Rowena Onions · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book... as I have others in the series. This one deals with an archaeological site and the relationships of those working there. Unlike other readers, I don't find the relationship between Mitchell and Markby irritating... these books are not romances, so their relationship doesn't need to take any particular shape! The plot for me hung together well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that the second murder was dealt with halfway through the book. OK, there was no trial etc but the miscreant was hauled off to jail.

[Louvan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not read any previous books in the series, but this didn't take anything away from my reading experience. I did find the book quite dull for the first half as I felt the situation at the start took a long time to develop. However I did become quite intrigued after that, and there were plenty of satisfying twists and turns at the end. One niggle regarding research, one of the main characters was a palaeontologist, so would not have been on an archaeological dig (in UK).

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 stars. The relationship between Mitchell and Markby is becoming irritating - they are often not particularly nice to each other, but yet still attracted to each other? - Beginning to find their relationship more of a deliberate personal thread to augment the mysteries than a real relationship.
Still, the mystery did have some twists and turns that made it interesting, although one of which made me feel squeamish (not what I want in a book).

[Melisa Cochran · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like English mysteries, and you don't mind that these series eventually start repeating all the same elements (they aren't a couple because she needs her independence, there is some contrived reason that she's in the town where he's a chief inspector, etc...) then it was a good example of the genre and type.

FYI, I like all those things ;)

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable entry in this series. The plot was entertaining, even if one could kinda see the “who-dunnit” some time before the reveal, but the dialogues and action were fun to read. Especially liked the character of old Wilf Finny, overseer at the town dump - a real one of a kind from another era!

[Jane Tims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of Meredith and Alan ...

I've read all the books in the series, but I like this one the best. A great story and interesting characters. The landscape is like one of the characters ... the quarry and tip, the field with its archaeological excavation, the folly and rampart hiding their secrets. And progress in the relationship between the two main characters is welcome!

[Martina Kovaříková · Rating 4 out of 5]

I overall enjoyed the book, although I suspected the murderer early on for the first murder. However there were some surprising twists of events, which even made me surprised!
I do have to say that Meredith seems slightly less annoying to me in this book, compared to some of the first book, where I found her to be very annoying. It is nice to see the progression in her character as well.

[Sunsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im 5. Fall der beiden Ermittler Mitchell und Marky geht es um nicht nur einen Mord an einer Grabungsstätte und mehr. Ein englischer Krimi, wie ich ihn mag - 09/10 Punkte

https://sunsys-blog.blogspot.com/2019...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this series not in order but have found it easy to follow-this is an excellent series and I am interested in reading her other work out also. Above average English murder mystery genre. Intelligent and enjoyable

[Susanne Beyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich lese gerade noch einmal die ganze Reihe und finde sie mittlerweile doch etwas in die Jahre gekommen. Die Übersetzung hat auch ihre Ecken und Kanten, was mich früher nicht so gestört hat. Trotzdem noch recht unterhaltsam.

[Juliane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Andrea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicht sehr aufregend, aber trotzdem spannend.

[Carmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I'm giving the extra half star only because I was able to read the entire book.

Where was the editor?

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable light mystery... well written with engaging characters.

[Elijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This book was good from start to finish. I would recommend it to all crime fiction readers. Everything is resolved at the end.

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting episode in this series. Plenty of twists for a short book. Progress made in Mitchell and Markby'so relationship too.

[Nicholas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed it up to the point where the author forgot that there were two murderers and allowed one to have a suspended prison sentence. Were there no editors around to spot this howler?

[Ute C Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one and just bought the next in the series