The Killings at Badger's Drift (1987) is a mystery novel by English writer Caroline Graham, the first in her Chief Inspector Barnaby series. In 1997, it was adapted as the pilot of Midsomer Murders, a popular ITV television series based on Graham's books. The story has also been named as one of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time.

Plot summary

In the tranquil 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 deadly mix of red wine and hemlock is found in the dead woman's system. While the village descends into panic, the elusive murderer strikes again, claiming the life of sly Mrs. Rainbird, before callously leaving her bloodied corpse to be discovered by her son Dennis, a local undertaker.

As Barnaby investigates, aided and abetted by his narrow-minded Sgt. Gavin Troy, he uncovers a sinister connection between an older crime and the current killings at Badger's Drift.

Differences from the ITV adaptation

• On the show, Emily Simpsons's death was more violent. Instead of being poisoned as she was in the novel, her neck was broken with a crowbar.

• In the novel, Mrs. Rainbird was killed before her son Dennis, who discovered her body. On the show, they were killed together.

Filming

The Killings at Badger's Drift was filmed from 9 September to 10 October 1996 in the following locations:

1. Amersham, Buckinghamshire

2. Bledlow, Buckinghamshire

3. Brighton, Sussex

4. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

5. Christmas Common, Oxfordshire

6. Lee, Buckinghamshire

7. Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire

8. New Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

Reviews

Graham makes the characters humanly believable in her witty and tragic novel, a real winner. - Publishers Weekly

Publication

• United Kingdom: 1987, Century (imprint of Random House), London, 1987, Hardback, 264 p., ISBN 0712617442.
• United States: 1988, Adler & Adler, Bethesda, Maryland, 1988, Hardback, 264 p., ISBN 0917561414.
• Reprint: 2005, Felony & Mayhem Press, United States, 2005, trade paperback, xiv, 272 p., ISBN 978-1-933397-04-7

References