Hugh Franklin married Sonia less than a year after his wife’s death. Twelve-year-old Tammy did not have an easy time with either occurrence, something that has not slipped the notice of her history teacher, Jane Brady. After Jane hears of the shocking death of Sonia, she goes to Tammy’s house to see if she can be of help to Tammy and the family. Even though Jane does not know Hugh that well, during their few, brief meetings, she becomes convinced that Hugh did not commit the crime and turns to her friend Meredith for help.

As Meredith and Alan untangle things in this small English town, they realize that there may be more to the relationships than appears. What secrets are Tammy, Hugh, and his brother Simon hiding, and what did their neighbor on the adjoining farm, Derry Hayward, see the night of the murder that causes him to be attacked several weeks later?

Each character becomes very important in unraveling each piece of the mystery and Ann Granger has done a wonderful job or creating a well drawn, complex supporting cast of characters that add many dimensions to an already multi-layered mystery.

Beneath These Stones is an engrossing read that will keep readers turning the pages well into the night to find out how the mystery will finally be wrapped up. When Sonia’s murder is solved, there is even one last twist. It was a disappointment, however, not to see how Tammy fared once the murder was solved, since so much time was spent with her in the beginning.

Markby and Mitchell started out their twelfth outing on rocky ground; she had just turned down his marriage proposal, but each makes tentative strides toward the other during the course of the investigation. There is hope that the duo will remain together and continue to investigate murders in another outing. Beneath These Stones is a first-rate English police cozy.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry