The Brokenwood Mysteries

The Brokenwood Aeronauts, a group of Steampunk enthusiasts, are having their annual convivial in a barn that has been kitted out with all manner of rustic Victorian bric-a-brac.

Joyous news is in the air when a local festival to celebrate their sub-culture is announced. But not long after, body parts are in the air, too, when an explosion kills one of their members — Lionel Bridges.

Mike and his team are taken into a world of dress-up and escapism where all the suspects have alter-egos; the perfect place to hide a motive, evidence or a weapon. Was Lionel the victim of revenge, jealousy or simply an unfortunate accident?

World-renowned crime-writing author Jack Rudd visits Brokenwood to give a reading at the local book club from his latest novel ‘Knife in the Back'.

He visits — but never leaves, falling victim to a method of murder portrayed in his own book.

Jack was a literary rock star — tall, dark and sexually magnetic - and it transpires he cut quite a swathe through the womenfolk of Brokenwood before he met his demise. And one woman in particular has a close personal connection to DSS Mike Shepherd.

When Mike and his team delve into the backstory of the book club members it is quickly revealed all of them knew Jack and all had an axe to grind or - was it a knife — in the back?

The members of the Brokenwood Duck Stalking Association are set to shoot on the first day of the new season. Fingers are ready on the trigger as the eight hunters wait patiently for ducks to fly. But then the misty morning presents an unusual sight as a lone wildlife protester sails into the duck shooting cove. Ducks fly, shots are fired but only the protester, Leslie Garrett, falls down dead. With nobody prepared to take the blame Mike and the team are led to believe Leslie was shot by a mysterious ninth hunter seen briefly through the mist. Unable to determine who it was, Mike is forced to think more laterally than usual. Was Leslie's death just a case of careless use of a firearm or were the ducks never the target in the first place?

A suspicious suicide in Brokenwood Women's Prison leads Mike and the team to uncover a complex murder. And for Mike this one is personal — he knew the victim Corina Doyle from his days prior to Brokenwood.

As Mike and the team investigate they're brought into contact with several familiar female convicts from the past: Trudy Neilson, Brenda White and Rayleen Hogg. They're all doing their time and all up to no good.

And with Corina's passing new information surfaces about an old crime. A secret from her past that will answer a nagging question that Mike has carried for 8 years.

However, for that secret to come out, Corina had to entrust it with someone and that someone wants Mike to do a deal.