Anne Granger is a pretty famous English writer working in the genre of detective. Not so long ago, literally 6-7 years ago, her books began to be translated into Russian. It was then that she became known in Russia, having gained recognition here and new fans. We will talk further about the work and biography of this continuer of the traditions of Agatha Christie.
Biography: childhood and adolescence
Ann Granger was born on July 12, 1939 in the English town of Portsmouth. In childhood, the future writer wanted to become a veterinarian. But in the middle of the 20th century in England, only men were taken to teach this profession. Therefore, the young Anne had to enter the University of London, where she studied the modern languages of Europe, among them German and French. After graduating from an educational institution, Granger went to France to teach English.
However, she did not teach for long and soon began working at the British Embassy. During her career, she managed to change several consular departments, including Austria, Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic, and Prague. Working in the latter, she married another employee of the British embassy, her colleague. After that, they worked together, first in Zambia, and then in Germany.
First book
Soon, the English couple had two children. In an interview, Anne recalls that for the first time the idea of sitting down to write a novel appeared in her snowy Munich when she sat with the children for long evenings. This first work was a historical love affair, published in 1979 under the title A Poor Relation. The book was not published under the real name of the writer. Ann started following Ann Hulme. But this first publication was the beginning of a series of romance novels, the events of which took place in different eras and in different countries of the world. A number of these works were later reprinted in Germany.
New genre
In 1990, Granger Ann and her family returned to England. Here she settled near Oxford in the small town of Bickester. This time coincides with changes in the literary career of the writer. She is breaking the contract with her former publisher, who published 16 of her historical love affairs, and is mastering a new genre for herself. Granger takes on the writing of detectives cozy mystery ("cozy"). The heroes of these books are diplomat Meridith Mitchell and her close friend Alan Markby, senior inspector of Scotland Yard.
In his novels, Granger preserves the main traditions of the classic English detective. The main ones are: surprise and dramatic outcome; a very limited circle of suspects. Also in the books you can find many interesting and detailed descriptions of the life and life of the English province.
Series about Meridith and Alan
However, critics and readers note that the series of books on Meridith and Alan is gradually losing its dynamism and brightness, and their detective component is becoming smaller. Gradually, personal relationships between the main characters, gradually developing from friendship to love, come to the fore. As for the last 15 books, it is all devoted to their relationship and ends in a wedding, and the detective component is pushed into the background.
Nevertheless, this series of Ann Granger is very popular. Books have repeatedly occupied leading positions in the bestseller lists of Germany and England. In addition, the novels have been translated into other languages, including Estonian, French, Japanese, Czech, Russian, etc. The series continues to be published today, with print runs exceeding several million copies.
Other works
In addition to the cycle described above, Ann Granger has a series of books about the adventures of Fran Varadi, a former actress who, thanks to the occasion, becomes a private investigator. The first novel was published in 1997; in total, 7 books were included in the series. To date, the cycle is considered complete.
In 2005, at the request of her publisher, the writer began to write a series of historical detective stories, the events of which unfold during the time of Victorian England. Their main character was Lizzy Martin, a young girl who, after the death of her father, was forced to join a companion to a rich lady. In investigations of the young person, the inspector of the London police Ben Ross helps. Today, 5 novels have already appeared in the series, some of them have already been translated into Russian. The Lizzy cycle is considered incomplete.
In addition to detective stories, the writer works in the genre of mystical thriller and writes short stories. In 2004, a collection of these celestial stories was awarded the literary prize of the fantasy genre.
In 1999, Granger was admitted to the English Detective Club, founded in 1930. Its members at different times were A. Christie, G. Chesterton, N. Marsh, D. Carr, etc.
Bibliography
Now bring to your attention the bibliography of Ann Granger. The books that you will see below are not all the works of the writer, but only those that have been translated into Russian. The full list of Granger novels includes more than 50 works, and their number only increases every year.
So, which of Granger's works can a Russian reader meet?
First of all, this is a series entitled Campbell and Carter, which includes only 2 books: Death on an Abandoned Farm and Shadows of Past Sins.
The second cycle, translated into Russian, is "Meredith Mitchell and Alan Markby." It includes the following novels:
- Wisterfield's sinister mystery;
- “How cold it is in the earth”;
- “A good time to kill”;
- “The killer among us”;
- "A great place to die";
- "Where do the old bones lie";
- "Candle for the corpse";
- "Flowers for his funeral";
- "The posthumous word";
- “Remember that you are mortal”;
- "Under the sim stone";
- “Call out the dead man”;
- "Restless evil";
- Shadows of Murder;
- "The road to murder."
"Death on an abandoned farm"
Detectives Ann Granger for a reason are incredibly popular among readers. The writer really manages to create truly exciting novels, full of secrets, dangers and unexpected plot twists.
One of her best detectives is considered to be "Death on the Farm." The action of the novel, as you might guess, takes place on an old abandoned farm, where a murder was committed a long time ago. Here again they discover the body, this time it is a strangled young girl. Now to find her killer will be detective Jess Campbell.
The Wisterfield's Sinister Mystery, Ann Granger
This is the first novel of the cycle about Meridith and Alan, so it begins with an introduction to the main characters. Meridit arrives at the wedding of her cousin - the famous actress Eve. But the triumph is overshadowed by the unexpected death of Philip Lorrimer, a young potter. Although there is no direct evidence that this is a murder, intuition tells Meridit that there is something wrong with this death. The girl takes on the solution to this mystery. And in this she is helped by police inspector Alan Markby, who began his investigation.
"Murder in the Old House," Ann Granger
This detective is the first in a series about Lizzy Martin. It tells how the main character comes to London to take the position of companion to the wife of her godfather. On the way to his new home, Lizzy discovers a corpse. It soon turns out that the murdered woman is the former companion of her new employer. The girl decides on her own to find out who is guilty of the death of her predecessor. Inspector Ross, who knew Lizzy’s father, helps her with this.