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Easter break is fast approaching and Meredith Mitchell is clearing her desk at the Foreign Office in preparation of a long weekend away with her fiancé, Detective Superintendent Alan Markby, when Toby Smythe, a friend and colleague comes in to ask a favor of her. It seems that Toby's cousin's wife has been receiving poison pen letters. Twenty-five years earlier, she had been accused of killing Freda Kemp, her great-aunt and guardian. Alison Jenner had been found not guilty of the crime, but there were people who did not think the jury had come to the correct conclusion. Despite his aversion to Smythe, and despite his misgivings about interfering, Markby agrees to go to Overvale House and see what has been happening. Mitchell and Markby are invited to lunch with the Jenners. In addition to Alison, Toby Smythe, Jeremy Jenner, and Fiona, Jeremy's 20-something daughter from his first marriage, sit down to the table together. Then the story comes out. Alison had been raised by Freda. After Alison moved to London, she visited Freda as often as she could and even borrowed money from her for her flat. Freda, according to Alison, gave her anything she wanted or needed. In fact, Alison was Freda's heir. One Monday morning, Freda was found dead in a pond on the estate. The cleaning woman implied that Alison would have been to blame, and the policeman in charge agreed, so without looking any further, Alison was charged with the crime, She was later acquitted. She told Jeremy the story before they married, but no one else should have known. So who was writing the letters? The next morning, Fiona is found dead in the pond on the property by the gardener. Markby is now involved legitimately. He calls the specialists and his new team member, Jessica Campbell, to start the investigation. Some writers can keep long series fresh. Granger is one of them. This is the 15th Mitchell and Markby mystery. Reading a new one is like visiting old friends. May there be many more to come.
Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, December 2004
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