Synopses & Reviews
Since the end of the nineteenth century, the Oakley family of Bamford, England, has lived in the shadow of tragedy. In 1889, Cora Oakley died by inhaling a poisonous gas in her sleep, and her husband William was put on trial for the murder. Although the case was dismissed, Oakley's reputation was ruined, and he fled the country, never to be heard from again.
Over a hundred years later, the only remaining members of the Oakley family are two elderly sisters living in Bamford, who exist in poverty in their rambling ancestral home, Fourways. Unable to maintain their mansion, the sisters have decided to sell the house and live comfortably on the proceeds. But a young Polish man named Jan appears, claiming to be William Oakley's great-grandson and brandishing what he alleges is Oakley's will, which entitles him to half the profits from the sale. The sisters panic, knowing that, although Jan's claims don't stand up, a court case could drag on for years, and time is not on their side. When Jan is found dead, poisoned by the same substance used to kill his great-grandmother so many years ago, it seems that murder has returned to haunt the Oakley family once again, and Superintendent Markby must unravel two mysteries, one from a hundred years ago, to find the killer.
Synopsis
A mansion, a murder and a century-long mystery...
Shades of Murder is the thirteenth mystery in the Mitchell & Markby series by Ann Granger, who is highly praised for her strong and appealing characters, wit and engrossing plots. The perfect read for fans of M. C. Beaton, Agatha Christie and ITV's Midsomer Murders.
'The narrative keeps the reader gripped until the end' - Wiltshire Times
In 1889 Cora Oakley died by inhaling a poisonous gas in her sleep, and her husband William was put on trial for her murder. Over a hundred years later, the only remaining members of the family are two elderly sisters who live in the ancestral home. Unable to maintain the mansion, the sisters decide to sell up and live off the proceeds.
Then a young Polish man named Jan appears, claiming to be William Oakley's great-grandson and threatening to ruin the sisters' plans. When he is found dead, it seems that the shadow of murder has returned to haunt the Oakley family again, and Superintendent Markby must look back at the events of a century ago to find the killer...
What readers are saying about Shades of Murder:
'The characterisation and dialogue are as sharpas ever, and the plot is great '
'The characters were well drawn in both past and present strands of the book with some very neat twists'
'Two separate murder mysteries, unfolding in turn, chapter by chapter, gave me double delight'