It stars John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and Daniel Casey as Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy.

Stock broker Selwyn Proctor is furious when his classic car blows up outside his prestigious home in Midsomer Market.

On the other hand, he would be more furious if he discovered that the reading club, of which his wife Tamsin and a group of other ladies from the village are part, is actually a group of middle-aged women investing in the stock market.

These include glamorous divorcee, Ginny Sharp, local GP's wife Sandra Bradshaw, and Lady Chetwood of Chetwood House on the outskirts of the village.

After one meeting, when Lady Chetwood and Mrs Proctor announce they'd like to sell their shares, the elderly head of the group is brutally battered to death with her walking stick whilst getting ready for bed that night.