British Mysteries on DVD

I have recently finished two new British Mystery series on DVD. The first one is Death in Paradise (Season 1) and it stars Ben Miller (Primeval, Johnny English) as the pent-up and proper Detective Inspector Richard Poole. DI Poole has been sent from Scotland Yard to the Caribbean Island of Saint Marie to solve the murder of a fellow police officer. he encounters an island full of colorful characters and a police station manned by an equally raucous crew. Paired with DI Poole is Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey (Sara Martins). Where Poole is up-tight and a little OCD; Camille is laid back and free-spirited. Needless to say, these two but horns at almost every turn, but Camille and her mother, Catherine, take every opportunity to try to get the DI to relax. Adding to Poole's headaches are Officer Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules) and Fidel Best (Gary Carr). Dwayne just wants to revel in the island that he loves so much. Fidel is a about to be a new father and while quite competent, he is a little on the green side when it comes to police work, but he is more than willing to learn. This eight episode season is full of character driven stories without all the blood and gore of grittier police shows and it is peppered with enough humor to keep it light and watchable.

The second set of British mysteries I've watched recently is called Scott & Bailey (Season 1). It stars Lesley Sharp (The Full Monty, Cranford) as Detective Constable Janet Scott and Suranne Jones (Coronation Street) as Detective Constable Rachel Bailey. This show is more serious and drama driven than the other series discussed here. DC Scott is the sensible, family-oriented detective. She is kind, intelligent and a by-the-book copper. DC Bailey is a single woman with a penchant for the wrong men. She, too, is intelligent and good at her job, but she is more likely to bend the rules than her partner. These two ladies are best friends as well as partners. They may not always see eye-to-eye, but when things get hairy they have each other's backs. This series doesn't have a lot of gore either, even though the cases are more gritty and urban than Death in Paradise. This is definitely a buddy-cop show and well worth watching.

"Death of a Policeman"

     This latest installment of the Hamish Macbeth series by author M.C. Beaton finds our intrepid police sergeant at odds with his superiors. Hamish Macbeth has managed to keep his little station at Lochdubh open so far, but if Chief Inspector Blair has his way, Macbeth and the station will go the way of the dodo. Blair insists that Macbeth does nothing important on his beat, but the people of the small communities surrounding his station rely on him to settle disputes, look in on those who have no one, and to generally put up with all manner of nonsense from the locals. Blair has decided to send policeman Cyril Sessions to spy on Macbeth and gather as much evidence as he can to shut down the Lochdubh station. However, Macbeth is onto Cyril's game almost from the moment he arrives and he is having none of Cyril's nonsense. The only trouble is that Cyril is murdered while following Macbeth in the countryside. At first, it looks like Cyril is killed by a criminal drug ring operating in the highlands. Even while trying to solve Cyril's murder, Macbeth must try to save his station, deal with his lovesick policeman Dick, and his own pitiful attempts at romance.

    The author, Beaton, excels at her descriptions of the Scottish Highlands as well as the myriad of colorful local characters she uses to populate her books. While the ending is a bit of an out-of-nowhere twist, the last part of the book does seem a little hurried. Some may say that this series is getting a little tired, but fans of the series will not be disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book for what it is: a fun, cozy mystery and an easy read.

Light of the World

James Lee Burke's latest Dave Robicheaux novel, Light of the World, is fantastic in its melding of two storylines that Burke is familiar with.  The characters that we all love from the New Iberia stories (Dave Robicheaux, Clete Purcel, Molly Robicheaux, Alafair Robicheaux and Gretchen Horowitz) are vacationing in Montana (setting of his second series) at the home of Albert, one of Dave's rabble-rousing friends.  The story begins with Alafair almost getting pierced by an arrow during her morning run up the mountain behind Albert's house.  Through a string of events, Dave (Police Detective) wonders if the shooter could be serial killer Asa Surrette, who Alafair visited in prison, and who may have escaped a fiery crash while he was being transported from one prison to another. Clete (Ex-policeman and current

Private Investigator)  is also staying in a cabin on Albert's property when he receives a visit from his ex-hit-woman daughter, Gretchen, who decides to stay and enjoy a little rest and relaxation.  Clete is up to his old tricks when he becomes enamored with Felicity Louviere, an unhappily married woman who's daughter has been recently murdered.  The plotlines become twisted until all of the characters end up chasing the same man, who is behind all of the killing.  There are some very tense moments in this book, and the ending is definitely a surprise.  Dave is the perfect flawed hero but his sidekick Clete takes more of the stage in this book, as the reader watches his dangerous downward slide.  Could this be the end for "The Bobbsey Twins from Homicide?"  Gritty but fun, and full of lovely descriptions of the gorgeous Montana countryside, this book could be read alone.  However, I suggest beginning with the first in the series, because James Lee Burke's books build on the characters lives with each one.