DVD Review: Midsomer Murders, Set 24

Making its North American DVD and Blu-ray debut, MIDSOMER MURDERS, Set 24 debuts on July 29, 2014 from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon, Life of Riley) contends with the county’s murderous denizens with his partner (Jason Hughes, This Life) in these three new, contemporary stand-alone mysteries (Blu-ray 2-Disc/DVD 3-vol. boxed set, $49.99/$39.99, AcornOnline.com). Set in England’s picture-perfect but perilous Midsomer County, Set 24’s episodes made their exclusive North American premiere on Acorn.TV in May 2014.

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, Set 24 guest stars include Martine McCutcheon (Love Actually), Georgia Mackenzie (Waterloo Road), Cheryl Campbell (Call the Midwife), Maggie Steed (Pie in the Sky), Kate Ashfield (Line of Duty, Shaun of the Dead), and Julie Graham (The Bletchley Circle, William & Mary).

THE MYSTERIES:

Written in the Stars—The death of an amateur astronomer during a total eclipse of the sun shines light into some dark corners of the star-gazing community in Midsomer Stanton.

The Sicilian Defence—Star-crossed lovers and championship chess intersect as the detectives search for a killer who leaves a chess notation at the scene of the crime.

Schooled in Murder—A series of gruesome murders appears to be related to secret plans to modernize the dairy that produces the famous Midsomer Blue.

Midsomer Murders premiered in the U.K. in March 1997. Since then, more than 100 feature-length episodes have aired with new episodes still in production. In the U.S., the series has been seen on A&E, The Biography Channel and public television; however the episodes in Set 24 are the second half of Series 15 (2012-13) and broadcast first exclusively on Acorn TV.

My Thoughts

If you are a fan of "Law & Order", you're going to love its British rural counterpart, "Midsomer Murders". In the county of Midsomer, things aren't always what they seem, and there is murder lurking behind many of the well trimmed hedges. The series, which was inspired by the novels by Caroline Graham, offers a selection of murder mysteries filled with intrigue and drama. I received the Midsomer Murder Set 24 to review, and although I have only seen the series in bits and pieces,  I was able to follow along with no trouble. Each episode stands on its own and offers its own unique and suspenseful storyline. The season reunites a great cast with lots of British humor and three wonderfully written mysteries including:

Written In The Stars - An astronomer is killed by one of the very meteors he loves while he studies an eclipse. As soon as the body is discovered, everyone is a suspect. Marital issues point the finger at his spouse. There's even talk of a curse. But the team leads more toward a corporate conspiracy revolving around an amazing discovery that leads to rivalry among the stargazers.

The Sicilian Defense - In this episode, the chef society president is murdered and it's anything but an open and shut case. There appears to be a connection between this case and a couple attacked over a year ago. The girl has just awoken from a coma and as soon as she does, new murders take place.  A teenage chess prodigy might be the only one who can help solve the case that may very well involve a serial killer.

Schooled in Murder - A woman is killed---crushed by a giant wheel of cheese. She's made some enemies at the diary where she worked  because she was fighting  for modernization. She also had a confrontation with a teacher at her daughter's prep school, leaving the team with a whole slew of possible suspects.  This is one mystery that definitely isn't cheesy.

 If you want to get the advantage of a full set of amazing  stories that will leave you on the edge of your seat, than this is the box set for you. You can order Midsomer Murders Set 24 for only $49.99 at Acorn Media. It's also available on Amazon.