The Killings at Badger's Drift

The Killings at Badger's Drift is a mystery novel by English writer Caroline Graham and published by Century in 1987. The story follows Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby investigating the murder of an elderly spinster in a rural village. It is the first volume in Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby series, followed by Death of a Hollow Man. In 1997, it was adapted as the pilot of Midsomer Murders, a popular ITV television series based on Graham's books. Plot summary In the fictional village of Badger's Drift, the elderly Miss Bellringer insists that her friend, Emily Simpson, did not die of a heart attack as her doctor claims, but was in fact murdered. An autopsy soon proves her right, as a mix of red wine and hemlock is found in the dead woman's system. While the village descends into panic, the murderer strikes again, claiming the life of local birdwatcher Iris Rainbird. As Barnaby investigates, aided by Sergeant Gavin Troy, he uncovers a connection between an older crime and the current killings at Badger's Drift. Publication United Kingdom: 1987, Century (imprint of Random House), London, 1987, Hardback, 264 p., . United States: 1988, Adler & Adler, Bethesda, Maryland, 1988, Hardback, 264 p., . Reprint: 2005, Felony & Mayhem Press, United States, 2005, trade paperback, xiv, 272 p., Reception Publishers Weekly stated in its review of the novel: "Graham makes the characters humanly believable in her witty and tragic novel, a real winner." Kirkus Reviews noted: "An OK debut, but it might have been spectacular if Graham had focused more on the horticulture or more on the rococo sexual whimsies." In 2019, The Guardian included the novel in its Top 10 golden age detective novels list.