Midsomer Murders - Tainted Fruit

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Eric Calder, Chairman and boss of Calder's Biscuits, is found murdered whilst on a business trip in Copenhagen. He had been poisoned with strychnine applied to a box of Calder's biscuits. It is discovered the box had been sent from the village of Badger's Drift, home to Calder's firm. The detectives team up with two female Danish police officers to investigate, where suspects and motives abound before the mystery is unravelled. Barnaby and Troy go to interview Sally at Georgina's house. Georgina is hosting a party. She had been planning to have guests over for a Drinks Get-Together at her house. After Raif's death, she decided to have the party in memory of Raif. Barnaby asks about Sally's relationship with Melissa. She tells them it's none of their business. Sally says she may be a drunk driver, but she is not a murderer. Georgina walks in. Troy asks her to leave, but Barnaby tells her to stay. Barnaby presses Sally about not remembering any of the drive home the night she was drink driving. When Bernard King, the owner of Finchmere airfield, is dropped to his death from a plane, Barnaby and Nelson enter a world of stunt pilots and military heroes. Upon investigating, they discover many hidden secrets. Possible suspects include anti-aircraft campaigners and employees who might lose their jobs after an imminent restructuring of the flying club. A tragic mission in World War II seems to hold a clue. Several skeletons are discovered in a tunnel during a canal restoration project near Midsomer Worthy. DCI Barnaby begins his investigations and discovers that one skeleton has modern dental work. Meanwhile, DS Troy has been promoted to Inspector. He begins his last case in Midsomer, investigating the murder of a teenager, Simon Mayfield (played by Henry Cavill), who had been shot with a gun that he and his friends had been using the previous night. The two detectives discover their cases are linked, and uncover a web of lies, affairs, and domestic arguments alongside a mysterious recluse with a hidden past. The fourth season of "Midsomer murders" is up and down for me with "Destroying angel" being wonderful and "The electric vendetta" my least favorite episode of all time in this series. That being said "Tainted fruit" is one of the better ones of that season.

It is the end of the tourist season for the Little Worthy model village, owned by the elderly Compton sisters. Model maker Bob Moss is carrying out his daily early morning rounds of the village when he discovers the body of Richard Tanner, stabbed and tied down in a scene reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels. As Barnaby and Jones start questioning the villagers, more deaths follow before they finally identify the family connections that lead them to a very disturbed killer. The residents in the village of Elverton-Cum-Latterly are about to start their rehearsals for a charity drag queen extravaganza, when Lois Springfield is found murdered. And after receiving a warning message, Malik Payne is almost run over by a car and it now seems that someone is not very happy about the charity drag queen extravaganza. At the end of the show, Evelyn Hardy is found murdered and the terminally ill Rocco Templeton collapses at the village green. It soon transpires that someone wants to start a new life at a new place. A well kept secret has been held concealed, and someone’s life has been changed forever. When popular GP Dr. Alan Delaney borrows fellow Dr. James Kirkwood's new car for an evening call-out, he is mysteriously killed in a hit-and-run accident. Barnaby and Jones start investigating in Midsomer Market and discover that James may have been the intended victim. The case leads them to North Wales — the former home of Delyth Mostyn, James's fiancée, to delve further. The possible suspects for the attempted murder on Kirkwood include Delyth's children, who oppose the engagement, Delyth's husband, and other acquaintances of Doctor Kirkwood. They need to find the truth before another attempt on James' life during a walk at Mount Snowdon. Gerald Hadleigh ( Robert Swann), chairman of the Midsomer Worthy Writers Circle, is deeply troubled when the group decides to invite writer Max Jennings ( John Shrapnel) to their next meeting. The morning after Jennings's visit, Hadleigh's housekeeper finds him bludgeoned to death in his home. Barnaby and Troy discover Hadleigh was somewhat of an enigma since a witness observed an unknown woman enter his house the night before his murder. The police detectives now find themselves scrutinizing all the writers and unearth many secrets before Max himself is found dead from poisoning. Anna Massey, Joanna David, and Una Stubbs also appear.Little Crosby are hosting its folk festival and event organiser Toby Winning is shortly found dead, having drowned in a bowl of eggs and live eels. The murder seemed to have been inspired by a ballad by late musician Johnny Carver. Toby had recently announced plans to relocate the event to London, which would have proved very costly for entrepreneur Frank Wainwright. Many villagers come under suspicion, and when two more murders echo lyrics from the same song, the detectives need to catch the person responsible. In this episode, I feel that Adrian Rawlins, Ellie Haddington, Eleanor David, Claire Price, Miles Richardson and Benjamin Whitrow, leave the best impression from the supporting cast. Upon his death, Karl Wainwright, owner of the Easterly Grange Hotel, leaves an estate with a number of beneficiaries, including hotel manager Gregory Chambers, his wife Suzanna ( Samantha Bond), and hotel chef Tristan Goodfellow. One by one, they meet grisly deaths. Gregory is found dismembered in woodland where he had been foraging for mushrooms, Suzanna is killed with a shotgun and Tristan eats a meal of mushrooms that includes the deadly Destroying angel. Kenneth Gooders ( Jonathan Coy), the solicitor handling the estate, is also killed when his large drinks cabinet topples over and crushes him. A cryptic new script for Gregory's former Punch and Judy show may provide Barnaby and Troy with some answers. Peter and Caroline Cave are house-hunting in Midsomer Newton and view a tumbledown cottage in secluded woodland. The following morning they are both found dead in their car near the house. DCI Barnaby and Acting DC Ben Jones enter a world where crooked estate agents, property developers, and eccentric villagers all seem to be withholding information. It is not long before another villager is murdered. The detectives find out that a years-old armed robbery holds the key to the case.

Annie Woodrow is being tried for the murder of her friend Frances Trevelyan. The prosecution alleges that her motive was her love for Frances' husband John. As Annie's trial begins, DCI Barnaby becomes increasingly doubtful of the damning evidence he provided to build the case against her. A chance remark by Frances's youngest daughter and a meeting with an old friend, a clinical psychologist, causes him to re-evaluate the case. With DC Jones awaiting news of his promotion to Detective Sergeant, they find themselves reinvestigating and uncover new evidence that puts the case in a very different light. The body of Mahesh Sidana, butterfly collector and founding member of an elite IQ society, is found pinned to a wall in a manner akin to his treasured butterfly specimens. This is the first of a series of strange murders that evoke trapped insects. DCI Barnaby and DS Winter are thrust into a crime that impacts not only their community, but internationally. With the help of an old friend, they set out to catch the culprit before another victim is found. Tara Cavendish ( Felicity Dean) is found beaten to death near a disused quarry belonging to her husband Robert Cavendish ( Robert Hardy). Tara was seen leaving the house early in the morning, but when she failed to return from a walk with their dog, Robert starts to get worry, and reports her missing. Barnaby and Troy start to investigate. Nine years ago, only weeks before Robert Cavendish decided to shut down his own quarry, an explosion occurred. Matthew Draper, an employee who works for Robert Cavendish, was killed in the accident. And as further inquiries ensue, Barnaby and Troy are drawn to investigate the death eighteen months previously of Robert's former housekeeper, Emily Beavis. Emily’s sister, Doreen Beavis, and witnesses Colin and Christine Cooper ( Imelda Staunton), may hold the key to the case. Toby Jones also appears. Georgina Canning is married to the vet, Raif Canning, who is the Tennis Club secretary. She trains horses and teaches riding lessons to rich kids. She wants to be a member of the wealthy social set. Adam and Melissa are "two of a kind. They have a habit of sailing too close to the wind in their personal lives," says Raif. Adam Asoba is found murdered, having been boiled to death in one of the vats at the newly opened brewery of the famously cursed abbey in Midsomer. Dr. Fleur Perkins, a new pathologist, tells Barnaby and Winter that Adam Asoba was living under a false name, and that he actually died three years earlier, under the name Adam Dumont. Adam’s widower, Kwame Asante, turns up at Adam’s house admitting the truth. It seems that he and Adam had big debts, and the only solution for them was for Adam to fake his death so that Kwame could start a new life by collecting a life insurance. The first murder seems to be the end of it, but when Emani Taylor, the woman responsible for the new brewery, is also murdered, Barnaby and Winter must look deeper to find the killer.A quiet spa weekend at Swavely Manor proves far from relaxing when Tom and Joyce arrive and a female client is found murdered in the flotation chamber. Barnaby interrupts his spa treatment to investigate with Jones. The mystery deepens when the victim's husband disappears. As Tom worries about his future and health, one of the hotel proprietors is also murdered. When the case is finally solved, Barnaby announces his impending retirement. His successor is announced to be his cousin, John Barnaby, who is a newly appointed DCI at Causton CID. This is one of the most classic Midsomer Murders. It has everything that makes the show one of your favorites: eccentricity and fantastic characters, a classic atmosphere (not like in the Graham books, but close), an original plot and extremely unusual murders. Medlar adds humor to the episode.