A dispute between an entrepreneur and the village locals turns deadly...
A gala turns grisly in Murder Among Us, the fourth probing mystery in Ann Granger''s gripping Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Ann Purser, Agatha Christie and ITV''s Midsomer Murders.
''Told with humour and a most engaging worldliness'' - Birmingham Post
When ambitious hotelier Eric Schucmacher announces he is to turn Springwood Hall, near the market town of Bamford, into a smart Cotswold country-house hotel, the news is greeted by a chorus of local disapproval, led by the redoubtable Hope Mapple. So the gala opening, to which all the disaffected parties have been invited, promises to be quite an event - not least because the amply upholstered Hope Mapple is planning a disruptive streak protest.
But Hope''s lightning dash is unexpectedly upstaged by a far more shocking event: the discovery of a recently murdered body on the premises. The victim is a local woman, and for Chief Inspectory Markby and his guest Meredith Mitchell what had promised to be a diverting summer treat suddenly turns into a horribly serious affair ...
What readers are saying about Murder Among Us:
''A truly intriguing and sympathetic book''
''A wonderful village mystery, that satisfies on all levels. Her [Ann Granger''s] cast of characters are all wonderfully eccentric and provide you with many hours of joy''
''These stories are intricate enough to make you think and easy to read at the same time''
Industry Reviews
The citizens of Inspector Alan Markby's bailiwick - Bamford, in the Cotswolds - have mixed feelings about the opening of historic, totally refurbished Springwood Hall as an upscale country hotel, owned by Swiss ex-hockey star Eric Schuhmacher. Amply proportioned Hope Mapple of the Preservation Society has threatened to streak at the gala reception; and Zoe Foster, penniless young owner of the Alice Batt Rest Home for horses, an eyesore adjoining the hotel, knows she'll soon be evicted. Television cookery star Denis Fulton and his rich, new wife Leah have been invited, as have local businesspeople, among them Ellen Bryant and Charles Grimsby. Meanwhile, Markby's girlfriend Meredith has come from London, and it's she who discovers Ellen Bryant's body - stabbed to death - as the guests are being shown the wine cellars. Markby's investigation (a series of dull interviews) will be interrupted by the disappearance of his 11-year-old niece Emma - and an unlikely romance develops, even as Markby and Meredith's goes its different way. No excitement there, and not much in the unconvincing motivation and balky plotting here: the fourth - and least compelling - of a series (Cold in the Earth, p. 143, etc.) (Kirkus Reviews)