Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asking for Trouble | 1997 | Ann Granger | Buy |
| 2 | Keeping Bad Company | 1997 | Ann Granger | Buy |
| 3 | Running Scared | 1998 | Ann Granger | Buy |
| 4 | Risking It All | 2001 | Ann Granger | Buy |
| 5 | Watching Out | 2002 | Ann Granger | Buy |
| 6 | Mixing with Murder | 2005 | Ann Granger | Buy |
| 7 | Rattling the Bones | 2007 | Ann Granger | Buy |
The Fran Varady series follows a young amateur sleuth navigating London’s less glamorous side. Asking for Trouble (1997) introduces Fran, and the seven-book series takes her through increasingly complex cases. The urban setting gives these mysteries a grittier feel than Granger’s Cotswold-set books.
Fran is broke, stubborn, and good at talking her way into trouble. The early books, including Keeping Bad Company (1997) and Running Scared (1998), establish her world of squats, odd jobs, and accidental investigations. Later entries like Mixing with Murder (2005) and Rattling the Bones (2007) show her maturing without losing the sharp edges that make her interesting.
Ann Granger is best known for her Meredith and Markby mysteries, but the Fran Varady books offer something different. The London setting is rougher, the protagonist is younger, and the tone skews darker. Readers who enjoy a detective who operates outside the law rather than alongside it will find these worth picking up.