A Place of Safety: A Chief Inspector Barnaby Novel

I was a little disappointed with some aspects of this book, namely the way the mystery was solved. I don't want to give too much away, but the perpetrator of the crimes involved felt way too obvious. On the other hand, there was a very satisfying ending with a wodnerful twist, something that, in my opinion, is essential for a good mystery. Another thing I liked about this book was the characters. I found myself wishing I had a neighbor like Evadne Pleat, with her eccentric outfits and many dogs. Also, the two main female characters, Louise Fainlight and Ann Lawrence, are beautifully developed and wonderfully complex. In the end, the book is an entertaining read, but based upon other books in this series, is nothing very special. However, I would still recommend it to any fan of mysteries and thrillers.

If you like classic mysteries with well drawn characters instead of gruesome details, a real plot with foreshadowing instead of serial murders, then Caroline Graham's CI Barnaby Mysteries are just the thing!

Picture a rectory in a small English village, and you will probably call up associations of sanctuary, harmony, shelter and reverence. Read a few chapters of this excellent crime novel and you'll see a very different picture. The vicar, no longer holding office in the church, peoples the childless household with young offenders serving their time of rehabilitation. For his wife, who owns the house, the nightmare of living in such a loveless marriage and such a dysfunctional household seems to turn into reality when she believes she has been responsible for the death of one of the inmates. Blackmail attempts follow, then murder. The case becomes one for Inspector Barnaby and Sergeant Troy to investigate.Author Caroline Graham is one of the best living practitioners of detective fiction. Her books have literary merit, the characters are as well rounded as is feasible in a whodunit game, and the denouements are neither too melodramatic nor too predictable. I can always read to the end with comfort, well able to remember and distinguish all the characters. There is a particularly venomous character here, Terry Jackson, who is hard to forget. Then there is the always sharply presented depiction of the Barnaby household, to which a son-in-law has by now been added.Caroline Graham's Midsomer Murder novels appear every two or three years. This one dates from 1999 and is one of the best.

This book was not my favourite Graham, but a good one nevertheless. Ms. Graham's characterizations make her stories exceptional and this book is no different. This book starts with the death of an unpleasant man, and we the readers really don't care who did it, but Ms. Graham develops the other members of the village, and we suddenly find ourselves caring very much about some of the chief characters. This book is also different in that there is no real doubt as to the killer - the only thing is to try to flesh out the details as to why that particular killer killed that man and harmed that woman. This makes it a bit different than many other of her books. I certainly hope that this not her last effort in the Barnaby/Troy series. This book was written in 1999 and there has been nothing since then.

In Ferne Basset, Charlie Leathers was walking his Jack Russell when he saw Carlotta either fall or be pushed by Ann Lawrence from a parapet near the old Rectory. Charlie vanishes into the night. Charlie blackmails Ann. However, someone murders Charlie. The stunned townsfolk link the murder of Charlie to the disappearance of Carlotta, but cannot find the connecting evidence or ascertain what that could be.Inspector Barnaby begins to investigate the death of Charlie. He soon learns that the nasty Charlie was very unpopular among the townsfolk, but no one appears to have had a strong enough motive to kill the victim. Thus, suspects abound, but none seemingly obvious. Barnaby also learns about Carlotta running away. He also finds out the prevalent theory links the two incidents, but no one can explain how. Instead, Barnaby continues his methodical inquiries into obtaining the truth behind the murder of Charlie.A PLACE OF SAFETY is a typical English cozy that travels under the minimum speed limit yet maintains an eccentric charm about the plot. Through Barnaby,s investigation, the story line centers on an insider's look at what makes the residents of Ferne Basset tick. Caroline Graham writes a delightful and amiable stroll through an English village gossiping over an unexpected murder case.Harriet Klausner