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One can safely assume that Ann Granger's life working for the Diplomatic Service provided valuable detail for her Mitchell and Markby novels once she discarded historical romance and took up her pen to the benefit of the mystery genre. Her work, in the aforementioned series, includes Say It with Poison, Cold in the Earth, A Season for Murder, Murder Among Us, A Fine Place for Death, Where Old Bones Lie, Flowers for His Funeral, Candle for a Corpse, A Touch of Mortality, A Word after Dying, Call the Dead Again, Beneath These Stones, Shades of Murder . Now readers who have enjoyed the newer Fran Varady series (Asking for Trouble, Keeping Bad Company, Running Scared) can enjoy the fourth work of that heroine's adventures and misadventures with the release in small format of Risking It All. Trouble-prone Fran lost her welcome but short-lived refuge after her flat was flooded. Her landlady's unpleasant nephews evicted Fran from the house and she is now dossing down in Hari's garage, where Hari and his nephew, Fran's friend Ganesh, can keep an eye on her, despite the disapproval of the rest of their family. A private investigator, one who takes his responsibilities beyond his professional life and extends his fact gathering further than his clients would have wished, locates Fran for the mother who deserted her fourteen years previously. Fran goes to see her mother and the shock of discovering that the woman she thought might have been dead is increased when she is told her mother is dying. Reeling from these unwelcome surprises, Fran is unprepared for being told she has an almost thirteen year-old half-sister who has been illegally adopted. To her own horror and near disbelief, Fran accedes to her mother's wishes to locate the girl, formerly known as Miranda but now called Nicola. Then the seedy private detective is discovered murdered outside where Fran is staying in Hari's garage. Later, further killings are discovered and attempted. Policewoman Janice Morgan reappears in this novel. While she is sympathetic toward Fran and has the girl's welfare at heart, this does not cause her not to harass Fran in an attempt to locate the murderer. Fran's promise of secrecy to her mother Eva prevents her from disclosing just what is going on either to her friend Ganesh or to Morgan. There are some delightful characters in this book. Granger has a deft touch with characterisation. Neurotic Hari is a true delight while surely the reader must feel sympathy for poor Ganesh as he attempts to protect a stubborn and uncooperative Fran. Newspaper Norman is an oddity to be appreciated. I have been pleased that Granger produced the newish Fran Varady series. To my mind, Meredith and Markby were getting a bit tired and I felt Granger was scratching for new ideas to inspire their adventures. Fran is an entertaining heroine with all too human foibles. One can trust that the plight of a homeless woman is not one the author experienced first hand, unlike her knowledge of Meredith Mitchell's background. The mystery in this book is, as is usual with Granger, excellent. There is an abundance of humour and the action is sufficiently well paced to satisfy even the most demanding suspense fan. While Fran's sister Nicola does not come across as being particularly sympathetic, she certainly sounds typical of a girl of her age and background! I, for one, am grateful that Ms. Granger has left plenty of hooks on which to hang another Fran Varady sequel. Editoržs Note: This is not yet available in the US. Try your favorite bookshop in the UK or Crime in Store (CrimeBks@aol.com)
Reviewed by Denise Wels, April 2002
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