The Killings at Badger's Drift
Encyclopedia
The Killings at Badger's Drift (1987) is a mystery
novel
by English
writer
Caroline Graham
, the first in her Chief Inspector
Barnaby
series. In 1997, it was adapted as the pilot of Midsomer Murders
, a popular ITV
television
series based on Graham's books. The story has also been named as one of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time
.
of Badger's Drift, the elderly Miss Bellringer insists that her friend, Emily Simpson, did not die of a heart attack as her doctor claims, but was in fact murdered. An autopsy
soon proves her right, as a deadly mix of red wine and hemlock
is found in the dead woman's system. While the village descends into panic, the elusive murderer strikes again, claiming the life of sly Mrs. Rainbird, before callously leaving her bloodied corpse to be discovered by her son Dennis, a local undertaker.
As Barnaby investigates, aided and abetted by his narrow-minded Sgt.
Gavin Troy, he uncovers a sinister connection between an older crime and the current killings at Badger's Drift.
1. Amersham, Buckinghamshire
2. Bledlow, Buckinghamshire
3. Brighton, Sussex
4. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
5. Christmas Common, Oxfordshire
6. The Lee, Buckinghamshire
7. Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire
8. New Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Barnaby and Troy arrive in Badger's Drift to investigate. When the autopsy confirms their suspicions that Emily was murdered they attempt to trace her last movements, discovering she rang the local helpline in a very distressed state but all she said to the operator was "just like Annabella".
The detectives commence interviewing local villagers including Dr. and Mrs. Lassiter (who clearly have a less than harmonious marriage), their daughter Judy and the somewhat camp and rather obnoxious undertaker, Dennis Rainbird and his equally sinister mother. The 'Rainbirds' owe much of their affluent lifestyle to a sideline of spying on the indescretions of villagers and blackmailing them.
Eventually enquiries lead Barnaby to Tye House to question its wealthy, but wheelchair bound, owner Henry Trace and his sister-in-law Phyllis Cadell. Barnaby suspects there may be a link to Emily's call to the helpline and a hunting accident two years earlier in which Henry's first wife 'Bella' was shot. Trace is now preparing to marry his ward, the much younger Catherine Lacey who lives with her artist brother Michael, with whom she has a somewhat volatile relationship.
Events, however, take a dramatic turn when the Rainbirds are hacked to death by an unseen killer. Notebooks found in their cottage reveal the extent of their blackmail. Victims include the Lassiters and, more importantly, Phyllis Cadell, whom they thought had murdered Bella Trace.
Confronted with this evidence Phyllis is arrested and freely confesses to the murder but denies killing the Rainbirds.
Barnaby is far from convinced about the hunting death and when an eye witness reports seeing Michael Lacey enter the Rainbirds' cottage at the time of their deaths he and Troy conduct a search of Michael's studio finding a bloodstained knife. Lacey is taken into custody but later claims he was with Judy Lassiter at the time. When she confirms his alibi Barnaby has no choice but to release him. Meantime Phyllis Cadell commits suicide in the police cells much to Barnaby's dismay.
Lucy Bellringer tells Barnaby and Troy that Michael and Katherine Lacey had a nanny
(their parents died in a car crash) called Mary Sharpe. Barnaby and Troy visit her in Brighton
, and she explains how she'd been with Michael and Katherine for nine years, until one night when she caught them having incestuous sex. Whilst returning to Badger's Drift, Troy realizes what Emily Simpson saw in the woods was Michael and Katherine 'at it'. Katherine then killed Emily so she wouldn't tell anyone, but not before Emily called the local helpline and, without disclosing what she had seen, remarked that it was "just like Annabella".
When Katherine visited the Rainbirds' house, she wore a raincoat
, a cap
and carried a large basket
. David Whitely drove by, mistaking Katherine to be Michael. Katherine killed the Rainbirds because of their blackmail
involvement, then put the knife, the cap and the blood-soaked overalls into the basket, which Barnaby and Troy had seen at Tye House. Barnaby curiously saw it as 'a very big basket, for very few mushrooms'. What the Rainbirds' cleaner, Anne Quine, saw was Katherine leaving the Rainbirds' house, not arriving, which was what she was meant to see. Katherine put the knife in Michael's art studio
, as he'd set himself up with the perfect alibi — Judith Lassiter's portrait
, making it look as if he was guilty when he was the only person who couldn't have done it.
During the shooting two years previously, what Phyllis Cadell saw was Bella Trace talking to Michael Lacey. What she didn't realize was that Michael was separating Bella from the group, setting her up to be shot. Phyllis thought she'd killed Bella, but when she fired, she missed and Bella tripped over a root
at that very moment. Phyllis ran back to Tye House, and a few minutes later, Michael took Bella aside again as Katherine shot her from the bushes. Michael ran back to Tye house to delay the ambulance as long as possible. Katherine also doubled back to the house, in time to make it look as if she'd there at the time of the shooting. Before the wedding
, Mary telephones Michael and tells him that the Police are coming for him and Katherine. Michael and Katherine go to the woods and commit suicide
with a double-barrel shotgun
. At Michael's house, Barnaby reveals the painting
that Michael had been working on. Later, Barnaby attends his daughter's performance of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
and realizes that Emily's allusion to "Annabella" was a reference to the character in the play, where she is in an incestuous relationship with her brother.
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Caroline Graham
Caroline Graham
Caroline Graham is an English playwright, screenwriter and novelist.Graham was born in Nuneaton, studied with the Open University, and received a degree in writing for the theatre from the University of Birmingham. Her first published book was Fire Dance, a romance novel...
, the first in her Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
Barnaby
Tom Barnaby
Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Barnaby is a fictional detective created by Caroline Graham. DCI Barnaby is featured in the Chief Inspector Barnaby book series which began with The Killing at Badger's Drift in 1987. Barnaby is also the main detective in Midsomer Murders, a popular...
series. In 1997, it was adapted as the pilot of Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, a popular ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series based on Graham's books. The story has also been named as one of The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time
The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time
The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time is a list published in book form in 1990 by the British-based Crime Writers' Association. Five years later, the Mystery Writers of America published a similar list entitled The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time...
.
Plot summary
In the tranquil villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Badger's Drift, the elderly Miss Bellringer insists that her friend, Emily Simpson, did not die of a heart attack as her doctor claims, but was in fact murdered. An autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
soon proves her right, as a deadly mix of red wine and hemlock
Conium
Conium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as Conium maculatum, and to southern Africa as Conium chaerophylloides....
is found in the dead woman's system. While the village descends into panic, the elusive murderer strikes again, claiming the life of sly Mrs. Rainbird, before callously leaving her bloodied corpse to be discovered by her son Dennis, a local undertaker.
As Barnaby investigates, aided and abetted by his narrow-minded Sgt.
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Gavin Troy, he uncovers a sinister connection between an older crime and the current killings at Badger's Drift.
Differences from the ITV adaptation
- On the show, Emily Simpson's death was more violent. Instead of being poisoned as she was in the novel, her neck was broken with a crowbar.
- In the novel, only Mrs. Rainbird was killed and her son Dennis discovered her body. On the show, both were murdered.
Filming
The Killings at Badger's Drift was filmed from 9 September to 10 October 1996 in the following locations:1. Amersham, Buckinghamshire
2. Bledlow, Buckinghamshire
3. Brighton, Sussex
4. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
5. Christmas Common, Oxfordshire
6. The Lee, Buckinghamshire
7. Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire
8. New Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Plot Conclusion
Whilst in the woods to photograph a rare orchid, elderly spinster Emily Simpson witnesses something that so traumatises her she immediately rushes back to her cottage. Shortly afterwards there is a knock on her door and the following morning her dead body is discovered.Barnaby and Troy arrive in Badger's Drift to investigate. When the autopsy confirms their suspicions that Emily was murdered they attempt to trace her last movements, discovering she rang the local helpline in a very distressed state but all she said to the operator was "just like Annabella".
The detectives commence interviewing local villagers including Dr. and Mrs. Lassiter (who clearly have a less than harmonious marriage), their daughter Judy and the somewhat camp and rather obnoxious undertaker, Dennis Rainbird and his equally sinister mother. The 'Rainbirds' owe much of their affluent lifestyle to a sideline of spying on the indescretions of villagers and blackmailing them.
Eventually enquiries lead Barnaby to Tye House to question its wealthy, but wheelchair bound, owner Henry Trace and his sister-in-law Phyllis Cadell. Barnaby suspects there may be a link to Emily's call to the helpline and a hunting accident two years earlier in which Henry's first wife 'Bella' was shot. Trace is now preparing to marry his ward, the much younger Catherine Lacey who lives with her artist brother Michael, with whom she has a somewhat volatile relationship.
Events, however, take a dramatic turn when the Rainbirds are hacked to death by an unseen killer. Notebooks found in their cottage reveal the extent of their blackmail. Victims include the Lassiters and, more importantly, Phyllis Cadell, whom they thought had murdered Bella Trace.
Confronted with this evidence Phyllis is arrested and freely confesses to the murder but denies killing the Rainbirds.
Barnaby is far from convinced about the hunting death and when an eye witness reports seeing Michael Lacey enter the Rainbirds' cottage at the time of their deaths he and Troy conduct a search of Michael's studio finding a bloodstained knife. Lacey is taken into custody but later claims he was with Judy Lassiter at the time. When she confirms his alibi Barnaby has no choice but to release him. Meantime Phyllis Cadell commits suicide in the police cells much to Barnaby's dismay.
Lucy Bellringer tells Barnaby and Troy that Michael and Katherine Lacey had a nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
(their parents died in a car crash) called Mary Sharpe. Barnaby and Troy visit her in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, and she explains how she'd been with Michael and Katherine for nine years, until one night when she caught them having incestuous sex. Whilst returning to Badger's Drift, Troy realizes what Emily Simpson saw in the woods was Michael and Katherine 'at it'. Katherine then killed Emily so she wouldn't tell anyone, but not before Emily called the local helpline and, without disclosing what she had seen, remarked that it was "just like Annabella".
When Katherine visited the Rainbirds' house, she wore a raincoat
Raincoat
A raincoat is a waterproof or water-resistant coat worn to protect the body from rain. The term rain jacket is sometimes used to refer to raincoats that are waist length. A rain jacket may be combined with a pair of rain pants to make a rain suit.Modern raincoats are often constructed of...
, a cap
Cap
A cap is a form of headgear. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head and have no brim or only a visor. They are typically designed for warmth and, when including a visor, blocking sunlight from the eyes...
and carried a large basket
Basket
A basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, which can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair, baleen, or metal wire can be used. Baskets are...
. David Whitely drove by, mistaking Katherine to be Michael. Katherine killed the Rainbirds because of their blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
involvement, then put the knife, the cap and the blood-soaked overalls into the basket, which Barnaby and Troy had seen at Tye House. Barnaby curiously saw it as 'a very big basket, for very few mushrooms'. What the Rainbirds' cleaner, Anne Quine, saw was Katherine leaving the Rainbirds' house, not arriving, which was what she was meant to see. Katherine put the knife in Michael's art studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
, as he'd set himself up with the perfect alibi — Judith Lassiter's portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
, making it look as if he was guilty when he was the only person who couldn't have done it.
During the shooting two years previously, what Phyllis Cadell saw was Bella Trace talking to Michael Lacey. What she didn't realize was that Michael was separating Bella from the group, setting her up to be shot. Phyllis thought she'd killed Bella, but when she fired, she missed and Bella tripped over a root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
at that very moment. Phyllis ran back to Tye House, and a few minutes later, Michael took Bella aside again as Katherine shot her from the bushes. Michael ran back to Tye house to delay the ambulance as long as possible. Katherine also doubled back to the house, in time to make it look as if she'd there at the time of the shooting. Before the wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
, Mary telephones Michael and tells him that the Police are coming for him and Katherine. Michael and Katherine go to the woods and commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
with a double-barrel shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. At Michael's house, Barnaby reveals the painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
that Michael had been working on. Later, Barnaby attends his daughter's performance of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore
'Tis Pity She's a Whore is a tragedy written by John Ford. It was likely first performed between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. The play was first published in 1633, in a quarto printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Richard Collins...
and realizes that Emily's allusion to "Annabella" was a reference to the character in the play, where she is in an incestuous relationship with her brother.
Reviews
Graham makes the characters humanly believable in her witty and tragic novel, a real winner. - Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
Publication
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
: 1987, Century (imprint of Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
), London, 1987, Hardback, 264 p., ISBN 0712617442. - United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: 1988, Adler & Adler, Bethesda, Maryland, 1988, Hardback, 264 p., ISBN 0917561414. - ReprintReprintA reprint is a re-publishing of material that has already been previously published. The word reprint is used in many fields.-Academic publishing:...
: 2005, Felony & Mayhem PressFelony & Mayhem PressFelony & Mayhem Press is an American book publisher which specializes in re-issues of out-of-print mystery novels, first paperback editions of books previously published in hardcover, and U.S. editions of books that initially came out overseas...
, United States, 2005, trade paperback, xiv, 272 p., ISBN 978-1-933397-04-7