Thanks to the BBC Player, I found out about this murder mystery series called Midsomer Murders. Since I love a good cosy mystery, I really enjoyed the episodes that I watched and wanted to read some of the books that inspired the show! The Killings at Badger’s Drift is the first book in the Detective Barnaby series and honestly, it reminds me of a much darker Fairacre village.
The Killings at Badger’s Drift actually starts of pretty cosily. Miss Simpson is in the woods hunting for the spurred coral root orchid. According to the terms of this yearly competition, if she can find it faster than her friend, she wins a magnificent afternoon tea. However, she comes across a very different scene and the next morning, Miss Simpson is dead. Thanks to the persistence of her friend, Lucy, Detective Barnaby looks into Miss Simpson’s death and finds that hemlock, and not old age, was the cause. So the investigations begin…
If you’ve watched the Midsomer Murders, it will not come as a surprise that Miss Simpson’s death is only the start. As DCI Tom Barnaby and his detective sergeant Troy investigate the case, more people start dying. I found that this helped to increase the tension in the plot, since it created pressure on the detectives to solve the case.
I think the most interesting part of this book is the contrast between cosy and dark. Most cosy mysteries tend to avoid the darker subject matters altogether, but the case here doesn’t shy away from unsavoury subjects (compared to the Fairacre series, which also touches on some uglier subjects, this is downright dark!). But although the deaths are brutal and the relationships in the village rather poisonous, there is still a lot of tea, gardening, and everything else that a village has to offer. For example, Miss Simpson’s orchid hunting before her death, or Tom Barnaby and his wife’s cooking during the course of the investigation. It prevents the book from being too depressing, while keeping it a bit more real than most cosy mysteries.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Killing at Badger’s Drift and it’s made me eager to read the other books in the series. Alas, the library only has this book by Caroline Graham, so I shall have to hunt for the books in bookstores.
Welcome to the world of British mysteries!!
I love the juxtaposition of cosiness and brutal murders!
“Midsomer Murders” is a great TV show and I suspect I am not the only one to think so inasmuch as it has been on-air for 22 seasons! Haven’t read the books, but if they are half as good as the TV production, they should be enjoyable. If you like this kind of crime mystery, you might also check out the series “Inspector Morse,” another product of British TV based on the novels of Colin Dexter, who, I have read, made uncredited cameo appearances in almost all of the episodes!
I’ve heard of Inspector Morse but I can’t remember if I’ve watched it – will go look for it, thanks for the recommendation!!
Midsomer Murders is based on a book series? I had no idea.
I only found out when I googled the series!