Faithful Unto Death

This is, I believe Caroline Graham's fourth Chief Inspector Barnaby story, and I definitely think she has improved with time. The characters of Inspector Barnaby and his ultra-macho sidekick, Detective Sergeant Troy, are much better developed (if not a tad less likable) and the story has a much smoother flow. I knew how the story ended, having seen the Midsomer Murders adaptation multiple times, or so I thought. This book is full of subtleties, not only of human behavior, but also in the way the characters think and in the way the action is described. This is definitely a book that "shows" rather than "tells". It was a great joy to read, and being a huge fan of the Midsomer Murders series, I am relieved to finally find a Chief Inspector Barnaby story that I enjoy. Both Barnaby and Troy are complex men, each in their own ways. Barnaby is a rule-breaker, an experienced detective who wears a million hats, from "favorite uncle" to the man no one wants to cross, all the while not caring one bit what people think of him. Troy, an alpha-male who thinks nothing of trying to get it on with any attractive woman who isn't his wife, believes that tact is one thing that doesn't belong anywhere near a crime scene. He is the character who is the hardest for me to like, especially given that I adore the Gavin Troy portrayed by Daniel Casey on Midsomer Murders. But being now privy to the inside machinations of his mind, I can also feel sympathy for him. They are a unique team, without whom, no crime in Midsomer County would ever be fully solved. I am definitely going to read the rest of the series!

When docile Simone Hollingsworth disappears her controlling husband soon assumes the guise of villain. But all is not as it seems in the placid village of Fawcett Green. Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and his bag carrier Sergeant Troy have come up against one of the cleverest criminals yet devised by author Caroline Graham and the novel has more twists and turns than a country road. Graham is noted for character-driven novels with intricate plots and wry humor. This one has its share of eccentric village denizens, enough suspense to keep one turning the pages and a conclusion that's annoying yet totally plausible. Graham has a knack for occasionally breaking the rules of conventional mystery writing but her style is so engaging one can't help but forgive her quirks. This is one of the best of the series.

If you like "Midsomer Murders" you will like the Inspector Barnaby books by Caroline Graham. The "Midsomer Murders" series is loosley based on Graham's mysteries. You will find the character of Sergeant Troy is quite different in the television show. He is much more likable. I enjoy both the books and the show. Some people are turned off by the character of Troy, and that makes them dislike the books. I think the people in the series are very human. Some are fine and admirable, some are dreary, some are condescending (this is England, after all), some are nazis and chauvenists. Just like real life. I think the "cozy" provides a sampler of characters in the charming setting of the English village, otherwise there would be no story. Just scenery. So don't hate the books just because Troy is repellant. It is kind of different to get inside the mind of someone not so nice. "Faithful Unto Death" is my favorite Inspector Barnaby book. It is quite complicated, and I very much like the characters in this book. It is very good "cozy" reading, and much more intellectual and complex than my other favorite, Agatha Raisin (by M.C. Beaton).

Caroline Graham is often referred to as a modern-day Agatha Christie. Certainly her characters, humour and carefully crafted mystery story lines are reminiscent of the great Christie. But her books are also quite different. We don't see the detail in Christie's books that we see in Graham's. This particular book is funny and complex. It is also one of the best descriptions of a psycopathic personality that I have ever read. And it's done with so much class! Barnaby seems to have finally met his match with this villain, and you will have to read it to find out how.