I just finished the twelfth novel in the (Chief Inspector) Markby and (Meredith) Mitchell Village Whodunit Mystery Series (by Ann Granger) and as usual, I have been left with a feeling of great satisfaction. As I was reading the novel, I kept asking myself… Why do I like this series?
I have to admit that by the twelfth book in a series, a lot of the time I find myself wondering… will this book be able to "hold me?" That sounds rather high-and-mighty, no doubt, but some of you will have to admit to knowing when an author should simply wrap up the series rather than continue. It is always difficult to drop a series that was once a favorite…
I am glad I don't have that problem with Granger's Markby and Mitchell series. I still find the characters interesting, and I also find the plot lines enjoyable (and plausible.) As I read this last novel, I found myself falling for the red herrings, and was pleasantly surprised by the ending. And, speaking of the ending… I liked that the book took +/- fifty pages for the mystery to be solved. I absolutely hate it when I have devoted the time to read 300 pages, and then the author wraps up the mystery in the last two pages… almost as if the editor said, "Wrap it up… we go to print tomorrow." I want the solution to the mystery to be woven into the plot line, not simply attached at the end of the novel. I want something interesting… something with twists and turns… and that is what Granger delivers.
A good friend of mine told me about Ann Granger, and I think about my friend every time I pick a Granger novel to read. I am so glad that she recommended Granger's Markby and Mitchell series to me. (Thank you!)
So, for you blog readers who aren't yet familiar with this Ann Granger series… If you haven't yet read a Markby and Mitchell novel, why don't you try one? You might become a Granger fan, also!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been reading Ann Granger’s Mitchell and Markby series and enjoying them overall, although there is a blatant and annoying oversight in one of the books I recently read. Having gone through at least nine of the books, the most striking thing is the horrible editing job that has been done to each and every one of these books. There are so many typographical errors and poor phrasing, not to mention incorrect hyphenation of words. It makes me wonder whether the proofreader/editor/typist/whatever is a native speaker/reader/writer of the English language. This consistently poor editing detracts from the enjoyment of the stories.
Hmmm…. I usually notice poor editing, but have not been bothered by any of these. I wonder if my overall enthusiasm for all of the Mitchell and Markby books has left me with a somewhat far-sighted view of any problems… Simply said, I like the series so much that I might be overlooking them…
Also, I believe these books are printed in Great Britain, which could account for some of the different spelling of words, as well as some of the different ways of saying things… Just a thought…
I have just started reading Granger’s books for school and I love them! Does anyone know where I can find a biography about her?
Hi Leslie,
Hopefully someone will be able to help you with her biography. I just did a search about her life, and it is pretty limited on the internet. Have you tried Wikipedia? It seemed to have the most information…
I enjoy these books because there’s no bad language or sex. I haven’t seen a new book for some time. I’d like to know what happened to the romance!
Me too, Rita! I hope that Granger writes at least one more mystery in this series so that she can wrap it up. But, since it has been such a long time since the last one, I’m not holding my breath…