A Ghost in the Machine

Midsomer Murders, Book 7

By: Caroline Graham

Narrated by: John Hopkins

For all its old-fashioned charm, Forbes Abbot is far from the close-knit community that ex-Londoners Mallory and Kate Lawson expected. In this village, everyday squabbles can quickly turn to murder.

As the couple begins to settle into their new life away from the big city, it isn't long until they're thrown into the horror and mayhem of a true Midsomer Murders mystery.

Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby has encountered many intriguing cases in his years on the force, but soon he will discover that the incident of the ghost in the machine is the most challenging of them all.

©2004 Caroline Graham (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'[A Ghost in the Machine] allows us to admire the novelist's wit and her ability to create exasperatingly real characters before getting down to the policing.' (Sunday Telegraph)

'A mystery of which Agatha Christie would have been proud.' (The Times)

'Tension builds, bitchery flares, resentment seethes...lots of atmosphere, colourful characters and fair clues.' (Mail on Sunday)

Where is Barnaby?

After seventeen chapters, or 9.5hrs of listening, Chief Inspector Barnaby finally appears and the story properly begins.

Perfect for Halloween, Lovers of Murder Mysteries & the Paranormal!

This was a more complex story than some of the others in the series. The many people in the tale are not all connected other than they either knew the murdered people or the murderer. But I cared about most of them and when it was over wished I could read more about them.
There’s a paranormal bit and a creepy twist at the end. A very satisfying mystery.

Well done as always

Even though Inspector Barnaby didn’t appear right away in the plot, it was an intricately woven, master fully written story with a very satisfying surprise ending.

Excellent story telling

The characters were so real and complex. I enjoyed listening to every minute of it and the ending was amazing. I’m so sorry that this is the last book she wrote in this series. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

Just as much mystery, not as much Barnaby

I enjoyed the slight divergence. Still multiple threads of mysteries that are tied up rather well in the last chapter and perfectly narrated as always. Troy is Troy, Barnaby is human.... there's just less of these 2 and more of the thoughts of various characters. Cameo appearance of the young actors. I wonder what is next for Barnaby

Ghost Machine

Loved plot and reader - a bit slow starting but then became totally engrossed in the story

Wonderful listen

Completely engrossing storylines and excellent narration. The characters are well drawn and complex. The author’s take on human nature resonates and is both canny and kind. The ending is extraordinary. Highly recommended.

Good for fans of Graham’s rich characters, slow pacing

This is an interesting approach compared to other books in the series: there is an extended set up where the main players and environs are introduced, similar to “Death in Disguise”, but much longer. Deep characters are Graham’s hallmark, and this novel has them, but there is very little of the quaint, light-hearted comedy that I personally enjoy. This book deals with a number of very broken and destructive people. Graham’s prose is as razor-sharp as ever, I laughed out loud at several particularly clever turns of phrase. I found the motive and ending to be confusing and a bit unconvincing, and would have appreciated knowing what the protagonists had gotten up to after the case ends, especially after how beautifully this was handled in the previous book in the series.

Excellent

A great way to round out the series. Wish there were more books here, but it’s refreshing to see an author not beleaguer the readers or characters. Well done.

Annoying characters

Many of the characters were annoying. Mallory with his obsession and hovering of his daughter Polly was just absurd. Judith and Kate both came across as jealous and possessive, and while Gloria was a cartoon. The little girl Karen was interesting and I liked the end the best.