Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man (USA 2025)

From the Publisher:
Death stalks a production of Amadeus in this second outing for Inspector Barnaby and Midsomer Murders. Too many notes, Mr. Mozart!

Actors do love their dramas, and the members of the Causton Amateur Dramatic Society are no exception. Passionate love scenes, fits of ego, jealous rages, operatic reconciliations... put together, they're better than a paycheck, which is a good thing, because no one in this staging of Amadeus is getting one. However, even the most theatrically minded have to admit that murdering the leading man in full view of the audience is a bit over the top. Luckily, Inspector Barnaby is in that audience, and while he may lack certain skills as a theater critic, he's just the man to catch a killer. With so many dramas playing out, there's no shortage of motives or suspects, including secret lovers and jealous understudies galore. Inspector Barnaby is in his element, and so is Caroline Graham, a former actress, who tweaks her collection of community-theater artistes and small-town drama queens with merciless delight. The reader's only regret will be that, eventually, the curtain must come down on the final page.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man. Classic Mayhem - Midsomer Murders. Inspector Barnaby #2. Felony & Mayhem Press, ISBN: 9781631943393 (September, 2025), 340 p., $16.95.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man (UK 2016)

From the Publisher:
Backstage nerves are fraying, and revenge is on its way. As Causton Amateur Dramatic Society prepares for the opening night of Amadeus, offstage Esslyn Carmichael suspects his wife is having an affair with another cast member. And where better to settle scores than the stage?

Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby expects an evening of entertainment, attending only to show support for his wife. But when someone turns Esslyn's final grand gesture into a gruesome coup de theatre, Barnaby's investigation suddenly begins.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man. A Midsomer Murder Mystery. Headline, ISBN: 9781472243669 (October, 2016), 339 p., £8.99.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man (UK 2007)

From the Publisher:
Backstage at the Causton Amateur Dramatic Socirty's production of Amadeus, nerves are fraying. On top of the fractious cast hierarchy imposed by Harold Winstanley, director and would-be impresario, cast member Esslyn Carmichael suspects his wife is having an affair with the leading man. And where better to settle scores than the stage?

On opening night, Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby attends, purely as a member of the audience. But when someone turns Esslyn's final grand gesture into a very gruesome coup de theatre, Barnaby suddeny finds himself centre stage...

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man. A Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby Case. Headline, ISBN: 075534216X (September, 2007), 339 p., £7.99.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man (USA 2006)

From the Publisher:
The Second Book in the Inspector Barnaby Series and a delicious satire of community theater
Actors do love their dramas, and the members of the Causton Amateur Dramatic Society are no exception. Passionate love scenes, fits of ego, jealous rages, operatic reconciliations... put together, they're better than a paycheck, which is a good thing, because no one in this production of Amadeus is getting one. However, even the most theatrically minded have to admit that murdering the leading man in full view of the audience is a bit over the top.

Luckily, Inspector Tom Barnaby is in that audience, and while he may lack certain skills as a theater critic, he's just the man to catch a killer. With so many dramas playing out, there's no shortage of motives or suspects, including secret lovers and jealous understudies galore. Barnaby -- who made his debut in The Killings at Badger's Drift -- is in his element, and so is Ms. Graham, a former actress, who tweaks her collection of community-theater artistes and small-town drama queens with merciless delight. The reader's only regret will be that, eventually, the curtain must come down on the final page.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man. The Second Inspector Barnaby Mystery. Felony & Mayhem Press, ISBN: 1933397268 (March, 2006), 308 p., $14.95.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man (UK 1990)

From the Publisher:
For Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby a visit to the Causton Amateur Dramatic Society's production of Amadeus is not an ideal evening's entertainment. But loyalty to his wife Joyce (noises-off) means that attending the first night is a must, and Barnaby knows that an immense amount of hard work has gone into the show. Backstage, nerves are fraying. Director of the play, Harold Winstanley, has introduced a strict pecking order among the cast but the leading man is taking his role far too much to hear. For Salieri (alias Esslyn Carmichael), suspecting that his wife is having an affair, has decided that the stage is as good as place as any to wring the truth out of the guilty party. It is his final act, though, that proves to be a pièce de résistance and when the scene takes a particularly gruesome turn, Barnaby finds that his professional skills are called to the fore.

Caroline Graham: Death of a Hollow Man. Headline, ISBN: 0747233500 (April, 1990), 303 p., £3.50.