Somerset Murders

Somerset Murders brings together numerous murderous tales that shocked not only the county but also made headlines throughout the country. They include the cases of Elizabeth and Betty Branch, a mother and daughter who beat a young servant girl to death in Hemington in 1740; 13-year-old Betty Trump, whose throat was cut while walking home at Buckland St Mary in 1823; factory worker Joan Turner, battered to death in Chard in 1829; George Watkins, killed in a bare knuckle fight outside the Running Horse pub in Yeovil in 1843; Mary Fisher, stabbed to death by her husband in Weston-super-Mare in 1844; and elderly landlady, Mrs Emily Bowers, strangled in her bed in Middlezoy in 1947. This carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Somerset’s history.

This chilling follow-up to Somerset Murders brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. Covering the length and breadth of Somerset, the featured cases include two female poisoners, Catherine Churchill, who killed her husband in Knowle-St-Giles in 1879 and Sarah Freeman, who claimed several victims in the Bridgwater area from 1843 onwards. A wide variety of means and motive are covered. There is murder committed in the course of robbery, such as the brutal killing of Sarah Wilkins in Nempnett Thrubwell in 1851; murder through jealousy, as in the case of George Bitten, who murdered his wife at Wolverton in 1867 and even altruistic murders, such as that committed by Albion Wadman near Wincanton in 1883. Also included is the strange and intriguing story of Reginald Woolmington, who faced two trials for the murder of his wife at Milborne Port in 1934. Nicola Sly and John Van der Kiste's well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in true-crime history and the shadier side of Somerset's past.

font size="+1"'Simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie' The Sunday Times/font size A book that will glue you from beginning to end. If you love Agatha Christie, you'll adore Caroline Graham, with characters who charm and murderers who terrorise. Named by the CWAs as one of 'The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time', The Killings at Badger's Drift is the first spectacular novel in the Midsomer Murders series, the novel that inspired the ITV hit drama, now featuring an exclusive foreword by John Nettles who played best-loved TV detective and star of Midsomer Murders, DCI Tom Barnaby. The village of Badger's Drift is the essence of tranquillity. But when resident and well-loved spinster Miss Simpson takes a stroll in the nearby woods, she stumbles across something she was never meant to see, and there's only one way to keep her quiet. Miss Simpson's death is not suspicious, say the villagers. But Miss Lucy Bellringer refuses to rest: her friend has been murdered. She is sure of it. She calls on Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby to investigate, and it isn't long until the previously unseen seamy side of Badger's Drift is brought to light. But as old rivalries, past loves and new scandals surface, the next murder is not far away. Praise for Caroline Graham's novels: 'One to savour' Val McDermid 'A mystery of which Agatha Christie would have been proud. . . A beautifully written crime novel' The Times 'Tension builds, bitchery flares, resentment seethes . . . lots of atmosphere' Mail on Sunday 'A witty, well-plotted, absolute joy of a book' Yorkshire Post 'Swift, tense and highly alarming' TLS 'Lots of excellent character sketches . . . and the dialogue is lively and convincing' Independent 'Read her and you'll be astonished . . . very sexy, very hip and very funny' Scotsman

A quaint English village is home to a murderer in the Macavity Award-wining mystery series debut that launched the British crime drama Midsomer Murders. Badger’s Drift is the ideal English village, complete with vicar, bumbling local doctor, and kindly spinster. But when the spinster dies suddenly, her best friend kicks up a fuss loud enough to attract the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. And when Barnaby and his eager-beaver deputy start poking around, they uncover a swamp of ugly scandals and long-suppressed resentments seething below the picture-postcard prettiness. In the grand English tradition of the quietly intelligent copper, Barnaby has both an irresistibly dry sense of humor and a keen insight into what makes people tick. The Killings at Badger’s Drift marks Inspector Barnaby’s debut, and offers ample proof that Caroline Graham may indeed be “simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie” (Sunday Times of London). “Murder most pleasing . . . a corking good mystery.” —Los Angeles Times

Hidden behind the picturesque facade of country lanes and rugged coastlines, quaint villages and busy market towns, the South West counties of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset have witnessed some of the most shocking murder cases in British history. West Country Murders brings together over 30 cases from the authors' previous collections here in one volume. They include stories of those who killed for greed, jealousy and lust, as well as those who committed murder in what a well-known judge once described as 'a gust of passion'. Some of the killers were undoubtedly insane at the time of their crimes; others were almost certainly innocent, yet paid the ultimate price for a murder they did not commit. Some remain unsolved to this day, despite the best efforts of the local constabularies. This book is sure to appeal to all those interested in the shady side of the West Country's history.

The English inspector confronts a cultist enclave where mysticism meets murder in the series that inspired the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders. The Lodge of the Golden Windhorse has provided the citizens of Compton Dando with splendid fodder for gossip, prompting speculation of arcane rituals and bizarre sexual practices. But with the murder of the commune’s leaders, the rumor-mill goes into overdrive. Now Chief Inspector Barnaby must separate rumor from reality in a case where the facts are often stranger than fiction. The residents of the Windhorse commune may have been seeking the simple life, but they’re all concealing complicated pasts—or past lives. Macavity Award-winning author Caroline Graham once again demonstrates why she is “simply the best detective writer since Agatha Christie” (The Sunday Times, UK).

This book examines the motives, means and consequences of the murders among members of Europe's ruling families over the last 1,000 years. Plucking true stories due to their historical significance and sheer intrigue, this book relates violent deaths amid royal splendour and the overthrow of tyrants by oppressed populations. Methods vary from sword and arrow, to bomb and bullet, to alleged witchcraft. Settings range from Russia to Portugal; British examples include the involvement Mary Queen of Scots may have had in her second husband's murder and a search for the facts behind Shakespeare's portrayal of the murderous usurpers Macbeth and Richard III. But in European history there has been no royal murder to rival Russia's Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a homicidal maniac responsible for thousands of deaths, whose dramatic killing sprees are examined here. Dulcie M. Ashdown takes on a journey through the dark and tragic side of royal history: from Richard III through to the recent controversy surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

A visitor's guide to Midsomer, pinpointing the most popular real-world locations used for filming the series. 'Midsomer Murders' was an immediate success from its very first episode 'The Killing at Badger's Drift', aired in 1997. With this guide, fans of the show can pinpoint the most popular locations used for filming the series, including familiar pubs, churches, villages and countryside that are open for visits. The guide features: - Famous pubs such as The Lions at Bledlow, which has been five different pubs in its Midsomer lifetime, and The Crown in Sydenham, which can claim at least three. - Villages clustered around the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border – Turville, Hambleden, Fingest, Haddenham and Long Crendon, all favourite backdrops in the show. - Grand country houses including the Mapledurham Estate, Chenies Manor House and Dorney Court, all open to the public. - Ancient churches to admire, quite often the scene of grisly goings on in the vestry. - Short profiles on the two DCI Barnabys, John Nettles and Neil Dudegon, along with the five Detective Sergeants and Sykes the dog. With all episodes available on BritBox, fans of the show can watch old episodes with the Midsomer Murders Location Guide in hand and spot exactly where Inspector Barnaby brings the sometimes unlikely villains to book.