Death of a Hollow Man
A Midsomer Murders Mystery 2
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3.8 • 22 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
'Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie' The Sunday Times
Discover the novels that inspired the hit ITV series Midsomer Murders, seen and loved by millions.
Death of a Hollow Man is the second instalment in the Midsomer Murders series, featuring Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby with an audience of 10.34 million. Featuring an exclusive foreword by John Nettles, ITV's DCI Tom Barnaby. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Ann Granger and James Runcie's The Grantchester Mysteries.
Backstage nerves are fraying, and revenge is on its way. As Causton Amateur Dramatic Society prepares for the opening night of Amadeus, in the wings Esslyn Carmichael suspects his wife is having an affair with the leading man. And where better to settle scores than the stage?
Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby expects an evening of entertainment, attending only to show support for his wife. But when someone turns Esslyn's final grand gesture into a gruesome coup de theatre, Barnaby's investigation suddenly begins.
Praise for Caroline Graham's novels:
'Characterisation first rate, plotting likewise. . . Written with enormous relish. A very superior whodunnit' Literary Review
'Hard to praise highly enough' The Sunday Times
'Her books are not just great whodunits but great novels in their own right' Julie Burchill
'Enlivened by a very sardonic wit and turn of phrase, the narrative drive never falters' Birmingham Post
'Guaranteed to keep you guessing until the very end' Woman
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, familiar from Graham's The Killings at Badger's Drift , returns here to deal with a very public murder in his quiet English village. The egocentric and widely disliked leading man for the town's amateur theater group has slit his own throat with a ``safe'' prop in front of a full house, including Barnaby and his daughter (Mrs. Barnaby is a member of the theater company). The inspector must sort out the killer from a very traditional cast of suspects: the play's director whose ego matches--if not surpasses--that of his dead star; the leading man's bitter ex-wife; his current wife, whose faithfulness is less than perfect; the young second lead, who nurtures serious ambitions for the ``real theater''; and various crew members. Particularly well drawn are Nicholas, the young actor, Deirdre, the assistant stage manager--whose primary concern is her senile father--and a homosexual pair responsible for design and lighting. A most enjoyable read, right down to the classic gathering of all the suspects at which Barnaby reveals the killer and the motive.
Customer Reviews
I couldn’t stop reading - very clever plot and brilliant characters!
It held my interest throughout. I enjoyed the depth of insight into the characters most of all.