About the book

Author: Graham, Caroline, 1931-

Title: The killings at Badger’s Drift Publication: London : Headline Book Publishing, 1989. ISBN 9780755342150. DAISY audio format narrated by Hugh Ross. CELA library call number DA31505. 264 pages in the paper edition; 8 hrs., 26 mins. as a recorded book.

Title: A ghost in the machine. Publication: London : Headline, 2004. ISBN 0755307704. DAISY audio format narrated by Terri Cherniak. CELA library call number DA26166. 375 pages in the paper edition; 19 hrs., 30 mins. as a recorded book.

About the story

You have probably seen the Midsomer Murders show on TV (TV Ontario has been running it in segments for decades) or on a streaming service like Netflix. They are pretty long, and not a lot happens until the end. It’s mainly character-driven with ongoing interpersonal plotlines among the principle characters, and a murder is done every show. By the end, the “bad guy” (or gal) has been apprehended, and lessons have been learnt all ‘round.

Unsurprisingly, the books on which the series is based are pretty similar. The back-story is clearer in the books, though, and the characters are more fully developed. I can see a lot more in the TV show now that I have read the books. Subtle. The second one, in particular, is quite long to listen to. Interesting, but long.

CELA has not digitised too many of her books, only two of them (number 2, A ghost in the machine, in English and in French translation) and number 4, Written in blood (DA31506). The Toronto Public Library has the first one, The killings at Badger’s Drift, as well as the two that CELA has.

If you have not seen the show, Inspector Barnaby lives in a small village in the fictitious English countryside of Midsomer, where he and an ambitious, conceited, n’er-do-well Sergent solve a series of improbable murders in picturesque settings. Village characters abound, each a less likely suspect than the last until at last Barnaby reveals whodunit. The humour is dry and the pints are legion. Makes me long for good English Real Ale, sadly lacking on this side of the pond.

In Badger’s Drift, an eccentric old lady insists on the investigation of the sudden, unexpected death of her best friend, a spinster living in the village of Badger’s Drift. It turns out the deceased saw something she should never have seen…

In Ghost, Dennis Brinkely, a beloved resident of the tiny hamlet of Forbes Abbot, is found slain amidst his horrifying collection of medieval torture devices. The only witness, Benny Fraye, is unreliable in many respects. The supernatural is consulted (albeit not by the constabulary) and the waters are muddied. If you like a good, convoluted plot, Ghost is for you.

I like them, they are long and involved and pretty easy-listening. I watch the TV series sometimes, but put a few weeks between them so they don’t get tiresome.