On an unseasonably chilly summer's day a macabre discovery is made in Bamford's ancient churchyard. A body, dead some twelve years, is unearthed in the Gresham family plot, too shallowly buried to be a legitimate interment, too recent to be the last Gresham officially laid to rest. Superintendent Alan Markby cannot resist the challenge to solve this twelve-year-old crime and suddenly his long-planned canal-barge holiday with Meredith Mitchell is in serious jeopardy. When the remains are identified as those of a local teenager, Kimberley Oates, reported missing at the time of the mysterious burial, his mind is made up. Her holiday postponed, to her secret relief, Meredith finds herself with more time than usual for village chat - and for a dinner party with the local MP that reveals more than either he or his formidable mother would like about his connection with the dead girl ...
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Candle for a Corpse: (Mitchell & Markby 8)
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From Kirkus Reviews
It's the eighth chaotic case for the recently promoted Superintendent Alan Markby (Flowers for His Funeral, 1995, etc.), now back in Bamford and close to longtime girlfriend/amateur sleuth Meredith Mitchell, of the Foreign Service. Markby is immediately confronted with an old murder, uncovered when gravediggers Densil and Gordon Lowe, in the process of readying a grave, unearth the remains of a young woman. The body is soon identified as that of Kimberley Oates, who disappeared 12 years ago and, according to the autopsy, was four months pregnant. Kimberley, the illegitimate daughter of long-gone Susan Oates, lived with her grandmother and worked for a caterer, waitressing in some of the town's richer houses, like that of Margaret and the late Richard Holden, whose son Lars had an affair with the promiscuous Kimberley. Now a stuffy politician, Lars and his arrogant fianc‚e are petrified at the thought of the tabloids picking up the story. As Alan and Meredith peek and prod, others in town are unhappy, too, including aged ex- gravedigger Kat Dullen, still seething at being replaced by the Lowe brothers; butcher Derek Archibald, with his soft-porn magazines and ailing wife; and Major Walcott, a neighbor and close friend of the Holdens. There are other suspects as well, but not until the body of Densil Lowe is found hanging from the rafter of a storage shed does the light begin to dawn, just in time to save Meredith from becoming one more victim of a case of bygone passions. With its oversupply of red herrings, quirky village characters, chirpy conversations over cups of tea, the pace is soporific and the solution from left field. Strictly for the most ardent, and patient, fans of the British traditional. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Ann Granger has worked in British embassies in various parts of the world. She met her husband, who was also working for the British Embassy, in Prague and together they received postings to places as far apart as Munich and Lusaka. They are now permanently based in Oxfordshire.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Candle for a Corpse by Ann Granger
July 5 2005
By Donna K. Ford
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have read eight of the Markby/Mitchell series. I would place this one in the top three. The suspenseful plot builds at a wonderful pace and the full mystery is not solved until the last page. This series is glorious either in book form or in audio when the magnificent Judith Bond reads. Granger's books place you square in the middle of an English village and you don't leave it until the final pages.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
same old same old
Oct 3 2009
By birdwalker
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The most astonishing thing about this series is that the author follows the same formula in each one: read one you've just about read them all. The worst part of the formula -- for me -- is that Meridith Mitchell, whose only connection to the police is her personal relationship with Inspector/Superintendent Alan Markby, repeatedly does the most stupid and dangerous meddling into the police murder investigation. In all five books that I've read so far, Meridith winds up face-to-face with the criminal, who has twigged to her suspicions and who proceeds to attempt to murder her. Markby warns her in each book to stay out of the investigation, but, sure enough, in the next book/investigation, off she goes again. In this book, Candle for a Corpse, she drops her lighted flashlight through the roof of the shed containing important evidence; of course, the shed's owner finds the flashlight -- with her initials scratched on it! -- and goes after Meridith with a meat cleaver. As in all the books I've read, she's saved in the nick of time. As Anna Russell would say, "Now I ask you!"
I wish Markby would charge her with interfering with a police murder investigation: perhaps that would put a halt to her ridiculous behavior -- but I suspect this is the author's gimmick for advancing clues and adding action.
I have already purchased one more in this series and I intend to read it. It appears a bit later than Candle for a Corpse. Has Meridith learned her lesson? Actually, has Ann Granger learned a few more tricks of the trade? If not, A Word After Dying will be the last Ann Granger book I buy/read.
I wish Markby would charge her with interfering with a police murder investigation: perhaps that would put a halt to her ridiculous behavior -- but I suspect this is the author's gimmick for advancing clues and adding action.
I have already purchased one more in this series and I intend to read it. It appears a bit later than Candle for a Corpse. Has Meridith learned her lesson? Actually, has Ann Granger learned a few more tricks of the trade? If not, A Word After Dying will be the last Ann Granger book I buy/read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good English Village Mystery!
April 25 2009
By S. Schwartz
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Ann Granger is one of the best modern English village mystery writers out there as far as I'm concerned. I love the Mitchell and Markby series. There are plenty of spills and chills, and many surprises along the way. In this book a skeleton of a young pregnant girl is found buried in a very old grave. Markby feels haunted by this corpse and feels he must do his best for this young girl since she'd been laying forgotten for 12 years. Of course Meredith has to help because she knows how much this case means to Alan. They uncover some old village secrets that have lain undisturbed for many years. And a lot of people that want to keep the past buried at any cost. There are lots of wonderful characters in this book. I particularly like the old grave digger Nat Bullen. I am really enjoying this very entertaining series!
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