Midsomer Murders The Complete Series Seven   Starring: John Nettles Acorn Media UK RRP: £59.99 AV9937 Certificate: 12 Available 06 July 2009

Nothing is as it seems behind the well-trimmed hedges of the picturesque cottages in the idyllic English county of Midsomer Beneath the tranquil surface of sleepy village life exist dark secrets, scandals and downright evil. It is left to Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and his team to uncover the truth behind the mysterious killings that haunt the quiet English countryside...

Midsomer Murders: The Complete Series Seven contains the episodes The Green Man, Bad Tidings, The King Fisher, Sins of Commission, The Maid in Splendour, The Straw Woman and Ghosts of Christmas Past spread across six DVDs. The episodes were originally broadcast between 2 November 2003 and February 2004 (with the Christmas special, Ghosts of Christmas Past, airing on 25 December 2004).

The Green Man: Troy has been promoted to Inspector and faces his last case before he leaves Midsomer. When a cave collapses on the site of the Midsomer canal project, a number of ancient skeletons are discovered. However one of them seems to be a lot more recent than the others and everything points to foul play.

Bad Tidings: Troy's replacement arrives in Midsomer. DS Scott arrives, but soon makes it clear that he's not intending to stick around for long - as he sees the position as a dead end for anyone's career. Scott gets his first job when a woman is killed after walking home from a Spanish themed evening. Meanwhile, Cully meets up with some old friends who are hiding a secret.

The Fisher King: The episode starts with a flashback to a cave accident years before, which claimed the death of a man and sees the theft of two historically important artefacts. Back in the present day, local womaniser Gareth Heldman is murdered by a Celtic spear, and the dead man's brother seems to be more interested in organising a celebration of the summer solstice than finding out who killed his brother. This episode stars Lynda Bellingham.

Sins of Commission: When an author is found dead at the bottom of his stairs the investigation turns to murder when it is discovered that his neck has been broken by someone who appears to have army training. Suspicion falls on another local author who would have been up against the dead man for the main prize at the annual literary festival.

The Maid in Splendour: The barman at the Maid In Splendour pub is shot and killed. Soon afterwards the pub's landlord is also shot. Could the murderer be one of the old locals who is annoyed that their pub is about to be turned into an upmarket restaurant where locals are not wanted? This episode also features William Gaunt.

The Straw Woman: When a new school teacher tries to revive a pagan festival, in a bid to illustrate to her class how fear and superstition used to drive cultures, it ends in tragedy. The centre piece of the festival is the burning of an effigy of a straw woman - but no one realises that there is someone has been drugged and placed inside it. This episode stars Keith Barron and Jemima Rooper.

Ghosts of Christmas Past: Several years after Ferdinand Villiers committed suicide with a shotgun, his family come together for the first time for Christmas at his old home. However, someone believes that a member of the family is responsible for Ferdinand's death and is out for revenge.

Extras include Behind the Scenes (8 min, 25 sec); and a number of text based featurettes (John Nettles - Selected Works; Daniel Casey - Selected Works; Caroline Graham - Biography; Production Notes; Broadcast Dates; and Midsomer Map).

The lack of any real extras is a shame - and to be honest this collection could have been released across four DVDs for a much lower retail price. But, it you're a Midsomer Murders fan, this is an essential purchase.

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Darren Rea