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.[1] 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.

The Killings at Badger's Drift
First edition cover
AuthorCaroline Graham
CountryEngland
SeriesChief Inspector Barnaby series
GenreMystery
PublisherCentury
Publication date
5 November 1987
Media typePrint (Hardcover & Softcover)
Pages264
ISBN978-0-917561-41-2
OCLC15521305
Followed byDeath of a Hollow Man 

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 Mrs. Rainbird. She is discovered by her son Denis, a local undertaker.

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., ISBN 0-7126-1744-2.
  • United States: 1988, Adler & Adler, Bethesda, Maryland, 1988, Hardback, 264 p., ISBN 0-917561-41-4.
  • Reprint: 2005, Felony & Mayhem Press, United States, 2005, trade paperback, xiv, 272 p., ISBN 978-1-933397-04-7

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."[2] 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."[3] In 2019, The Guardian included the novel in its Top 10 golden age detective novels list.[4]

Awards

The Killings at Badger's Drift was well received by the mystery community. It was listed in The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time,[5] a list published in book form in 1990 by the British-based Crime Writers' Association.[6] It also won the 1989 Macavity Award for "Best First Novel" and was nominated for the same honour at the 1989 Anthony Awards and the 1988 Agatha Awards.[7][8][9]

Television adapatation

The book was adapted for British television as the first episode of Midsomer Murders starring John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby and Daniel Casey as DS Gavin Troy, broadcast on 23 March 1997 and received enormous ratings success.[10][11] The episode made its debut in the United States on the A&E cable network with two showings on the night of 28 June 1998.[12][13][14] On the screen, Emily Simpson's murder is made more violent. Instead of being poisoned, as she is in the novel, she is bludgeoned to death.[15]

References
  1. Eldridge, Cat. "Caroline Graham, The Killings at Badger's Drift". Greenmanreview.com. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  2. "Fiction Book Review: The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham". Publishers Weekly. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  3. "THE KILLINGS AT BADGER'S DRIFT". Kirkus Reviews. 21 January 1987. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  4. Upson, Nicola (13 November 2019). "Top 10 golden age detective novels". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  5. McCaw, Neil (18 November 2010). Adapting Detective Fiction: Crime, Englishness and the TV Detectives. p. 108–110. ISBN 9781441156624.
  6. The Hatchards Crime Companion. 100 Top Crime Novels Selected by the Crime Writers' Association, ed. Susan Moody (London, 1990) (ISBN 0-904030-02-4).
  7. "Mystery Readers International's Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  8. "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Awards Nominees". Bouchercon.info. 2 October 2003. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  9. "Malice Domestic Convention - Bethesda, MD". Malicedomestic.org. 23 August 1988. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  10. Morgan, Clive (6 January 2016). "Midsomer Murders: 15 mysterious facts". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  11. Kim, Julie H. (July 2005). Race and Religion in the Postcolonial British Detective Story: Ten Essays. ISBN 9780786421756.
  12. Stasio, Marilyn (28 June 1990). "COVER STORY; Murder Most English: Bred And Borne in Tranquillity". New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  13. Rosenberg, Howard (26 June 1998). "Homicide: Life on British Beats". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  14. Miller, Ron (28 June 1998). "Mismatched British cops tackle 'Midsomer Murders' on A&E". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Knight Ridder News Service. p. D6. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Lawson, Mark (24 March 1997). "Just plane stupid". The Guardian. London. p. 46. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
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