Written in Blood

After hosting an author-talk, one of the Writers' Circle members is found brutally murdered and Barnaby and Troy are called in to sort fact from fiction in this creative group. This installment is my favorite in the series so far. It seems Graham really hit her stride in the balance between police procedural, character development, and mystery. The mystery part is quite clever, even though the background that leads up to it is somewhat of a stretch (I had seen the TV version of the book before reading the book, so I can't really say how hard it is to guess the "tricky" plot-twist). My favorite character must be Barnaby's new "nemesis," Cully's kitten, Kilmowski, who gets to eat bacon while Barnaby himself is on a strict diet.

After a meeting of the Midsomer Worthy Writer's Circle, the would be writer who hosted the meeting is found stark naked and bludgeoned to death with a candlestick in his bedroom. Was it the guest speaker or one of the regular members?

A good, solid mystery. Rather grittier than the rural England picture postcard TV adaptation, with a process of reasoning the reader can follow rather than the pronouncements the TV audience just has to accept.

WRITTEN IN BLOOD: Inspector Barnaby #4 by Caroline Graham.
The Inspector Barnaby series is written against a very detailed backdrop of British village life.
The locations, the plots, the characters are British to the extreme, and are reminiscent of a ‘golden age’ of mystery by writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.
This title (like its predecessors) is a mystery; a police procedural; a portrayal of British village life in all of its minutia. It contains very quirky characters; horror; high (often comedic) drama; beautiful locations, architecture and gardens. Throw in a bit (a lot) of jealousy, adultery, petty squabbles and intense snobbery and one is in for a very satisfying read.
The first few Midsomer Murders tv programs are show more based on this series and the central characters. I think DCI Tom Barnaby and especially Gavin Troy are a bit more likable in the tv productions.
But whatever your preference, both the books and the tv series are very likable and well-done.

When the Midsomer Worthy Writer’s Circle invites a rather famous writer to its monthly meeting - chaos, high drama and death result.
The detailed characters in this title were especially good. And several unsuspected secrets are revealed.
A wonderful read. **** show less

This really did not age well. I disliked Sgt. Troy and found the main storyline rather sensational and weird. It was a meandering sort of story and by the end I really didn’t care whodunnit. The cat that Barnaby and his wife were cat-sitting was honestly the best part of the whole book.

These books are not an easy read. Several characters, not just the baddie, are irredeemably stupid or evil or both; even the good guys are ambiguous. Which is reality, yes, but not quite what I had in mind.

Another pleasant funny member of the Midsomer Murders series. These novels are not particularly memorable but they are a delight to read.

Not your average book club in this lovely little village. Oh no, these avid readers are authors as well, or seem to think of themselves as such. After inviting the well known, Max Jennings, to come speak to and with the group, the groups fearless leader is found murdered. Gerald had not wanted Jennings to come speak with the group and was very agitated during. But one thing had nothing to do with the other, right? In this village where everything is related to everyone in some way or another. How is the death of a book club member, an author, a devoted sister, and a dead hero connected?