Mystery in the Making: Eighteen short stories of murder, mystery and mayhem

by Ann Granger

A COLLECTION OF 18 SHORT STORIES OF MURDER, MYSTERY AND MAYHEM

Throughout her distinguished career, Ann Granger has penned an array of hugely entertaining and gripping short stories. To mark her thirtieth anniversary as a crime writer, eighteen of these compelling mysteries have been brought together to delight and enthral crime fans everywhere.

From a nosy neighbour who trusts no one to a jealous nephew protecting his inheritance, and from a ghostly apparition on a cruise ship to an Oxford undergraduate who cannot escape his past, Ann's short stories transport readers from the Highlands of Scotland to the rugged coast of Cornwall and from the Victorian era to the present day. In each story there is an intriguing mystery to captivate the most avid crime fan, making this a collection to treasure.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Adult

544 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

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

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good bedtime reading, classic British murder mysteries, nothing to give you nightmares, (unlike a recent book I read). Some of the stories felt a little dated, but the author did mention they had been written over a lengthy period of time. And Ann is no spring chicken.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one.

[H. Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining as always.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very hefty book of short, crime related stories. I am a great fan of short stories but unfortunately I am not a fan of the author, Ann Granger. Four of the stories were actually more like novellas, featuring her series' characters which I didn't read as I have no interest in her wider works, so that was about a third of the book unread. The final two stories had supernatural themes and were very poor.

The actual short crime stories were adequate - all very predictable and none with the sting in the tail ending which can make a short story worthwhile.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing selection of short stories.

[Rebecca]

I was listening to these short stories with my mother, and we liked her dry sense of humor and her writing style. I didn't finish it partly because some of the characters were deliberately unlikeable, and because I was listening to a five-part story in which the main character was told approximately once a page by both the local police and her husband that she needed to leave it to the police, don't even try investigating, it's not like murder in books, etc., etc. It was exhausting and got in the way of the story.

[Téa · Rating 3 out of 5]

this made me appreciate just how hard it is to write short stories. You need the whole cohesive plot, an attachment or understanding to the characters in a few short pages. The creativity and execution of these stories was definitely there, i enjoyed them!

[Jan Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed these stories. Entertaining and enjoyable.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of stories

Ann Granger has an interesting style. The stories in this collection are a good reflection of her range and depth. Worth reading.