Death descends on the New Forest in Ann Granger's gripping eighth Victorian mystery featuring Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie. It is Spring 1871 when Lizzie Ross accompanies her formidable Aunt Parry on a restorative trip to the south coast. Lizzie's husband, Ben, is kept busy at Scotland Yard and urges his wife to stay out of harm's way. But when Lizzie and her aunt are invited to dine with other guests at the home of wealthy landowner Sir Henry Meager, and he is found shot dead in his bed the next morning, no one feels safe. On Lizzie's last visit to the New Forest, another gruesome murder took place, and the superstitious locals now see her as a bad omen. But Lizzie suspects that Sir Henry had a number of bitter enemies, many of whom might have wanted him dead. And once Ben arrives to help with the investigation, he and Lizzie must work together to expose Sir Henry's darkest secrets and a ruthless killer intent on revenge...

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.

No one feels safe when there's a murderer in their midst... Ann Granger returns to her fan favourite series with the gripping sixteenth Mitchell and Markby novel, featuring her trademark strong and appealing characters, gentle wit and engrossing intrigue. Superintendent Alan Markby and his wife Meredith have retired for the night when they are disturbed by a visitor. It's not the first time someone has called at the Old Vicarage in search of a priest, but in this case, having just found a dead body in the churchyard, Callum Henderson needs the police. Accompanying Callum to the graveyard, Alan declares that this has all the hallmarks of a murder scene. News of the incident travels fast in the market town of Bamford, but no one seems willing to admit to knowing the dead man or how he ended up in the cemetery. As Alan and his team search for clues, Meredith becomes convinced that something must have been overlooked. Meanwhile, despite Alan's warnings, Callum appears to be in cahoots with the team's latest recruit, DS Beth Santos. While every lead points to yet more foul play, nothing can prepare Meredith and Markby for the shocking truth behind this mystery...

Rooted in Evil by Ann Granger is set in the Cotswold village of Weston Saint Ambrose and features Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter in their fifth murder mystery. When the body of a man, with his brains blown out, is found in a Cotswold wood it looks like suicide. But looks can be deceptive and it doesn't take long for the police to identify that there's more to the case than meets the eye. People's stories don't add up and when Superintendent Ian Carter and Inspector Jess Campbell start probing it becomes clear that the dead man had ruffled more than a few feathers in this close-knit community. His stepsister had been bailing him out of his financial troubles - much against her husband's wishes - but, with his money worries still mounting, the victim had become a desperate man... As Jess and Ian dig deeper and deeper into the case, a cover-up is exposed and bitter resentment rises to the surface to reveal a killer.

Dense fog masks foul play in the streets of London, as Ann Granger brings us her seventh Victorian mystery featuring Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie. It is March 1870. London is in the grip of fog and ice. But Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross has more than the weather to worry about when the body of a young woman is found in a dustbin at the back of a Piccadilly restaurant. Ben must establish who the victim is before he can find out how and why she came to be there. His enquiries lead him first to a bootmaker in Salisbury and then to a landowner in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, Ben's wife, Lizzie, aided by their eagle-eyed maid, Bessie, is investigating the mystery of a girl who is apparently being kept a prisoner in her own home. As Ben pursues an increasingly complex case, Lizzie reveals a vital piece of evidence that brings him one step closer to solving the crime... Praise for Ann Granger's crime novels: 'Characterisation, as ever with Granger, is sharp and astringent' The Times 'Her usual impeccable plotting is fully in place' Good Book Guide 'A clever and lively book' Margaret Yorke 'This engrossing story looks like the start of a highly enjoyable series' Scotsman

Superintendent Markby faces one of his most complex cases yet... With her step-mother murdered just two years after the death of her mother, twelve-year-old Tammy Franklin is also at risk of becoming fatherless, because he is suspect number one. Beneath These Stones is the twelfth cosy Cotswolds crime novel in Ann Granger's Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Ruth Rendell, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders. 'A murder mystery that will give you the excuse you need to stay indoors during these dark nights and enjoy a good read' - Hartlepool Mail Twelve-year-old Tammy Franklin has learned too much about death, too quickly. Two years ago she lost her mother to a long, lingering illness and now the body of the woman her father married in an attempt to replace his wife has been found on a railway embankment close to the Franklin farm. This time the death is murder. As Superintendent Markby, one of the first on the scene, well knows, Tammy now stands to have her father taken from her, for Hugh Franklin is suspect number one in the mind of the inspector to whom Markby has delegated the case. But, despite his need to distance himself from the murder, Markby begins to realise that the truth is destined to be far more complex than he ever envisaged... What readers are saying about Beneath These Stones: 'I enjoyed this well written crime novel and thought the characters were well drawn and interesting' 'An excellent enjoyable read' 'The mystery plot is sound and raised above the norm by the existence of plausible characters - including Meredith Mitchell and Alan Markby'

Dense fog masks foul play in the streets of London, as Ann Granger brings us her seventh Victorian mystery featuring Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie. It is March 1870. London is in the grip of fog and ice. But Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross has more than the weather to worry about when the body of a young woman is found in a dustbin at the back of a Piccadilly restaurant. Ben must establish who the victim is before he can find out how and why she came to be there. His enquiries lead him first to a bootmaker in Salisbury and then to a landowner in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, Ben's wife, Lizzie, aided by their eagle-eyed maid, Bessie, is investigating the mystery of a girl who is apparently being kept a prisoner in her own home. As Ben pursues an increasingly complex case, Lizzie reveals a vital piece of evidence that brings him one step closer to solving the crime... Praise for Ann Granger's crime novels: 'Characterisation, as ever with Granger, is sharp and astringent' The Times 'Her usual impeccable plotting is fully in place' Good Book Guide 'A clever and lively book' Margaret Yorke 'This engrossing story looks like the start of a highly enjoyable series' Scotsman

When Mr Thomas Tapley is found bludgeoned to death in his sitting room, his neighbour Inspector Benjamin Ross of Scotland Yard is immediately summoned. Little is known about the elusive gentleman until Mr Jonathan Tapley, QC, hears of the news and the truth about his cousin's tragic past slowly begins to emerge. Meanwhile, Ben's wife Lizzie is convinced she saw someone following Thomas Tapley on the day he died and she discovers that he received a mysterious visitor a few days before his death. As the list of suspects begins to mount, Ben must unearth who would benefit most from Tapley's unfortunate demise.

Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie return in Ann Granger's gripping ninth Victorian mystery. It is the summer of 1871 when Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross pays a visit to Jacob Jacobus, the old rogue of Limehouse: infamous antiquarian, friend to villains and informer to the police. Ben hopes to glean information about any burglaries that might take place now that the wealthiest echelons of society are back in London for the Season. Little does he realise that an audacious theft has already occurred - a priceless family heirloom, the Roxby emerald necklace, has been stolen from a dressing table in the Roxby residence, and the widowed Mrs Roxby is demanding its immediate return. Ben's day gets worse when he and his wife Lizzie are interrupted that evening by the news that Jacob Jacobus has been found dead in his room with his throat slit from ear to ear ... Surely the two crimes cannot be connected? But with Ben's meticulous investigative skills and Lizzie's relentless curiosity, it is only a matter of time before the tragic truth is revealed . . .

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.

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 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'

When will Fran Varady learn to trust her instincts? Young amateur sleuth Fran Varady is being hunted down by a suspicious private investigator in Risking it All, the fourth compelling mystery in Ann Granger's Fran Varady series. The perfect read for fans of LJ Ross and Joss Sheldon. 'A fascinating tale... Highly recommended' - Mystery Women Newsletter When Fran Varady is approached by Private Investigator Clarence Duke, she mistrusts him on instinct. But she can't ignore what he has to tell her. Her mother, Eva, who walked out on Fran when she was only seven years old, has hired Clarence to find her daughter. And for good reason. Eva is dying. Within days, Fran is reunited with the mother she hasn't seen for fifteen years, and is soon to lose again. But the biggest bombshell is still to come. Eva has another child - a daughter she gave up soon after her birth - and she wants Fran to find her. Matters aren't helped by the fact that slippery Clarence Duke seems intent on discovering what she's up to. But it's when he's found dead in his car outside Fran's home that the trouble really begins ... What readers are saying about Risking it All: 'The writing is lively and fun, and Fran is a very likeable character' 'The plot is a cracker - at heart a traditional detective story with a nice contemporary twist' 'A powerful addition to the series as the storyline has emotional depth and left me wondering what I would do'

Alcoholic Albie may not be a reliable witness, but his claims might just be true... When Fran Varady meets a down-and-out who has witnessed a kidnapping, she is soon on the case in Keeping Bad Company, the second book in Ann Granger's Fran Varady series. The perfect read for fans of Rebecca Tope and Val McDermid. 'The reader can expect a treat. Fran Varady is as fresh and vital as ever... Lively, different and fun' - Yorkshire Post Buying a coffee for down-and-out 'Alkie' Albie at Marylebone Station is Fran Varady's good deed for the day. But when the grateful Albie takes her into his confidence, Fran suddenly finds herself launched on her second investigation. For Albie, though obviously fond of a drink and none too familiar with soup and water, is absolutely clear about one thing - he claims to be the only witness to the violent abduction of a young girl. Although the police scornfully dismiss Albie's story as alcoholic hallucinations, Fran is determined to follow it up. And her suspicions seem to be spot on when she is warned off by her old sparring partner, Sergeant Parry, and then approached by a boyhood friend of her late father's, distraught over the kidnapping of his daughter. But this is only the beginning of Fran's investigation - days later, Alkie Albie is found dead... What readers are saying about Keeping Bad Company: 'The characterisations are great - people and places so alive that you feel like you're right there' 'The dialogue weaves in and out of the main characters personalities, whom the author describes in an engaging and detailed fashion' 'Just excellent'

The first Campbell and Carter mystery from one of the nation's best-loved crime writers Lucas Burton hates the countryside. To him it's nothing but mud, muck and dead things. And he's right. When he turns up at a deserted farm in the middle of nowhere hoping to conduct a business deal he stumbles across the body of a girl. And that's just the start of his bad luck: Penny Gower from the local stables has spotted his silver Mercedes leaving the scene of the crime. Suddenly, for Lucas, things are looking very bleak indeed... Inspector Jess Campbell is on the case, but with few leads and a new superintendent, Ian Carter, breathing down her neck, she's beginning to feel the pressure. Then another dead body is found...

A holiday becomes work for Mitchell and Markby as a crime unravels... Mitchell and Markby find themselves drawn into a murder enquiry whilst holiday in a country cottage in A Word After Dying, the tenth cosy English village crime novel in Ann Granger's captivating Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Rebecca Tope, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders. 'Probably the best current example of a crime writer who has taken the classic English village detective story and brought it up to date' - Birmingham Post Superintendent Alan Markby and Meredith Mitchell are in desperate need of a holiday - and the Cotswold village of Parsloe St John seems the perfect choice. Their neighbour, retired journalist Wynne Carter, is as convivial as the village itself and, over a glass of blackberry wine, indulges in her latest obsession, Olivia Smeaton, a racy old lady whose life - and death - she is convinced are not all they seem. Markby is more interested in buying Olivia's house than the circumstances of her vacating it, but Meredith is intrigued: by the old lady, the death of a cherished horse and a dusty junk shop run by a white witch. When another fatality - of a very grisly nature - is discovered, it seems her suspicion is justified. Clearly Olivia isn't the only enigma in Parsloe St John - and her death might be the first of many unless Meredith Mitchell and Alan Markby can make sense of some very secret lives to reach the truth... What readers are saying about A Word After Dying: '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 is the series for you' 'Yet another great Mitchell & Markby whodunit' 'An invigorating novel!'

A face from the past has stoked many jealous fires... Meredith Mitchell and Chief Inspector Markby set out to find the killer with the poisoned thorn in Flowers for his Funeral, the seventh compelling mystery from Ann Granger's Mitchell & Markby series. This thrilling whodunit will enthral fans of LJ Ross, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders. 'To be savoured' - Publishers Weekly When Meredith Mitchell bumps into her old school friend Rachel Hunter at the Chelsea Flower Show, it doesn't take Meredith long to realise that she and the effortlessly self-confident blonde have even less in common now than they had as teenagers. Apart from one thing - Meredith's companion, Chief Inspector Markby. For to the embarrassment of all concerned, except of course the self-possessed Rachel, Meredith's old school friend turns out to have been Markby's former wife, from whom he was divorced years before in less than friendly circumstances. The meeting with Rachel is not the only surprise the Flower Show has in store for Markby - before the afternoon is out he has a death on his hands. All too quickly he and Meredith find themselves drawn into the plush, apparently well-run world Rachel and her second husband created for themselves in their Cotswold home, Malefis Abbey, a world which Markby becomes increasingly convinced harbours a highly skilled murderer ... What readers are saying about Flowers for his Funeral: 'What a twist in the tale! Completely unexpected' 'A typical whodunit book, but written in such a wonderful way, you can't put these books down' 'One of the best Mitchell & Markby books'

Dead in the Water by Ann Granger is set in the Cotswold village of Weston Saint Ambrose and features Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter in their fourth murder mystery. It is the wettest winter on record and as Christmas approaches the rivers burst their banks and the farmers' fields lie under several feet of water. In the village of Weston Saint Ambrose, a young girl's body is seen floating downstream and when it becomes stuck under the jetty at a reclusive writer's home, the author is alarmed to discover that he recognises the victim of a brutal murder...

AN UNFINISHED MURDER is the sixth Cotswold village crime novel in Ann Granger's Campbell and Carter series. Sure to appeal to fans of Midsomer Murders and M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries. Mitchell and Markby come out of retirement to crack a cold case... As young children, Josh Browning and his sister, Dilys, stumbled across a dead body while playing on the outskirts of their Cotswold village. Terrified by what they'd seen, neither of them told a soul. Now, twenty years later, Josh finds the dead woman's charm bracelet among his sister's possessions. Who better to tell than his trusted friend, the man he gardens for, retired Superintendent Alan Markby? As Markby listens to Josh's confession, alarm bells start to ring. The dates and details tie in with a missing person case that was never solved. Joining forces with Superintendent Ian Carter, who also investigated the original case, and Inspector Jess Campbell, from the region where the missing girl was last seen, Markby delves into the unsolved mystery. Together, they are determined to catch a clever killer who almost got away with murder...

BRICKS AND MORTALITY is the third Cotswold village mystery by Ann Granger, featuring Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter. It is sure to appeal to fans of Midsomer Murders. In the cold light of dawn, a dead body is found entombed in the smouldering remains of a burnt-out Cotswold manor. Key House has stood empty for years, but its owner, Gervase Crown, is rumoured to have been seen in Weston St Ambrose prior to the blaze. Could he be responsible for the fire and the tragic death that followed, or was he in fact the intended target? As Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter begin their investigation it becomes clear that Gervase wasn't the most popular and his return reawakens old memories, not all of which are good.

A hanged man would say anything to save his life. But what if his testimony is true? When Inspector Ben Ross is called to Newgate Prison by a man condemned to die by the hangman's noose he isn't expecting to give any credence to the man's testimony. But the account of a murder he witnessed over seventeen years ago is so utterly believeable that Ben can't help wondering if what he's heard is true. It's too late to save the man's life, but it's not too late to investigate a murder that has gone undetected for all these years.

A MATTER OF MURDER is the seventh Cotswold village crime novel in Ann Granger's Campbell and Carter series. Sure to appeal to fans of Midsomer Murders and M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries. Two years ago, Miff Ferguson chose to opt out of the rat race. Since then he's been living rough and happily so. That is until now. For, as the first signs of winter approach, everything changes. While looking for shelter, Miff stumbles across the dead body of a young woman inside a dilapidated warehouse. Quickly realising he's not alone, and what's worse he's been spotted, Miff becomes embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse with a killer that forces him to abandon his life on the streets and take refuge with his aunt and uncle in the village of Weston St Ambrose. But, despite his best efforts to lie low, trouble seems to follow him and when another dead body is discovered at a local farm, it's clear Miff is not free from danger. With the clock ticking, Inspector Jess Campbell and Superintendent Ian Carter must join forces once again with the team of police at Bamford to piece together the puzzle before another innocent life is lost... Praise for Ann Granger's crime novels: 'Characterisation, as ever with Granger, is sharp and astringent' The Times 'Her usual impeccable plotting is fully in place' Good Book Guide 'A clever and lively book' Margaret Yorke 'This engrossing story looks like the start of a highly enjoyable series' Scotsman

The discovery of a dead body shatters the tranquillity of a Cotswold village in Ann Granger's second Campbell and Carter mystery. When old Monty Bickerstaffe finds a dead body in his drawing room it comes as a nasty surprise - the first of many. Monty lives alone in a crumbling Cotswold manor house and the last thing he wants is the police sniffing around his property. Not that he has anything to hide... The identity of the corpse and how and why it was left in Monty's home remain a mystery. The locals swear they've seen nothing unusual and Monty's relatives claim they've never set eyes on the stiff before. But Inspector Jess Campbell is convinced that someone's lying and, with the help of Superintendent Ian Carter, she must dig deep into Monty's family history to reveal the shocking truth...

Evil lurks on the streets of Victorian London in the third gripping crime novel to feature Scotland Yard Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie. As Inspector Ben Ross of Scotland Yard walks homeward one Saturday night in late October 1867, the fog that swirls around him is like a living beast. By the time it has lifted next morning a woman lies murdered in Green Park. Allegra Benedict was the beautiful Italian wife of an art dealer in Piccadilly. But what had she been doing in London that afternoon, and why had she been selling her brooch in the Burlington Arcade just hours before her death? As Ben begins his investigation, his wife Lizzie - with the help of their maid Bessie - looks into Allegra's private life and uncovers more than one reason why someone might want her dead...

The second novel in Ann Granger's wonderfully atmospheric Victorian mystery series. Lizzie Martin, lady's companion, has been sent from London to the New Forest to comfort a young woman whose baby has tragically died. A sad enough task, but things take an even darker turn when a rat-catcher is found murdered in the garden, and the young woman is discovered beside the body, crying and covered in blood. Not knowing where else to turn, Lizzie calls upon her friend Inspector Ben Ross from Scotland Yard to solve the horrific crime.

Who could be after a harmless old lady? Amateur sleuth Fran Varady takes it upon herself to investigate an old love affair and a family quarrel in Rattling the Bones, the seventh and final mystery in the popular Fran Varady series by Ann Granger. The perfect read for fans of Kate Ellis and Ann Cleeves. Edna, the dotty bag lady who Fran Varady used to see living in a churchyard with only feral cats for company, has crossed her path again. Now Edna is staying in a hostel, spending her days roaming as before. But Fran begins to see a method to her madness and, even though no one will believe her, she is certain Edna is being followed. Who could be interested in a harmless old lady? Determined to protect her from this hidden danger, Fran finds herself digging into Edna's previous life and an old love affair and family quarrel come to light. But by rattling the bones of the past, Fran has uncovered more than she bargained for... What readers are saying about Rattling the Bones: 'Another great adventure for Fran, solving puzzles with her usual tenacity and guts' 'A well-written and engaging read' 'Excellent plots, great characterisation, excellent and intelligent dialogue'