Death of a Hollow Man

This is the second in the Inspector Barnaby series of murder mysteries by Caroline Graham. I really enjoyed this book as well as the first book, "The Killings at Badger's Drift". I am a fan of "Midsomer Murders" and started reading the books because of the series. I am currently on the third, "Death in Disguise", and so far, the plot lines and characters mirror pretty faithfully the first few episodes in the series. These are "cozy" reads; they won't challenge you intellectually. I read enough other "challenging" books (sometimes they make my head hurt LOL) that it is nice to have something fun to pick up to read, just for the enjoyment, and relax. Too bad, I think there are only 7 books total! I won't go into the story itself (you can read the synopsis and I don't want to throw out any spoilers) but I will say that there are some twists to the plot and the characters are diverse and fun. Especially the recurring characters; you will begin to think of them as friends. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a cozy mystery or is a fan of "Midsomer Murders."

I like my mysteries to start with a bang (the death) and usually get a little weary of spending a hundred or more pages of background and backdrop, but Caroline Graham is an exception. She manages to draw you into what would be the backstory of the usual mystery. This one takes place in a local theatre company that takes itself far too seriously. there is enough drama here between the characters to fuel five mysteries, and they are all carefully drawn and composed, full-blown and engaging, whether you hate them or like them. The murder itself is great, a huge bang for your buck, and there really is very little clue to who could have done it - everyone has a motive. But, of course, Barnaby and Troy are the center of the story as Barnaby slowly unravels the half-dozen side mysteries of the characters. Barnaby is far more caustic than his television incarnation and Troy is farm more sarcastic and nasty, but that helps to spate the books from the TV series nicely (both of which I love) especially since I didn't start reading the mysteries until after I had seen all 19 seasons of the Brit-drama. A great read, I highly recommend.

This was the first of Caroline Graham's Inspector Barnaby series I ever read. Then I couldn't get enough of them. The book is a nice, cozy, English... and predictable murder mystery. I loved all the characters which, often as not, steal the show. Good, believable characters... and good plotting. Also the dialog is crisp and funny, though at times, unintentionally so: "If anything, the great wash of iridescent stars looked even more distant, the milky radiance of the moon more inhumanly bright. On one of Deidre's lenses a rivulet spread sideways..... She stepped out of her shelter into the torrential rain and shook her fist at the heavens." My goodness! I've always heard the weather was unusual there, but the British get to have a raging storm and a clear sky at the same time! Nevertheless, the whole thing works. note: I quickly read the rest of the Barnaby books. All of them were fun but from a technical standpoint, Graham is an awful writer. In her later books she sometimes uses nearly identical situations.... and sometimes lifts whole paragraphs...from her earlier works. But who cares? She does it with such charm!!

This book is one of a series of books written by Carolyn Graham on which Midsommer Murders is based. The book is better than the TV drama, though the plot is quite similar.

"Death of a Hollow Man" shows off author Caroline Graham's wit and snarky sense of humor at their clever best. This being the second of the Inspector Barnaby series, the wise village cop and his semi-clueless sidekick, Sergeant Troy, are part and parcel of the plot as Barnaby moonlights with a local theater production to help out his sometime-thespian wife Joyce. This episode also puts the focus on Barnaby's daughter Cully, another aspiring actor, who provides an ascerbic commentary on the local production of "Amadeus" and meets the man who will star in her own future. No need to get into plot details other than to observe that the crime that is central to the story (an onstage killing), is secondary to the interaction of wonderful characters that author Graham has assembled here. Drawing on her own experience in the theater, she constructs some terrific dialogues between her string of aspiring actors, theater staffers and secondary characters that provide chuckles and out-and-out belly laughs. This is a very entertaining little book that is best read straight through in a sitting. Recommended.

This is my second book by her (after book #1). Pilot-wise, it was as good. But in this book there was too much fluff (scenery, thoughts, etc.) that, important in setting the tone and characters, regularly dragged on for far too many paragraphs. I regularly found myself - especially in the book's first half - skipping entire blocks. Outside of that, though, the story and people were very good.

Well, I'm smitten with this series. The first was great, the second even better. The characters are charmingly believable. The writer understands and shares the depth and essence of being human in many variations. I'll be investing in the entire series.

I was curious as to how the book would compare to the TV series. I was quite pleased. I enjoyed the book very much. I love playing detective and thought I had this one all figured out . I was wrong. In the TV series, it's always the least expected and was the same in the book. Armed with that knowledge I was sure I could figure it out. I couldn't. I would recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery, enjoys reading the clues, thinks they can figure it out, yet can't

Great story. A recommendation for those who enjoy the television show. Only issue was when I opened it the cover had been bent but this could have been a result of shipping, not the seller.

Too theatrical, and wordy.Peculiar usage of paragraphs and parentheses. Did not enjoy. A far cry from the television series.