Death of a Hollow Man: A Midsomer Murders Mystery, Book 2

Once you begin, you can't stop.I am a huge fan of Midsomer Murder series and watch it over and over again.This year I decided to read the books in the Inspector Barnaby series. As with the series, once you begin you cannot stop. Why I have waited so long to read them? I could give some clever answers, even valid reasons but yes, here I am. In Afrikaans, we would say... Die agteros kom ook in die kraal.No matter, I am here.The book is so much better than the series. I understand that during the filming they cannot convey all the intrigue factors into the story due to time so it was as if I read the story for the first time.The characters were well-defined, each bringing their own twists and flavours to the plot. Barnaby himself was all that I have expected. Troy was his loveable self and it added to the already growing cast. The blooming romance between Diedre and David balanced the story beautifully as both had some struggles to overcome that made them stronger and brought them closer.The descriptive writing made for colourful reading always building to get to the end. If you have not read this book, please do, it is worth it.

A Midsomer story.Tv series based on these novels.

I really enjoyed book 1 and will continue to read the series.

I had watched the Midsomer Murders adaptation and I had not been satisfied with how the story had concluded or what had actually happened. Knowing that the author wrote the screenplay I decided to give it a go and wow, it was as if the 2 were worlds apart.The mystery was explained in a better way but the crime was secondary to the crazy characters of the CADS. Their stories were rather different to the show and the development was quite different although a dash stereotypical at times.My main gripe with this book has got to be the chapters, unlike the first one that had sections and bite-sized chunks, this book had only 7 or so for a longer book which made the reading sprints a bit tiring.

The book arrived on time and in better condition than advertised.

This was quite different to book numbr one. It deals with the amateur stage at Causton and its actors. They were preparing for a play called Amadeus and so it spent sometime getting you to get to know the various actors etc. This I found sligntly boring because I wanted the murder to be done! When it does happen, it happens quickly and quite unexpectedly, so suddenly this book and its characters becomes very interesting indeed. The first part of the book is absolutely necessary for the rest of the book. Enjoy!

Loved it, all the mistery, not knowing (unless you watched the tv show) who did it, how and why. I found it really hard to put down. Love Barnaby and love the way he gets to the conclusion of how the murder managed to almost get away with it. I read the first book and liked it a lot, this one I think I enjoyed it even more. We'll see how good are the next books, but I'm pretty sure they will also be great.

I found it a bit drawn out, but a suprising ending.

It's difficult to find Midsomer Murders books online or in stores; so very pleased to find new copies of the books at an affordable price point on amazon.

Dopo l'insperato successo del primo Barnaby, forse incoraggiata e galvanizzata, Graham mette in questo romanzo tutto il suo rilevante bagaglio di esperienze drammatiche, poliziesche, teatrali. Una vivida galleria di personaggi, intrecci gustosi di vita quotidiana e vibrante, colpi di scena grandi e piccoli. Gustoso fin dalla prima pagina e pieno di vita, denso di personaggi della vita reale, questo libro potrebbe essere il capolavoro della scrittrice ma è sicuramente il più divertente dela serie del Chief Inspector. Un bel romanzo (commedia, dramma...) a prescindere dal genere poliziesco, and that's all!

Why haven’t I read this author before!! This is a really enjoyable book, the plot simple, logical and well structured. Written beautifully with an engaging attention to detail; a “proper” novel relying on character development rather than unnecessary plot twists. Can’t recommend it highly enough…

Caroline Graham im Original zu lesen ist sehr interessant: Sie verfügt über einen ausgesprochen großen Wortschatz und da sie Theaterwissenschaft studiert hat auch über Insiderwissen. Wer sich allerdings zum Nachschauen im Wörterbuch zu faul ist wird manche Feinheit nicht mitbekommen.

The local amateur dramatic group is rehearsing for Peter Shaffer's Amadeus and Joyce Barnaby, wife of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, has a small part in the production along with being wardrobe mistress. Her husband is helping with painting the scenery. But relations between the actors are not all they might be and Harold Winstanley, the director, is putting people's backs up and is as usual very full of himself. Tensions rise as the first night approaches leading to a headline performance though not for the reasons which might have satisfied Harold's dream of the lime light.Tom Barnaby finds himself with a difficult case of murder to investigate. He knows all the suspects and the victim and at first thinks this may give him an advantage but he soon realises it just complicates the issue and he can't see people as they really are. I found this book absorbing reading because the plotting is excellent and the characters well drawn. I found the motivations convincing and the whole thing kept me guessing until almost the end. I worked out who had done it bit not how or why.This is the second book in the author's Tom Barnaby series and it is even better than the first, in my opinion. I enjoy the touches of humour and the love hate relationship between Barnaby and his sidekick DS Troy with his overt prejudices and off colour jokes. I like the small town background where many things appear to be out in the open and yet it is all too easy for people to misinterpret things they have seen and people they know. I recommend this series if you like your crime novels in the classic mould with not too much on the page violence and bad language.