Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our Buddy Read of Death of a Hollow Man: A Midsomer Murders Mystery 2, first published in 1989.

Amateur dramatics, or the theatre, is a popular setting for many crime novels we have read and this is another mystery with a theatrical background.

Backstage nerves are fraying, and revenge is on its way. As Causton Amateur Dramatic Society prepares for the opening night of Amadeus, in the wings Esslyn Carmichael suspects his wife is having an affair with the leading man. And where better to settle scores than the stage?

Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby expects an evening of entertainment, attending only to show support for his wife. But when someone turns Esslyn's final grand gesture into a gruesome coup de theatre, Barnaby's investigation suddenly begins.

This is currently £1.99 on kindle in the UK.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

One of the things I enjoyed about this was the glimpses allowed the reader into the future of certain characters. For example, we know that Nicholas will become a successful actor. I was also delighted at the ending for Deirdre.

I also liked the glimpses of Nicholas as a famous actor - wonder if he will be mentioned at all in the future books?

I wasn't so sure about Dierdre's romantic ending - nice to see her finding happiness, but I don't think we had any suggestion she had feelings for David (hope I've got his name right) before that point? I think she will be directing their future productions, anyway, which is a happy ending for her too.

I don't think Dierdre really could think of anything outside of her immediate concerns. She didn't see herself as attractive, or desirable, among the actresses, although she did have dreams of being more important in the theatre. As the scene at the end shows, she really didn't realise that David liked her, but she did reciprocate. I thought it was nice, without being slushy.

I had some misgivings about Barnaby being the detective in this. First, he was a witness, and second, his wife was part of the cast/crew. All cast/crew had to be suspects.

So, I suspended disbelief and just let it go.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I had some misgivings about Barnaby being the detective in this. First, he was a witness, and second, his wife was part of the cast/crew. All cast/crew had to be suspects..."

I think you're right about this being rather unlikely. This sort of thing seems to happen in a lot of mysteries, where detectives have personal involvement in the cases - and, as you say, we have to suspend disbelief.

I found it harder to suspend disbelief about the razor - why didn't they get someone to make a replica razor without a real blade?! It was also so obvious what was going to happen with this - plus, I can't really believe that the victim wouldn't have glanced at the razor and seen that the tape was missing.

From the beginning I had a favorite as to who would be the victim. Let's get Harold out of this, I thought. And then came along Essalyn. Ok, maybe he could be the victim. But with those two, I was cheering for one to be the victim and the other to be the perpetrator, getting rid of them both.

LOL - Is it OK to be bloodthirsty about fictional characters?

It's absolutely fine, Elizabeth :) Yes, you had to suspend disbelief for this one, I agree, but I was happy to go with the flow. I liked the ending too, as the author seemed to want to give the reader the ending you wanted. Harold's wife off on a cruise and Deirdre happy...

I was also wondering if Harold might be a victim - I thought maybe he and Essalyn might both be victims, as they both seemed to have so many enemies.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "From the beginning I had a favorite as to who would be the victim. Let's get Harold out of this, I thought. And then came along Essalyn. Ok, maybe he could be the victim. But with those two, I was ..."

Absolutely, especially these two - pompous twits!

Susan wrote: "It's absolutely fine, Elizabeth :) Yes, you had to suspend disbelief for this one, I agree, but I was happy to go with the flow. I liked the ending too, as the author seemed to want to give the rea..."

I enjoyed the ending, too, very satisfying! I got the feeling Deirdre returned Michael’s feelings, Rosa seemed to really come to appreciate her second husband, Avery seems at peace with Tim, and Harold’s wife got a great price for his Morgan and his business.

Yes, it was all wrapped up a little neatly, but I was OK with that. I was, as Elizabeth put it, prepared to suspend disbelief an accept it for what it was.

Well, that is the feel of the show, as well - I saw an interview with the actor who played Barnaby once, and he said that was the clever twist of Graham’s premise -twisted, often slightly bizarre murders happening behind the facade of this storybook English village setting- and the police have to play it straight, like a GA police procedural, to make it work.

Does anyone remember the TV version of this one? I don't think I've seen it, and it looks from the episode write-up as if there is an additional murder! So that should keep me guessing when I do catch up with it.

Judy wrote: "Does anyone remember the TV version of this one? I don't think I've seen it, and it looks from the episode write-up as if there is an additional murder! So that should keep me guessing when I do ca..."

I don’t remember seeing it, but I do have the DVD of the first season, and was planning to watch it some evening this week! I wanted to reread the book first, otherwise I’d keep picturing the actors from the show instead of how I imagine them.

Susan in NC wrote: "I’d keep picturing the actors from the show instead of how I imagine them. "

I definitely picture John Nettles. Our PBS has the series running these days and we watched one the other evening.

I've just finished this one and really enjoyed it as well-nice to have unlikeable characters as both victim and murderer!

I did find Deirdre a little too overwhelmingly helpless and hapless in the theatre or when she was dealing with her father (the whole running out of the theatre without coat and purse and then endlessly running in circles after her father seemed ridiculous-why wouldn't you report him missing and get help?) to find her immediate transformation into competent director a bit unbelievable, but perhaps with the stress of caring for him lessened and love in her life she was able to pull herself together.

Did anyone thing Rosa might be pregnant at the end? All the talk of her being so tired...I reread trying to find out her actual age and thought she could have been in her late 30's/early 40's-it really wasn't made clear-there was a lot of talk of her being middle aged and past child=bearing and no longer a romantic leading lady but my sense is that stage might come very early in the theatre/film world.

I'm definitely in to read more of this series!

Are there only 7 books to the series? I thought the television series was really long-did they make up a bunch of new stories for the TV or is each book drawn out over several hours?

They made up loads of new stories for TV. There have also been various different sergeants and for the last few years there a different Inspector Barnaby, John. I'm not sure if he is a cousin of Tom's, as I haven't seen the episodes where he takes over. Another great character. I was very late in discovering the series and am slowly catching up, but not watching them in order!

Judy wrote: "They made up loads of new stories for TV. There have also been various different sergeants and for the last few years there a different Inspector Barnaby, John. I'm not sure if he is a cousin of To..."

Yes, he’s Tom’s cousin - they showed an episode here in NC where the two worked together on a land swindle case at a seaside town where John was a DCI (Brighton, I think?) That’s how they introduced him, then I don’t know how many episodes later, John takes over from the retiring Tom - but inherits DS Jones!

They’ve just shown John’s first few episodes here, I like him very much, and his interactions with the long-standing cast members, but some of the plots are a bit weird...

Frances wrote: "I've just finished this one and really enjoyed it as well-nice to have unlikeable characters as both victim and murderer!

I did find Deirdre a little too overwhelmingly helpless and hapless in the..."

Very insightful comments, I hadn’t thought about Rosa being pregnant, but you’re right. I got the impression she was late 30s, early 40s, so certainly possible, and would be fitting, as she’s appreciating her second husband more - she does acknowledge, though, that he’s raised a family and may not want to do it all again, so I don’t know! He seems to adore Rosa, though, so I think he’d go along if she was pregnant.

I forget - which one is Rosa?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I forget - which one is Rosa?"

Melodramatic first wife of murder victim.

Of course - how could I have forgotten her!

It was a little too neat for my liking. One unlikeable character as victim, the other as his murderer and the end all brightness and sunshine. Harold goes suddenly mad, shaking his head and all! And his passion for theatre which made him do all that financial shenanigan suddenly of no value because it is now that the theatre is really blooming and everybody suddenly performing so well! I liked the book but the end was rubbish.

I did think the ending was a little saccharine, but the sudden madness of Harold is anything but. He's been mad for years, look at his behaviour throughout the book and you will see he's clearly bonkers.

Earlier in the book he stands around outside the theatre (apparently for quite a long while) waiting for "the press" (the quality papers) and is disappointed to receive just one reporter who is more concerned with parking fees, and more interested in heading off to a garden centre than in the interview. He's also compared to the pigeon in this same scene; they're of a kind - alphas in their petty kingdoms.

His tortured day dreams about being a "normal" man are also a hint at his lunacy. In his dominant persona he's a "character", he drives a luxury car and struts around like a peacock, but he's more akin to the pigeon. While his wife gratefully receives cuttings from Barnaby for her garden, and subsists on scraps, he dines out and drives around the town to be seen and keep up appearances. The projection of outward success matters most to him; his enemies will be vanquished (as the enemies of "great men" always are) and he will be recognised for his spectacular talents. In reality, he runs a am-dram theatre in a provincial town. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but he's quite obviously suffering delusions of grandeur.