Touch of Mortality (Mitchell & Markby 9): A cosy English village whodunit of wit and warmth

Village life can be deadly... A move to rural Oxfordshire is not the peaceful existence the London couple are looking for in A Touch of Morality, Ann Granger's ninth English village crime novel in the Mitchell & Markby series. The perfect read for fans of Agatha Raisin, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders. 'To be savoured' - Publishers Weekly When Sally Caswell persuaded her scientist husband Liam to move from London to the quiet of rural Oxfordshire it was in the hope of a more peaceful existence. But so far the move has led to nothing but discord. Liam's sabbatical book project is not going well so, frustrated and isolated, he quarrels incessantly both with Sally and with their next-door neighbour, the crotchety pensioner Bodicote whose unruly goats are a constant source of contention. But then a mysterious package arrives that gives the couple real cause for anxiety. It appears that Liam is being targeted by animal rights activists, though Superintendent Markby, in charge of the investigation, is not entirely convinced. Liam has many enemies, Bodicote among them, and it seems to Markby that Liam's cantankerous old neighbour is hiding something. The more Markby investigates, the more his unease grows - as does that of Meredith Mitchell, Markby's girlfriend and an old friend of Sally Caswell, for Meredith suspects Sally is far from well. Then a body is found ... What readers are saying about A Touch of Mortality: 'Simply wonderful. She (Ann Granger] will always throw in a lovely little twist' 'The author piles up detail on detail with plenty of clues, suspects and undercurrents' 'Ann Granger is definitely one of the best out there that pens English village cosies'