Lizzie Martin

"This is a perfect read for those who crave Victorian mysteries in the tradition of Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt novels." -Library Journal Lizzie Martin, lady's companion, has been sent from London to the New Forest to comfort a new mother whose baby has tragically died. A sad enough task, but things take an even darker turn when a rat-catcher is found murdered, and the young woman is discovered beside the body, crying and covered in blood. Not knowing where else to turn, Lizzie calls upon her friend Inspector Ben Ross to solve the horrific crime. Together, they find themselves entangled in a mystery as bewildering as any they've faced. "Engaging." –Publishers Weekly "An involving story, likable main characters, and well-developed . . . secondary characters." -Booklist "Lizzie copes nicely with barking dogs, snapping aunts and gentlemen who shade the truth." -Kirkus Reviews "A dandy mystery and a vivid evocation of another time and place, A Mortal Curiosity is another triumph for Granger and her appealing heroine." -Richmond Times-Dispatch

From "an accomplished veteran" of crime fiction, a murder mystery set in Victorian London featuring a female sleuth and her detective husband (Kirkus Reviews). As Inspector Ben Ross of Scotland Yard walks homeward one Saturday night in late October 1867, the fog that swirls around him is like a living beast. By the time it has lifted next morning a woman lies murdered in Green Park. Allegra Benedict was the beautiful Italian wife of an art dealer in Piccadilly. But what had she been doing in London that afternoon, and why had she been selling her brooch in the Burlington Arcade just hours before her death? As Ben begins his investigation, his wife Lizzie-with the help of their maid Bessie-looks into Allegra's private life and uncovers more than one reason why someone might want her dead . . .

From "an accomplished veteran" of crime fiction, a Victorian murder mystery featuring a female sleuth and her detective husband (Kirkus Reviews). When Mr. Thomas Tapley is found bludgeoned to death in his sitting room, his neighbor, Inspector Benjamin Ross of Scotland Yard, is immediately summoned. Little is known about the elusive gentleman until Mr. Jonathan Tapley, QC, hears of the news, and the truth about his cousin's tragic past slowly begins to emerge. Meanwhile, Ben's wife, Lizzie, is convinced she saw someone following Thomas Tapley on the day he died, and she discovers that he received a mysterious visitor a few days before his death. As the list of suspects begins to mount, Ben and Lizzie must unearth who would benefit most from Tapley's unfortunate demise.

In Victorian England, a Scotland Yard inspector and his wife investigate a condemned man's claim about a seventeen-year-old murder. A hanged man would say anything to save his life. But what if his testimony is true? When Inspector Ben Ross is called to Newgate Prison by a man condemned to die by the hangman's noose he isn't expecting to give any credence to the man's testimony. But the account of a murder he witnessed over seventeen years ago is so utterly believable that Ben can't help wondering if what he's heard is true. It's too late to save the man's life, but it's not too late to investigate a murder that has gone undetected for all these years . . . The perfect read for fans of Wilkie Collins and Susanna Calkins.

From "an accomplished veteran" of crime fiction, a Victorian murder mystery featuring a female sleuth and her detective husband (Kirkus Reviews). On a cold November night in a Deptford yard, dock worker Harry Parker stumbles upon the body of a dead woman. Inspector Ben Ross is summoned from Scotland Yard to this insalubrious part of town, but no witness to the murder of this well-dressed, middle-aged woman can be found. Even Jeb Fisher, the local rag-and-bone man, swears he's seen nothing. Meanwhile, Ben's wife Lizzie is trying to suppress a scandal: family friend Edgar Wellings has a gambling addiction and no means of repaying his debts. Reluctantly, Lizzie agrees to visit his debt collector's house in Deptford, but when she arrives she finds her husband is investigating the murder of the woman in question. Edgar was the last man to see Mrs Clifford alive and he has good reason to want her dead, but Ben and Lizzie both know that a case like this is rarely as simple as it appears. . . .

Ben and Lizzie Ross return in "a well-plotted and compelling mystery with lively characters and a strong invocation of fog-bound Victorian England" (Promoting Crime Fiction). It is March 1870. London is in the grip of fog and ice. But Scotland Yard's Inspector Ben Ross has more than the weather to worry about when the body of a young woman is found in a dustbin at the back of a Piccadilly restaurant. Ben must establish who the victim is before he can find out how and why she came to be there. His enquiries lead him first to a bootmaker in Salisbury and then to a landowner in Yorkshire. Meanwhile, Ben's wife, Lizzie, aided by their eagle-eyed maid, Bessie, is investigating the mystery of a girl who is apparently being kept a prisoner in her own home. As Ben pursues an increasingly complex case, Lizzie reveals a vital piece of evidence that brings him one step closer to solving the crime . . . A spellbinding Victorian crime mystery, perfect for fans of M. R. C. Kasasian and Susanna Calkins. Praise for the writing of Ann Granger "A well-written, well-crafted traditional British mystery by a writer with an assured grasp of her technique." -reviewingtheevidence.com "Characterization, as ever with Granger, is sharp and astringent." -The Times "The story just gets more complex, mysterious and chilling." -Good Book Guide "For once a murder novel which displays a gentle touch and a dash of wit." -The Northern Echo "A clever and lively book." -Margaret York

In this Victorian-era mystery, a Scotland Yard inspector's wife becomes embroiled in a murder case while on a seaside holiday. It is Spring 1871 when Lizzie Ross accompanies her formidable Aunt Parry on a restorative trip to the south coast. Lizzie's husband, Ben, is kept busy at Scotland Yard and urges his wife to stay out of harm's way. But when Lizzie and her aunt are invited to dine with other guests at the home of wealthy landowner Sir Henry Meager, and he is found shot dead in his bed the next morning, no one feels safe. Lizzie suspects that Sir Henry had a number of bitter enemies, many of whom might have wanted him dead. Once Ben arrives to help with the investigation, he and Lizzie must work together to expose Sir Henry's darkest secrets, and a ruthless killer intent on revenge . . . Perfect for fans of M. R. C. Kasasian, Susanna Calkins, and M. C. Beaton.