Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Based on a set of only seven novels by Caroline Graham (beginning with The Killings at Badger's Drift), Midsomer Murders is a long-running and very popular series that debuted in the U.K. in 1997. The series features the likable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) and is set in the fictional English county of Midsomer which consists of several villages each of which seems to rival Cabot Cove, Maine for their improbably high murder rates.
Agatha Christie, the world's most successful mystery writer, considered plot to be of utmost importance when crafting her stories. Graham, on the other hand, has said that she prefers to start out with interesting characters and allow the plot to form around them. And it is certainly the characters that are the centerpiece of Midsomer Murders. Unusual, odd and memorable are all words that could be used to describe the show's colorful collection of villagers - including the murderers, the victims and the bystanders, very few of whom could be described as "innocent".
Part police procedural, part quirky cozy, part traditional whodunit, Midsomer Murders should appeal to a variety of murder mystery fans. Even after seeing nearly 70 episodes, I find the show remains dependably entertaining with strong writing, intricate plots and uniformly first-rate acting. Episodes exist more or less independent of one another and need not be viewed in broadcast order. However, because of Barnaby's changing Detective Sergeants over the years, viewers might wish to do so.
One of my favorite aspects of the series is the gorgeous glimpses it provides of the English countryside and the picturesque villages, vine covered cottages and grand estates in which the stories are set. For true devotees, the book Midsomer Murders on Location provides information on where each episode was filmed. I'm also inordinately fond of the theme music which seems to suit the quirkiness of Midsomer Murders perfectly.
The following episodes are included in Set 17:
* The Dogleg Murders (Episode 67): After a player is murdered on the course at a prestigious golf club, Barnaby and Jones discover a bevy of crimes, and more murder, among the club's members.
* The Black Book (Episode 68): The sale at auction of a newly discovered masterpiece by a Midsomer painter seems to be the catalyst for a series of murders.
* Secrets and Spies (Episode 69): Barnaby's past as a secret agent comes into play when another former agent is murdered after a cricket match.
* The Glitch (Episode 70): Barnaby suspects that the threat by a local university fellow to reveal a glitch in a new software program mistakenly caused the hit and run killing of a local school teacher.
Because of the somewhat unorthodox behavior of a number of the characters, some rare flashes of nudity and the often gruesome nature of the crimes, I feel Midsomer Murders is best suited to older teens and adults.
Highly recommended.
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THE MYSTERIES
The Dogleg Murders--Members of the swanky Whiteoaks Golf Club keep turning up dead by the 13th hole. The Black Book--The detectives investigate a string of savage murders precipitated by a local art auction. Secrets and Spies--A mysterious creature is killing sheep in Midsomer County, but it soon moves on to larger prey. The Glitch--A local scientist’s determination to stop an American millionaire’s latest business venture has fatal repercussions.
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