So glad to have stumbled upon such a classic and, at the same time, entertaining sleuth! Dame Diana Rigg stars in this first installment of the PBS Mystery! series as the rich and sophisticated Mrs. Adela Bradley, based on the character created by Gladys Mitchell.

The action takes place in the coziest – and most adept to murder – of British places: a country estate, belonging to the rich Bing family. John Alderton stars as Adela’s old flame and Master of the Estate. Although they both have taken different paths and married other partners, they have remained old friends, and Adela was chosen as his daughter Ellenor’s (a.k.a. “Mouse”, played by Emma Fielding) godmother. The reason for Adela’s visit to the estate is precisely Mouse’s engagement party. So, after attending the funeral of her ex-husband – and arriving late for it, Adela heads to the Bing Estate, driven in her Rolls Royce by her fervent admirer and trustworthy chauffeur, George Moody (played by Neil Dudgeon). Her presence comes in handy too, when the groom is found dead in the bathtub… and the big surprise is not particularly his death, but something physical about him – and it has nothing to do with the attraction to the bride, who has been paralyzed for the past two years due to an unfortunate accident. But in bringing the murderer to justice, Adela must face a personal crossroads that not even her very unique cynicism can hide.

This pilot allows us to discover and get a taste for more mysteries in the series, which will delight women mystery fans in particular, especially if they are interested in fashion.

Like Ms. Rigg says in the intro to the DVD about Mrs. Bradley, “I liked her a lot”, and look forward to more of her adventures… and a lot more of those clothes!

I can honestly say the best achievement of the series is the costumes. Ms. Rigg dons the 1920’s style in a way I’ve never seen before, and her elegance pairs only with her natural sophistication and the charm of the character.

The casting has been meticulous. My favorites are Emma Fielding, who plays the role of "Mouse", and John Alderton as Alistair Bing, her father.

As an extra feature, the DVD includes a virtual tour for the personal computer, of the inside sets designed by Edward Gorey, cast biographies and details of other productions.

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Created Jun 21, 2006 at 11:28am • Submit your own review...