The Brokenwood Mysteries

It's the annual Brokenwood A&P show, time for that special kind of Kiwi carnival! Amidst the shearing displays, the ‘Calf Day' competition and wood chopping, is the usual assortment of fun rides and fairground attractions. The sun is shining on happy family entertainment and ever popular this year is the shonky old Ghost Train.

But when the surly A&P boss Harold Wilbury takes the minute-long ride as a safety check he gets the fright of his life. Shunted in his carriage through the final curtain, Harold greets daylight wide-eyed and dead. He is quite literally gone in 60 seconds.

When a man dies of fright surely there is no question of murder - it's just a case of bad luck. Then again how scary was the Ghost Train ride really?
Curiously, Madame Magdalena in the Fortune Teller's tent predicted the tragedy. Was that coincidence or a way of adding credence to her credibility? The Ghost Train operator, Johnny Oades, swears it's nothing to do with him, but there is a question over falsified health and safety checks. And why is Daisy Rose the fairy princess so unhappy?

The Cream Boat is a charming vessel that chugs its way up the scenic Brokenwood waterways. It carries sightseers and Christmas parties and often Hen Parties. Professional tennis player, Ophelia (Fee) Marley, is one such lucky Hen. Her Bridesmaids have organised a big day migrating from the township via the Cream Boat to the Tidal View Lodge where they stay overnight.

The following morning the Cream Boat returns to pick up the girls, but as the captain is about to dock a macabre and ethereal sight greets him. Fee is floating semi-submerged downstream in her wedding dress and veil. At first it may seem a tragic drowning, a result perhaps of too much revelry, but Gina reveals she was in fact dead before she entered the river.

Where was Fee's fiancé the night of the murder? And why is Best Man Darryn so reluctant to co-operate? Is he covering for his mate or is it something else entirely? Darryn's reticence is partially explained by the fact that he is deaf. Kristin's knowledge of ‘sign' comes in handy as the team works to solve this mystery.

Cycling is very de rigueur around the globe and no less in Brokenwood. When one such MAMIL, (Middle Aged Man In Lycra), Lester Nyman, reaches the top of a local mountain after a gruelling ride and suffers a massive coronary, it doesn't seem suspicious. But then Gina reveals his toxicology showed astronomical levels of caffeine in his system and Mike starts to look more closely.

On the edge of Brokenwood sits an abandoned mental health facility, an asylum named Brokenwood Downes. Now derelict, the spooky buildings provide a great hideout for local teenagers.

But one young couple freak-out when they stumble upon the body of an elderly man in the old hospital wing strapped to a gurney with electrodes connected to his temples. It would seem he was the victim of electrocution by Electroconvulsive Therapy.

The victim is Jakob Deschler who used to be the Superintendent of the asylum when it closed in 2011. Recently released from jail for charges of torture it appears that his murder was a revenge for his past cruelty. Mike and the team focus on a group of ex-patients of Brokenwood Downes. The few that have remained in the area are an eclectic bunch of misfits still struggling to reintegrate into the mainstream of society.

However, several of them are under the care of local psychotherapist Amy Curnow, whose expertise enables Mike to get a greater insight into the minds of these unique characters. She also has a knack to get Mike to open up about some more personal things about himself. Could it be that our hero is taking a shine to Amy?

Mike's interrogation skills will be pitted against the smarts of this crack psychologist. Will it be a case of Mike finally meeting his match – in more ways than one?