DVD Review: Midsomer Murders: Mayhem & Mystery Files

Just in time for the holidays, Acorn Media has released Midsomer Murders: Mayhem & Mystery Files, a wonderful boxed set of 15 mysteries on 15 discs.

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) once again finds that the seemingly bucolic villages that make up Midsomer County are a hotbed of crime, murder, and well, mayhem. Ably assisted by detective Sergeant Ben Jones ( Jason Hughes), Barnaby must sort out tangled romances and webs of deceit in order to solve each crime. Always calm on the exterior, Barnaby hides a reserve that strengthens with the rising body count. Barnaby always manages to ground himself at home with the help of his wife Joyce (Jane Wymark) and daughter Cully (Laura Howard).

[L-R: Jason Hughes as Sergeant Ben Jones and John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby]

The Mayhem & Mystery Files include:

Series 10, Part 1
"Dance with the Dead" - What at first appears an apparent suicide is quickly revealed to be a tangled love triangle - or possible quadrangle. Felicity Dean guest stars.
"The Animal Within" - An old man (Richard Johnson) tells everyone his niece (Lisa Eichhorn) died in a plane crash. When she turns up alive everyone is shocked - and the old man has gone missing.
"King’s Crystal" - A Midsomer murder at a glassware factory. John Castle and Sam Heughan guest star.
"The Axeman Cometh" - Barnaby is put in the position of suspecting his rock and roll heroes when band members start dropping like flies.

(4 discs, previously released as Set 13. Extras include: SDH Subtitles, Caroline Graham biography, and cast filmographies.)

Series 10, Part 2 
"Death and Dust" - A hit-and-run leads Barnaby to the tangled relationships of who he believes was the actual intended victim, Dr. James Kirkwood (David Yelland).
"Picture of Innocence" - Barnaby becomes a suspect in a local amateur photographer's death and must conduct his own private investigation as the official one rapidly mounts up incriminating evidence against him.
"They Seek Him Here" - A low-budget film about the French Revolution is set at a local Midsomer manor. The set becomes the scene of a gruesome murder, a la guillotine, and Barnaby must search for the murderer.
"Death in a Chocolate Box" - A rehabilitation center for former criminals becomes the perfect setting for blackmail and murder.

Article Author: xoxoxoe

My name is Elizabeth Periale. I am an artist, blogger, and culture critic. I write about movies, books, television, pop culture—old and new—with a feminine/feminist perspective.

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