Say It with Poison

Mitchell and Markby #1

by Ann Granger

When Meredith Mitchell agreed to stay with her actress cousin Eve in the run-up to Eve's daughter's wedding she anticipated a degree of drama. But she hardly expected it to include murder, blackmail and unrequited love. Or to involve a certain Chief Inspector Markby, a middle-aged divorcee with an emotional history as unfortunate as her own.

A material witness to the only case of murder the Cotswold village of Westerfield has ever seen, Meredith also finds herself acting as mother-confessor to the bride-to-be, who is clearly not telling the whole truth about her involvement with the dead man. Steering a path between her duty to the police and loyalty to her cousin's family is not easy; even for someone with Meredith's considerable diplomatic skills. And especially as her personal enquiries into events in Westerfield start to disinter past affections Meredith would far rather leave buried - and to provoke new ones she's not at all sure she can cope with ...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Romance, British Literature

279 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Ann Granger She attended the Northern Grammar School for Girls, and had thoughts about becoming a veterinarian, but discovered women were not accepted into vet schools because they were not believed to be strong enough. Instead she earned a Modern Languages degree at the University of London, where she first developed a desire to become a writer. 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 had two children.

Her first novels were historical romances published under the nom de plume Ann Hulme.

In 1991, Granger made the decision to switch to crime novels, saying, "Basically, there is only one plot in love stories: You can describe it in different ways, but you always come back to the subject of man and woman. Crime fiction opens up a world of possibilities for the writer. It lets you tackle deep and difficult issues." Her first crime novel, Say it with Poison, centred on the protagonists Meredith Mitchell, a consular clerk, and police officer Alan Markby. The book proved popular and Granger wrote 14 more Mitchell & Markby novels between 1991 and 2004.

Granger also wrote other crime novel series & in 2021, in recognition of thirty years of crime novels, Granger released a collection of eighteen short stories, Mystery in the Making.

On 24 September 2025, her publisher Headline announced that Granger had died at the age of 86

This autobiography was added to with information from Wikipedia & Encyclopedia.com.

Reviews

[Icewineanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because of the number of books that Ann Granger has written, I assumed that I would really enjoy her mysteries. I expected to read an enjoyable puzzler, instead I found this book very dated, with poorly written dialogue. It was a struggle to finish it. I'm surprised that her publisher continued with this series. This book is the first of the Mitchell & Markby mystery series, she works for the UK Consulate and he's a police detective. When they meet, they butt heads but he's interested in her and tries to get to know her better, but she's too annoyed and irritated by him to notice, she still hasn't gotten over her first great love who died tragically. Doesn't this sound more like a Harlequin romance than a mystery??!!This scenario annoyingly continues on until the last page of the book when there is a hint that the two will connect again in the next Mitchell & Markby mystery.
Very disappointing. Don't waste your time.

[Ariadne Oliver · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's have a big dose of understanding and sympathy for the stalker while blaming his victim for leading him on. How could she be so selfish as to believe a man might want to be friends with her? She's a beautiful young woman after all.

I recommend skipping this one.

[BRIONY · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

[Kyrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. i want to like the series. It's in England. It has an intelligent quirky policeman and an intelligent successful British consul as its protagonists. What's not to like?

I didn't guess the murderer. That's always a bonus.

The descriptions of the settings and characters are great. I can see them in my mind.

I think it's that I don't find Meredith likeable at all and Alan only occasionally. It makes me sad.

[Julia Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery very much, and I plan to keep reading the Mitchell and Markby series.

There were times that I became annoyed with the actions of the heroine, but I realize that the book was published in 1991 and that some elements may be due to time period. Strange to think that was more than 30 years ago!

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meredith Mitchell agrees to help her cousin, Eve Owens, with the preparations for her daughter's wedding. But it soon becomes clear that all is not as it should be in her cousin's household. A TV director is trying to persuade Eve, a film star, to take a role in his soap opera, Eve's daughter, Susan, seems to be not at all sure about whether she is doing the right thing in marrying her fiancé.

When a young potter is found dead by Meredith it seems things may have come to a head. The death brings her into contact with Alan Markby whom she had first met as the person giving away the bride. Eve had neglected to tell her cousin that Markby is a Detective Inspector and Meredith is a little put out when she discovers the truth, partly because against her will she finds him attractive.

I liked the characters in this book - the slightly prickly Meredith; Alan Markby with his bossy sister, Laura and the characters in the village. The plot is interesting and I didn't work out who the murderer was so it was quite a shock to me when the culprit was revealed. This is the first book in a series and I shall definitely go on to read the rest of the series. If you like low key crime novels with no graphic violence or bad language then I can recommend this one.

[Rob Anybody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich hab das Buch schon einmal gelesen. Damals habe ich mir etwas schwerer damit getan. Jetzt beim Horchen hat es mir ganz gut gefallen. Da werd ich mir doch glatt auch den 2. Teil anhören :)

[Sunsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich steh ja auf Englische Krimis :) - diese Reihe ist etwas anders aufgebaut als bei Agatha Christie, und es ist auch etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, sich auf die ungleichen Ermittler einzulassen, aber mir hat die Lektüre dennoch viel Spaß gemacht. 08/10 Punkte

http://sunsys-blog.blogspot.de/2018/0...

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series I started reading back in the 1990s and wanted to revisit. At the time I read all the books just as I came across them, but I'd like to read them in order this time to follow the developing relationship between Meredith and Alan.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann Granger wollte ich schon lange lesen, aber irgendwie gerät sowas immer wieder in Vergessenheit bei mir, gerade wenn die Bücher schon etwas älter sind. „Mord ist aller Laster Anfang“ oder auf englisch „Say it with poison“ erschien im Jahr 1991, ist also schon richtig alt.

Meredith Mitchell, auch Merry genannt, ist bei ihrer Cousine Eve in England zu Besuch, da sie zur Hochzeit von Eves Tochter eingeladen wurde. Als sie den Außenseiter des Dorfes tot auffindet, verwickelt sie sich selber in die Ermittlungen und gerät immer wieder mit Inspector Markby aneinander, der allerdings noch ein ganz anderes Interesse an ihr hat.

Ich habe ganz selten ein Buch gelesen, dass so ein extremes „Warme-Decke“-Gefühl in mir auslöst. Das beschauliche Dörfchen hat in mir direkt Fernweh nach Großbritannien ausgelöst. Obwohl es hier um einen (oder mehrere?) Morde geht, ist man als Leser:in nicht eine Sekunde gestresst. Man wandert total entspannt durch das Buch, lernt die Charaktere nach und nach kennen und versucht zusammen mit Merry herauszufinden, was passiert ist.

Der Mordfall an sich ist nicht spektakulär und zeichnet sich zu Beginn des Buches bereits ab. Allerdings ging es mir hier vor allem um den Weg und nicht um das Ziel. Ich wollte einfach so viel wie möglich von dieser britischen Atmosphäre auskosten.

Wer Coszy Crime mag, darf an der Mitchell & Markby Reihe nicht vorbei gehen und sollte alle 17 Teile nacheinander verschlingen. Ich werde sie allerdings nach und nach Lesen. Teil 2 „Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen“ habe ich aber bereits bestellt.

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read by Judith Boyd
8 hours 2 mins

Description: When Meredith Mitchell agreed to stay with her actress cousin Eve in the run-up to Eve's daughter's wedding she anticipated a degree of drama. But she hardly expected it to include murder, blackmail and unrequited love. Or to involve a certain Chief Inspector Markby, a middle-aged divorcee with an emotional history as unfortunate as her own. A material witness to the only case of murder the Cotswold village of Westerfield has ever seen, Meredith also finds herself acting as mother-confessor to the bride-to-be, who is clearly not telling the whole truth about her involvement with the dead man.


Not a style I appreciate. NEXT!

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Altho it began fairly slowly, this book grew on me as it progressed. There is a bit of a dichotomy between the effort to be an English village mystery while most of the dramatis personae are far too sophisticated for that, but I let it pass. The denouement was quite good and not at all expected, even if one wonders how our heroine was always so spot on in her deductions. The budding romance, which must continue as this is the 1st in at least a dozen “Mededith and Markby” entries, was somewhat awkward, but this is after all the first entry in the series, I expect to read further...

[Is · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a pleasant read

A pleasant read for a rainy afternoon. A well thought out plot and the characters are believable. For the writing and mostly the pace I would have given 3 stars, but I upped it to 4 because I didn't see the end coming the way it did. I didn't feel a closeness to the main characters and so I don't know if I will read the next book in the series.
Yes, quite a nice read and the plot would be good for a TV Midsomer Murder, but with Barnaby and Jones and not Marksby and Meredith

[Svenja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Ann Granger and the Jessica Campbell series but didn’t like Meredith at all. She seemed needlessly rude quite often and not like a person I would like to be around. I think I’ll stick to Granger’s other series.

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein blutiges Ochsenherz als Geschenk für eine zukünftige Braut.
Eine tote Katze und ein kratzbürstiger Nachbar.
Und ein Toter, der augenscheinlich vergiftet wurde.
Landleben kann ja so erholsam sein…


Zum Inhalt:
Der verkrümmte Leichnam einer Siam-Katze und die des dazugehörigen Besitzers: Das ist Meredith Mitchells erster Eindruck von dem kleinen Städtchen Westerfield, wo sie eigentlich nur an der Hochzeit ihrer Nichte teilnehmen wollte. Nun aber wird sie in einen komplizierten Mordfall verwickelt und beginnt auf eigene Faust zu ermitteln - sehr zum Missfallen von Inspektor Markby, der sich nicht nur beruflich für Meredith interessiert ...

Cover:
Das Cover meiner Buchversion ist recht altbacken, was aber dem Alter des Buches zu verschulden ist. Zu sehen ist hier ein Cottage vor einer bunten Hecke, was man jedoch nicht gleich sofort ausmachen kann, da das Cover allgemein sehr dunkel wirkt. Da sind mir die typischen Cover der Taschenbuchausgaben mit ihren vielen überladenen Details aus den 90ern wirklich lieber.

Eigener Eindruck:
Als Meredith nach England zurück kehrt, um bei der Hochzeit ihres Patenkindes Sarah dabei zu sein, muss sie sich nicht nur einer unschönen Vergangenheit stellen. Denn, wenn sie es sich nun einmal überdenkt, sie hat den Kontakt zu Sarah gemieden und kennt das Mädchen kaum. Schlimm genug, dass sie eigentlich auch noch die Tochter ihrer Cousine und ehemaligem Filmstar Yves ist, sie ist auch die Tochter des Mannes, der sie dazu gebracht hat lange den Kontakt zur Familie zu meiden. Die Hochzeit soll in einem kleinen Dorf stattfinden, fernab von London, wo sich ihre Cousine niedergelassen hat. Doch die Idylle wird bereits bei Merediths Ankunft getrübt, als sie ein Ochsenherz findet, welches als Geschenk für die Braut verpackt ist. Was hat es damit auf sich? Und warum scheinen einige im Dorf so feindlich gesinnt? Was hat Sarah in ihrer Jugend ausgefressen, dass sie nun scheinbar jemanden heiraten will, den sie nicht liebt? Und was hat es mit dem Toten im Nachbarcottage auf sich? Meredith beginnt auf eigene Faust zu ermitteln, was dem Brautführer und Polizisten Markby ganz gewaltig gegen den Strich zu gehen scheint… oder doch nicht?

Dieser leicht zu lesende Roman aus der Feder von Ann Granger ist ein Werk älteren Semesters, liest sich aber so, als wäre alles eben erst geschehen. Die Charaktere der Meredith und des Markby hat man schnell ins Herz geschlossen und es macht Spaß mit den beiden zu ermitteln, auch wenn die wirklich großen, spannenden Szenen ausbleiben. Das Buch plätschert so langhin und man wird von einem Tatort zum nächsten geführt, Puzzleteile werden zusammengesetzt und schließlich kommt man zum Mörder, der zwar ab einem bestimmten Punkt vorhersehbar ist, jedoch so gut dargestellt ist, dass es schon wieder gut ist. Neben den Morden und dem wirklich eigenartigen Dorf bekommen wir eine Menge Informationen zu anderen Charakteren, die miteinander verwoben sind und die in diesem Drama doch ihre tragende Rolle haben. Das ist raffiniert gemacht und ergibt schlussendlich ein großes, sauberes Ganzes, was ich ungemein zufriedenstellend fand. Auch die Art, wie die Dialoge gestaltet waren, fand ich sehr gut gemacht, so konnte man vor allem richtig sehen, wie der alte Mann in seinem Jargon immer wieder vom Leder gelassen hat und obwohl ich ihn am Anfang nicht mochte, ist er doch einer meiner liebsten, wenn auch tragischsten Figuren geworden. Ich jedenfalls fand dieses Buch recht erfrischend, wenn auch seicht, aber für gemütliche Stunden lohnt sich das Werk allemal.

Fazit:
Ein seichter Krimi für entspannte Lesetage, bei denen man nicht wirklich viel nachdenken will. Perfekt für den Strand oder Zwischendurch. Wer die ganz große Spannung sucht, der sollte hier die Finger davon lassen. Von mir gibt es aber eine Leseempfehlung, denn Detailfreunde kommen hier voll und ganz auf ihre Kosten.

Idee: 5/5
Charaktere: 4/5
Logik: 4/5
Spannung: 3/5
Emotionen: 3/5


Gesamt: 4/5

Daten:
ISBN: 9783404189113
Sprache: Deutsch
Ausgabe: Taschenbuch
Umfang: 304 Seiten
Verlag: Lübbe
Erscheinungsdatum: 28.10.2022

[Annabelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's just not what I was looking for judging by the cover & title - too slow paced for me and only mildly interesting.

[Jazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to discover this intelligent cozy series. I enjoyed the setting—the Cotswolds, the story, and the characters. It’s not really a fair-play mystery, so the reveal of the murderer at the end is a surprising one, which works however. My main quibble is just that though—the murderer more or less simply confesses in the end and spills his/her guts to Meredith Mitchell, the main character. I look forward to seeing Meredith and Inspector Markby develop as characters. Meredith struck me sometimes as a little too bristly, verging on unlikeable, but then she’s a strong woman with her background in the Foreign Service. So it was a nice change from fluffy protagonists in a cozy. And I haven’t really gotten to know Markby in this first introduction, so look forward to many more books in the series.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have tried this book several times. From the description of the series and this book in particular as the first one, it sounds like the kind of book I would like. I just can't warm up to it though. I don't know if its the action is too slow or the characters are not that likeable and/or engaging or what. I just know that this was the second time I tried and I put it down after a few chapters because I just didn't care. The heroine is kind of a sad sack also. Oh Well.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Say it with Poison, the first in the Mitchell and Markby series, is a book I've had on my TBR for a while. From the description, it sounds like everything I would be interested in reading. Unfortunately, it falls short and I can't even say why. It just felt like a struggle for me to keep going with it. I didn't really like the sleuth. The action felt almost non-existent. I won't be reading any more of this series.

[Fiona Schofield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Persevered until chapter 8 but the story got slower and slower. I really hoped I had found something on par with M.C Beaton's 'Agatha Raisin' series but no joy. I am however going to read another in the series to see if it picks up. Only 1 star - sorry.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I think this would qualify as a cozy mystery. Not something I seek out but I do like female main characters. I will have to try the next couple and see what I think.

[Ivar Volmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ootasin märksa rohkemat. Kummalisel kombel tundus raamat huvitamana alguse, kui mõrva polnud veel toimunud. Edasine süžee suutis hoolimata vaid 225 leheküljest olla kuidagi veniv ja kaootiline.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rounding up on this one because my issues with the book may just be personal preferences.
It was difficult to figure out the time in which this book was set. It was published in 1991, but it doesn't feel that current (even though the 90's were 30 years ago). At one point, one of the characters says that she was born in the 1940s, which would make this book set in the mid- to - late 70's, but it doesn't fit then, either. It feels very dated. Given all that, I would've guessed the 1920's.
Meredith is not a likable character at all. She's argumentative, self-righteous, and a know-it-all. She's easily offended, and has no problem making decisions about what is best for those around her. For example, she's finds the neighbor's cat who has been missing, and she decides that she won't tell the neighbor because it would obviously be too distressing. Isn't it more distressing for the neighbor to continue to wander around looking for a beloved pet that isn't going to come home? She hides evidence rather than turn it over to the police. She decides Sara needs to go back to London, and directs Lazenby to take her there without a single conversation with Sara (a supposed adult, although she rarely acts like one) about what she wants. After a day or two in the village, Meredith announces that she "doesn't like this village," which gives a lot of insight into her character.
I didn't figure out who had committed the murders, but once the villain was revealed, I was more upset by the number of people who KNEW that murders had been committed, and were rationalizing why it was okay not to say or do anything to turn in the guilty party.
The characters were all pretty one dimensional and there is no character development once the salient characteristic for each person is established. Lazenby is a controlling cad, Sara is whiny, Markby feels tentative and indecisive, Eve is self-absorbed, Meredith is a know-it-all busybody, etc.
Markby and Meredith are having a conversation after the killer is revealed, and the whole passage seems like they're blaming the victim for having been nice to someone who the victim thought was a friend. Lots of sympathy for the stalker and why of course he felt compelled to do what he did.
The Epilogue is probably my biggest complaint. After a long slog through a relatively short book, the epilogue is three paragraphs. I do not understand the point of having written it. Again, it feels a lot like victim shaming in that a cemetery is desecrated and destroyed (very unbelievable) because the character who had helped to maintain it had the audacity to be killed. Just odd.

[Lee at ReadWriteWish · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of things not quite right about this book, but for some reason I still really liked it.

The time setting seems all wrong. It's 1991 and it feels like 1971 at the most. Did we even still have glass milk bottles in 1991? Obviously Granger wrote it much earlier and pulled it out of the drawer in 1991. I didn't even realise it was set in 1991 until there was some oddly placed Indiana Jones reference. In the end, I just read it as being set maybe in the 50s and left it at that.

Our leading lady, Meredith, too was a bit odd. She was constantly bad tempered and snappy. I get that being this way with the leading man, police detective, Markby, could be UST, but she was pretty much like this with every character. The oddest thing about this was her given profession - a consul. Call me dumb but isn't that a profession where being diplomatic and tactful is important?

A few other reviews have mentioned that the ending was a surprise but I guessed the murderer from very early on. I'll concede I never guessed all their motives.

So, even though I have all these issues, I will likely give another book (there's 16!) in this series a go, and I weirdly still kind of liked it.

4 out of 5

[Kairit Leibold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minu käest naljalt seda viit tärni kätte ei saa.
Tegelikult oli väga hea lugemine, aga hästi õmmeldud loo lõpp traageldati lõpu eel väga suurte pistetega kinni nagu oleks käsikirja kirjastusse saatmise tähtaeg kuidagi ootamatult kätte jõudnud. Kaasanuputamise võimalus oli olemas, kahtlased vihjed ja käitumised, mõned suhteliselt huvitavad, kuigi üsna leiged armulood ja üks liiga kaua kaasas kantud suur armastuslugu, mis kerkib algusest peale korduvalt vihjamisi pinnale ning lõpuks muidugi osutubki selleks kogu lugu läbivaks punaseks kõike kooshoidvaks niidiks. Ensearmastajast kõiki teisi süüdistav eriti ebasümpaatseks (välja arvatud väline ilu) kirjeldatud kurjategija, ulmeline lojaalsus teenijalt, kes üldse asjasse ei peaks puutuma ja kellele see enesekeskne hoolimatu tegelane poleks loogiliselt üldse pidanud korda minema. Keegi ei karda karistust ka seal?!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first the (Meredith) Mitchell & (Chief Inspector Alan) Markby series, set in the Cotswolds, England. Meredith, a diplomatic consul, and Markby haven't met when the story begins, but both are tagged to be part of a wedding for the daughter of Meredith's cousin, film star Eve Owens. As soon as Meredith arrives, she's uneasy after finding nasty notes (accompanied by an animal heart, then a strange doll), meeting the sour and snobby groom, and then stumbling over a dead Siamese cat in the local cemetery. When Meredith finds the body of the cat's owner soon after, dead from poisoning, she's a key witness, and she and Markby slowly move from a prickly relationship to one a bit warmer as they try to solve the murder -- but how close to home will the solution hit?

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really needed a comfortable read so I returned this my favorite crime series from my teenage years. It's what I would call Cozy Crime, set in rural England with lovely descriptions of the landscape, the villages and the characters. I loved returning to Meredith Mitchell who I admired as a teen. I always admired her attitude of going out and investigating things, going up to people and asking around.
It was a lovely return to this setting and the characters although I do admit to seeing some flaws in it now that I'm older. I still enjoyed it a lot and I think I will continue on my reread of the series.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"I'll be so glad when this wedding is over."

An interesting well written old fashioned style who-dun-it, with a group of characters assembled in a small rural village to celebrate the forthcoming wedding of the daughter of a now fading famous mammal filmstar. But it's not all glitz and glamour: And then a neighbour is murdered...

Judith Boyd has the perfect narrative voice for this story: very pleasant mid range timbre, with clear received pronunciation and good intonation. Her voice is just right for the period and society, if a little slow in delivery, adding greatly to the pleasure of listening. Recommended for an easy, gentle read.

[Rhona Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slow going mystery but a good one.

This is a story of a wedding to come, a woman returns to England to catch up with her cousin and her daughter who is due to be married and then unpleasant things happen. Poison features in it and the clues add up. I got it obviously wrong but it's a meeting of Meredith Mitchell who works as a consul in what was Yugoslavia. And of Chief Inspector Alan Markby who seems to be just behind Meredith, in getting the information. I've given it 5 stars as it kept me guessing.

[Jane Shand · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* This is another one I am going to find hard to review. I kept wanting to read on and find out what was happening so it had pace and tension. However, you can tell it was written decades ago - something in the style and tone and I am not so keen on it now. I also found some of the characters seemed to have odd behaviours - the protagonist, Meredith, was often remarkably bad tempered for no real reason as far as I could see and a little weak- which didn’t fit how I saw her character. I may read the next one to see how Meredith’s life goes on/changes.