The first three Chief Inspector Barnaby mysteries, the basis for the British crime drama Midsomer Murders.

The Killing at Badger’s Drift: After a spinster is murdered in the seemingly quaint village of Badger’s Drift, her best friend kicks up a fuss, attracting attention from Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. When Barnaby and his eager-beaver deputy begin poking around, they uncover a swamp of ugly scandals and long-suppressed resentments seething below the picture-postcard prettiness . . .

“Murder most pleasing . . . a corking good mystery.” —Los Angeles Times

Death of a Hollow Man: A leading man is murdered during a performance in a small English village, and Inspector Barnaby and his deputy are on the case. While Barnaby may lack certain skills as a theater critic, he is just the man to catch a killer . . .

“A theatrical whodunit worthy of a deep bow.”—The New York Times

Death in Disguise: The Lodge of the Golden Windhorse has provided the citizens of Compton Dando with splendid fodder for gossip, prompting speculation of arcane rituals and bizarre sexual practices. But with the murder of the commune’s leaders, the rumor-mill goes into overdrive. Now Chief Inspector Barnaby must separate rumor from reality in a case where the facts are often stranger than fiction . . .

“Wonderfully funny, with such solid, traditional underpinnings as good plotting, judiciously dropped clues, and a luminescent turn of phrase: a likely-to-be New Age classic.”—Kirkus Reviews

Caroline Graham