- Pub landlady Hannah Altman is crushed to death by a giant Perspex box during a magic show by famous illusionist Gideon Latimer.
- Pub landlady Hannah Altman is crushed to death whilst assisting illusionist Gideon Latimer at a charity magic show to raise funds for Midsomer Oaks church. The trick was sabotaged, suggesting that Gideon was the intended victim. He had received hate mail linking his act to Satanism and a particularly vocal critic is zealous curate Andrew Maplin. Certainly robed figures conduct midnight rituals in the grounds of Gideon's mansion, once owned by an eighteenth century paganist and one of them kills Andrew, leaving his corpse on a stone altar. Hannah was having an affair as is Gideon's wife, widening the list of suspects, whilst the vicar's wife Lorna Soane is revealed as a descendant of the eighteenth century Satanist. There is another slaying before Barnaby works out who committed murder by magic.—don @ minifie-1
- Nationally reputed illusionist Gideon Latimer stages a charity magic show to raise funds for the roof repair of the church in Midsomer Oaks, where he recently bought in moved into the ancient manor of the former baronial family with his wife Annabel and his self-invited, busybody widowed mother Carole. The act was sabotaged, causing a fatal case crush on his volunteer assistant, pub landlady Hannah Altman. Alcoholism-tainted vicar Magnus Soane's arch-conservative curate Andrew Maplin left the show earlier as 'blasphemic' and is later murdered, apparently during the nocturnal pagan rituals presided over by a secret high-priest, attended by Hannah's fresh widower Luke Altman, who claims he sought there friends, not 'Satanism', but has a dark past, and the vicar's estranged wife Lorna, heiress to the manorial family, in honor of whose eighteenth century lord the annual festival is held, which the local historian knows started out all but festive. Gideon's Annabel has an adulterous affair with his bossy, nearly in-living manager, as Hannah did with local Rhodri Probert. Only after a third murder, Barnaby and Nelson can prevent another under ritual cover and crack the complex case.—KGF Vissers
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