1995 mystery, eighth of Granger's novels of Chief Inspector Alan
Markby and non-detective Meredith Mitchell. Eleven years ago, someone
set up a candle and flowers on the altar, but it never became clear
why; now, the skeleton of a young woman has been discovered in the
churchyard…
With my mystery reader's non-diegetic hat on, I found that I had
put together some very obvious things from the first chapters: the
young woman was the local good time had by all, she was pregnant, and
a new character for this book is the local ambitious MP, who would
have been about 18 at the time, and whose mother is even more
ambitious than he is. Fortunately, although Granger is clearly writing
in the cosy style, things aren't quite that simple.
Even so, this felt more like a series book than one trying to do
something new with the characters. There is a bit of the relationship
(each of them has come to think that the other really fancies a
narrowboating holiday, and each is secretly relieved when the
discovery means it can't happen), but mostly this is about the murder
and the investigation, with a side note of tension as Markby tries to
keep Mitchell out of the investigation while appreciating the
information she can find out for herself.
Perhaps I am impatient and want the series to show real growth and
progress, in something other than Markby's career; I should perhaps
accept that some stories are just about characters who don't
particularly change, and the necessary change in this story is in the
world and in the people who won't be returning in a future book.
In any case, the actual investigation is solid, with some people
having things to hide, while others are just naturally defensive or
unobservant. There's a bit of coincidence and Meredith's late
involvement feels somewhat forced, but overall it holds together and
mostly manages to control its small-town conservative smug certainty
that Our Way is the only way that is Good.