DEATH AT THE WHITE HART

A detective settling into new digs faces a sensational murder in small-town England.

When local publican Jim Tiernan’s body is found in the middle of the road trussed up in a sack, tied to a chair, and sporting a pair of antlers, it’s clear that murder most foul has been committed in picturesque coastal Fleetcombe. DS Nicola Bridge, who recently moved to the area from Liverpool to try to save her marriage, has to deal with sparse resources and transitional spaces for her team; nonetheless, she quickly falls back into her previous workaholic tendencies, sacrificing sleep (and date night) to the investigation. Though she’s initially skeptical of DC Harry Ward’s local background and boy-band good looks, she finds him a ready pupil, and the two of them, along with scene-of-crime officer Reeta Patel and Mel, the "king of cataloging," find some joy in the work and gratification in their appreciation for each other’s contributions to the investigation. There’s no shortage of possible suspects in the village, from the guy with the delivery van to the scorned wife to the suspicious-acting hairdresser to the grumpy old farmer with a deep sense of connection to the family land; Nicola and her team have their work cut out for them. Despite the contemporary setting, there’s a classic feel to this police procedural. The mystery is rooted in human emotions, like classic whodunits of a century ago. The cast of suspects is varied and interesting, much more than stereotype or even archetype, but the true delight is the introduction of Nicola and her team, a group of misfits who complement each other with dry humor and absolute commitment to their jobs.

Hopefully, this is the start of a beautiful series.