Death of a Hollow Man: A Chief Inspector Barnaby Mystery

Yes, Graham is an enjoyable read, there are certainly similarities to Ngaio Marsh, it is an entertaining, professional mystery -- but what I'm really taken with is the publisher. Felony & Mayhem have gone back to the past and rediscovered/republished a whole list of books & categorized them into "traditional" "hard-boiled" "espionage" etc. -- This is like the good old days when you could just buy ANYTHING with a picture of a dog or a penguin on the spine and it would be a really good read. (I'm not employed or friends with anyone at this publishing house; I feel the same way about COUNTRYMAN press mysteries; they only bother publishing pros).

When are Tom Barnaby and Inspector Troy going to make their appearance? This is one of those books that is hard to get into at first, page after page of introducing the soon-to-be suspects as actors and stage assistants in the play "Amadeus." I began to consider putting the book down. However, I started getting interested in spite of myself, trying to figure out what was going to happen and whose fault was it going to be! After the murder, on the stage in full view of Barnaby and Troy, the pace really picked up. The intrigue was so strong, I found myself reading until 4:00 a.m. one morning in order to see who the murderer was! Another Caroline Graham winner!!

Tom Barnaby is using his painting skills on scenery for the local theatrical group where is wife, Joyce,is wardrobe mistress and small-parts performer. As the rehearsals for a production of "Amadeus" move along the reader is introduced to the participants. Their lives, nerves, sympathies, likes and dislikes make for an interesting and complex tale. The ego-driven director is determined to show the world his brilliance even if he is only directing a small acting company in a small village. You don't have to be familiar with "Amadeus", or the theater for that matter, to be completely drawn in to the drama behind the drama. Opening night arrives and the play begins. In the middle of the performance an unexpected death horrifies the audience. It is then that Tom Barnaby has to put down his paint brush, or rather, leave his seat in the audience, and take up his real occupation, that of police inspector. Another good story from Caroline Graham.

My first Caroline Graham mystery and I went right back for more! With an unerring eye for the ins and outs of small town theater, Caroline Graham manages to create a great deal of sympathy for all of her oddball characters. They are familiar, yet not stereotypes and even while she savagely skewers them on one page, she shows us unexpected and realistic depth on the next. Those familiar with the British mystery will not be disappointed. The lovely allusions to village life, the "British-isms" all contribute to the readability of this book. But why on earth has it gone out of print?

In "Death of a Hollow Man", Caroline Graham presents a typical amateur theatrical troupe in a small English village. The characters and situations are wonderfully described, with sparkling wit and psychological truth. When one of the actors turns up dead, Inspector Barnaby and his politically-incorrect-yet-sympathetic sidekick Sergeant Troy have to sort out the suspects from those who just can't resist the chance to show off. A first-rate whodunnit; I can't believe it's out of print!