Say it with Poison (Mitchell & Markby 1)

Book excerpt: Steering a path between police duties and family loyalty is not easy . . . Say it with Poison is the first classic English village crime novel in the Mitchell & Markby series by Ann Granger, combining a satisfyingly complex mystery with engaging characters and wit. The perfect read for fans of M.C. Beaton, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders. 'A gripping tale... you'll soon be addicted' - Woman and Home When Meredith Mitchell agreed to stay with her actress cousin Eve in the run-up to Eve's daughter's wedding she anticipated a degree of drama. But she hardly expected it to include murder, blackmail and unrequited love. Or to involve a certain Chief Inspector Markby, a middle-aged divorcee with an emotional history as unfortunate as her own. A material witness to the only case of murder the Cotswold village of Westerfield has ever seen, Meredith also finds herself acting as mother-confessor to the bride-to-be, who is clearly not telling the whole truth about her involvement with the dead man. Steering a path between her duty to the police and loyalty to her cousin's family is not easy; even for someone with Meredith's considerable diplomatic skills. And especially as her personal enquiries into events in Westerfield start to disinter past affections Meredith would far rather leave buried - and to provoke new ones she's not at all sure she can cope with . . . What readers are saying about Say it with Poison: 'Thoroughly recommend to anyone looking for a good English whodunit or just a really good story to keep the reader intrigued and interested to the last page' 'Hooked from the first page' 'Brilliant in its conception, kept me thoroughly enthralled'