Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) and Detective Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins are back in the tenth DVD release of Midsomer Murders.
For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Midsomer Murders is based on the characters of novelist Caroline Graham. Midsomer is a rural county in England that, despite its peaceful appearance, delivers a body count that makes most major cities seem tranquil and serene. Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Dan Scott investigate these fatalities and always get the culprit.
This set features four feature length stories that originally aired, in England, in 2005.
One thing stands out from with this set: the violence has gotten a little more graphic. Not CSI graphic, but certainly more so than most quaint cozy-styled mystery series.
The overall quality remains high, the writing is strong and the mysteries actually have depth and move beyond the sad little tales Americans might be used to from Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder.
Second Sight: “Work turns spooky for the detectives when a man dies under mysterious circumstances at Midsomer Mere – a town whose villagers seem able to predict the future. Was John Ransom’s death the result of psychic experiments gone wrong or a pub brawl that got out of hand?”
Hidden Depths: “When a local solicitor falls to his death, the detectives wonder whether it was suicide or murder. Then a neighbor notorious for scams perishes in a truly bizarre manner. Barnaby begins to suspect the strange deaths are linked by an elaborate fraud.”
Sauce for the Goose: “A tour of Plummer’s relish factory proves too hot to handle when a man get crushed by a tower of bottles, then thrown into a sterilizing oven. Upon learning that the deceased worked for a competitor in the industry, Barnaby and Scott discover that the Plummers harbor far more secrets than just the family recipe.”
Midsomer Phapsody: “A successful local composer, Joan Alder, has been dead for decades when a series of mysterious events revive interest in her work. From murder to forgery to the sudden appearance of long-lost relatives, Barnaby struggles to uncover the culprit before further murders add a deadly coda to Alder’s career.”

This series is quite enjoyable. Personally, I tend towards more hardboiled fare, but the writing and acting of this series really impresses me.
We get no real extras to speak of. Since the show has been around for so long, it would be nice to get a featurette looking at the series and how it has changed over the years. Find out if the actors approach the roles any differently today than they did in those early years.
Overall, Midsomer Murders has maintained a high level of quality over the years, a claim many television shows can’t make.
Order set ten of Midsomer Murders from Amazon.
Jeremy Lynch
For more reviews from myself, and the rest of the Crimespree crew, check out the index of reviews.