A four-part murder mystery from Jamie Marsh, “A Quaint English Murder” has all the tropes and trappings of a modern day BBC/Masterpiece Theater show combined with a bit of a discount Irish Sherlock Holmes. Detective Bramberly certainly doesn’t live up to the legacy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective had on real life and literature. That doesn’t, however, mean he’s a carbon copy of that character.

Introducing the Detective and Clues

The listener, introduced to Detective Bramberly in a standalone scene at the solving of a crime, gets a glimpse at his detective skills while in his prime. We then fast forward to after his retirement, where he writes in a diary to someone named Andrew. Unless I missed something, we never find out who Andrew is. At least, depending on where in time these epistolary moments take place, this Andrew may not be alive. The rest of the remaining three and a quarter of the story deals with a new mystery. One that involves several typical motivations such as a will and love both secret and taboo.

The suspects are all identified and their motives somewhat clear by the third episode. The writer/producer Jamie Marsh throws an unexpected wrench into the investigation at the end of that episode. Detective Matthews’ father shows up, reprimands him and kicks Bramberly off the case. What makes it unexpected isn’t just how out of the blue it feels, but also because of how it ties to Bramberly’s past a little too neatly. Later, a character moment that maybe I misunderstood the logistics of came across as a bit too grandiose for the reveal. At least in terms of the performance Bramberly’s actor gives. It’s a bit too melodramatic.

Detective Bramberly and the Case with Too Many Suspects?

By the end, all the players and pieces are in place for the killer’s identity to be revealed along with the method by which he committed the murder. By that point, I’d forgotten about the suspects and most of the motives. Perhaps because the cast for such a small story is larger than it needs to be? Or maybe because there’s a character subplot in the middle of the main plot that detracts from the mystery?

7.5/10- Stars

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