What evil lurks beyond the well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer...

The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby with John Hopkins (Love in a Cold Climate) as his brash young assistant. Guest stars include John Burgess, William Gaunt, Freddie Jones, Keith Barron, and Margery Mason.

The Mysteries
The Maid in Splendour—Midsomer Worthy’s beloved local pub figures in a case involving unrequited love, secret business deals, and passionate affairs.
The Straw Woman—Scott becomes bewitched by a village schoolteacher as he and Barnaby unravel a centuries-old mystery in Midsomer Parva.
Ghosts of Christmas Past—Barnaby escapes Christmas with his in-laws only to be thrust into the shadowy world and dark secrets of the mysterious Villiers family.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE John Nettles interview, Midsomer map, Caroline Graham biography, and cast filmographies.

Idyllic Midsomer county has an alarmingly high mortality rate--at least on television. As actor John Nettles comments in a charming interview, after several series of the murder mystery program Midsomer Murders only a handful of villagers would be left alive. The show's writers tried to lower the body count to a more plausible number, but viewers complained, so Midsomer is as lethal as ever. Set Eight, featuring three episodes from Midsomer Murders' seventh series, racks up its share of corpses as the ever-observant DCI Barnaby (Nettles) and his brash right hand man Dan Scott (John Hopkins) sort through a tale of unrequited love and secret real estate deals that mirrors an old legend, a collision of the church and pagan ways that sparks several flaming deaths, and a Christmas gathering that turns murderous as the truth about a long-ago suicide comes out. Midsomer Murders is topnotch: The 90-100 minute episode length allows each episode to unfold intricate plots while cultivating a distinct atmosphere and establishing vivid characters. Anchoring it all is Nettles, whose combination of gravitas and sly wit make him not only an excellent detective but a delightful and engaging personality. Hopkins is less charismatic, but he provides a suitable foil for his senior colleague. Aside from the interview with Nettles, the extras are modest: A map of the county, a handful of cast filmographies, and a slender bit of biography about Caroline Graham, the mystery novelist who created DCI Barnaby and his rural miasma of passion, jealousy, and bitter revenge. --Bret Fetzer